Trying to get the cost down in RC with 1/18 vehicles is like trying to start a flag football league where touchdowns are worth 15 points. Or like starting a basketball league where the rims are hula hoops and a basket is worth 7 points. It creates an artificial reality.
If a kid enjoys the 1/18 dromida and wishes to race with actual competition at a local track, they will have been setup to fail because they don't have the right equipment and don't know how to operate during an actual qualifier where they are racing the clock and not each other. Likewise, if a kid was used to scoring 70 points in their version of a basketball game, by standing under the rim and getting 7 points each time it went through a hula hoop..... Their experience of playing a pickup game at the YMCA with former highschool and college players is going to be a very rude awakening.
This hobby/sport requires money and certain resources. We don't see would-be go kart racers bringing Barbie powerwheels to the track, expecting to race for the first time. If someone is having a hard time deciding between spending money for a race day and a transponder, or making a mortgage payment on their house.....then RC racing is probably something they are not ready for.