terry.sc

This isn't the point, nor about how much speed 4 cell brushless has compared with 1S, the point is that a lot of clubs just don't allow nimh cells any more even for a beginners/novice class to get people into 1/12th on the cheap.
It's nothing to do with whether a 4 cell car will keep up with 1S cars, whether 4 cell cars could go faster or whether you have to be more careful to get a 4 cell car to the end of a race, it's entirely about allowing new racers a cheap way into the class using old cars and electrics that don't cost much to pick up second hand. So what if you can't run 4cell hard for the full eight minutes, neither can anyone else in the class and if that was the case it would teach new drivers proper throttle control to ensure they last.

If people are afraid that experienced 1/12th racers might drop into 4 cell because they can go faster with a modern car then you are missing the point entirely, and clubs can always restrict what motor can be used or what minimum weight the cars have. Sticking a 1000kg minimum weight on them for example would mean they are never going to match a 1S car.

As an example in the UK our WorldGT cars run together with both 1S 10.5 and 2S 17.5 in one championship, the BRCA regulates the minimum weights so one class has no advantage over the other. If equality can be found between 1S and 2S pan cars then it shouldn't take too much to even out or limit the performance of 4 cell 1/12ths.

Your point is that we are using 6500mah lipos just to get that tiny bit extra voltage for those fractions of a second on your lap times, and no doubt when they bring out 7000mah lipos racers will be buying them for that extra hundredth of a volt extra average voltage as you don't use anywhere near the capacity of the pack during a race. It's not adding 2 or 3 laps to your lap score. If this chasing the smallest fractions of performance by making sure you have the latest equipment is your thing, then trying to compete with a 10 year old car isn't something you would be interested in.

The point argued against the suggestion is that 4 cell has a higher voltage as everyone can see the difference between 4.8v and 3.7v, yet the high capacity lipos used these days means they are running a race at an average very near the fully charged 4.2v. Throw in the extra voltage drop in nimh under load and the extra weight of 4 cells you are actually likely to be getting more car performance out of a 1S pack.

The extra voltage of 4 cell isn't the point, it's entirely about getting new racers into 1/12th on the cheap. If clubs insist people run 1S then the new racer needs a 1S lipo that they can't run in any other class and a 1S compatible ESC or a booster with either mounting the lipo on one side of the old car or buying a new car. If people can start with 4 cell then for most it's $20-25 for a nimh pack and any old radio gear they have which usually works happily on 4.8v. With the much more efficient brushless motors we use now then even 3000mah cells should manage 8 minutes easily.

I am a prime example of the people this idea is aimed at. I used to run 1/12th and have an Associated RC12L3 and CRC Six-Pack on a shelf which I could race, as well as plenty of spare electrics from racing touring cars and F1s these days. I know some clubs would let me put them together with a 4 cell pack to run for fun, but there are many clubs that wouldn't allow it unless I squeezed a 1S in there, which means I couldn't use my spare old original Novak GTB without adding a booster and maybe a lipo cutoff or buying a new ESC which I would be loathe to do for something that I would just run occasionally.

It's the same as when new racers turn up at a touring car club and ask what they need to get started and they are told they need an expensive chassis, a high end ESC and motor and a high C rated lipo. In reality all they actually need to get started is a ready to run package with its 540 motor and cheap nimhs which are technically illegal for racing, and if they get into it then they can spend money on all the extras. Time after time I see the kids who turn up with basic cars which they then upgrade over time are the ones that stick around, the ones that throw their wallet at the same equipment the experts use are the ones that get disillusioned when they find they haven't bought the skills to match and are getting beat by the kids with the cheap cars that are easier to drive and set up.

Allowing 4 cell in 1/12th again is like allowing novices to start with cheap RTRs, it gets people into the class with second hand chassis you can pick up for $25 on ebay and cheap old electrics that aren't necessarily lipo compatible. Then if they want to stick with 1/12th they can sell on the old car and cells and upgrade to a modern car.