This motor thing has gone crazy no matter what some of you might say. I came back from 2 y of absence of racing a few months ago, and the motors ppl were using at my local track were just insane to say the least. A guy hit my car on a straightaway when I was ahead of at least 15 feet as if he hit a stationary car. My car ended up having completely destroyed rear. I was at a full speed. Granted I was using old ass 1st version of Reedy motor. But still 17.5T is 17.5T. Speed should have been staying very close old or new, 1 brand or another. And my Reedy was dyno'ed and I did my best to keep it fastest and optimal. Now I have Team Scream The One which is very fast and I can keep up with most of the crowd. Still some of them are faster than me on the straightaway and I simply don't understand it. According to them, they use normal batteries, don't overcharge and don't cheat on motors. But who knows? I know it's not the gearing or drive train that get me slower than those. Just for the heck of it, my friend lended me a pack of fully charged HV battery telling me to beat those 2 faster guys but still couldn't do it, including on the straightaway. All I could think of was the motor.
I don't know spec motor or not is the right path and it's up for a, probably endless, debate but it seems to me, for now, spec motor, ROAR legal or not, should be used for a fair playing field.
By the way, buying 3 motors for a season (I don't know if you were referring for an entire year or literally a season) to keep up with the crowd, although I can afford it, for a non pro racer, is hideous idea. Don't make this hobby any more expensive than it already is.