Personally having raced nitro and electric 1/8 here, albeit nitro knowledge more limited, the concept that if you don't like waiting for 45 min mains you should just race nitro seems to be a self defeating point as if everyone is running nitro, considering how you need pitmen to race it along with marshalls, you really need a pair of guys, possible 3 people who agree to:
- Not run the same classes
- Pit for each other
- Not run if they get stacked to marshall behind the drivers class
Its more effort to have a race go off, and for the discussion about engines being easy to tune, sorry I have seen guys with TONs of experience still doing the nitro windsprints when they flame out, or a clutch goes, or some other nitro specific part dies. Plus the fact you are still using batteries to power stuff I think is kind of funny personally with all the jokes about "flashlights" and all. no batteries in your starter box or for your servos, you aint' going no-where.
All that said, to me personally what nitro needs to stay relevant other than diehards would be:
- Engines that start up and / or keep running without a pitman and finnicky tunes for max power
- Running either less time (mains shortened so you don't need pit stops) or engines that sip less fuel
one thing I thought was cool at 1/5 scale when I had a couple of them was it seemed that you started and went, didn't have any funky tuning work to do, and they seemed to run a LONG TIME.
Lastly, I agree about the long marshalling for electric guys for nitro events. Let electric guys marshall electric, nitro guys marshall nitro. Simple as that. you enter with a nitro car, guess what, plan to be out there for 15 - 45 mins or so. You race electric, plan for 10 min.