Good point, there is a difference, a driver can usually make up for it, but it will depend on the competition that shows up more then what car a certain driver uses. If the competition is tight, then the car will come into play more, as well as preperation, luck, etc....
Also, usually, when one car is "very" good at something, it usually lacks some place else.
For instance a car that is designed for high bite, will usually not produce enough traction to perform well on low traction tracks, etc. Tuning helps, but initial engineering is the biggest factor.
Then there is the price issue, i've had good luck with some less expensive cars and lost races because of little things at odd times, or on other low end cars.
Now that I run the XB8, there isn't much worry about cheap parts breaking and things like that, but they are not afraid to charge for their stuff either,
!
Just the same, i've thought after spending about $1500 on a buggy set up, should a racer have a cheaper car to save $150 bucks? I see racers with 3 spare engines and enough parts to biuld another car in their box, not too mention boxes of tires and wheels, etc.........Makes $150 seem like pocket change....
, Jim