Not saying the FK05 isn't great bone stock, but I have yet to see anyone leave it that way. Shoot, right out of the box you need a $40 battery strap! And everyone needs basic spares...ie arms, belts, diff parts. So there really is no such thing as a $380 Xray. I had one...raced it all last summer. I kept the bare basic spares and I bet I had at least $500-$600 in it. I have the same basics and some hop-ups for my 05 and I'm still way under $300.
And just because the car isn't being raced at the big races doesn't mean it couldn't compete. But how would it look if Tamiya team drivers abandoned there Ultra awesome $500 MSXs for a so called sport level car. They would lose so much revenue. Think how much they have made on the 415 series!
I do very well with my 05. I usually am in the middle of the A against some VERY good drivers and all of them run HIGH END cars. These drivers can and have been in the top 20 at Snowbirds, Cleveland etc. I have no doubt the only thing keeping my 05 from the top spot is me. If I were to hand my car over the one of the top 3 drivers it WOULD win, period. The car is just as fast as ANY CAR ON THE MARKET!