I think it's hard to blame tires and lack of experience for the US performance. Fact is there's not a lot of new talent coming into the hobby - at least in on road. All the new drivers (and a lot of the old) are running off road. In touring car, every year it's the same guys. We need to do something to attract more young drivers into the hobby. I think a descent quality RTR kit with brushless motor and lipo would help get them in the hobby without having to spend so much on peripheral equipment and make racing less of a hassle.