Have to agree with Steevo. Xray products in general are considered the cream of the crop. The T1R is something of a unique bird. Xray really isn't marketing it as a Novice or Sport chassis. They try to make people aware that this is a full blooded Xray race machine wrapped in a less expensive package. From everything I've read, they've succeded. As you are in Australia. be aware that the T1R chassis can suffer some deformation from high heat. You can read these comments in the Xray T1 thread . You're researching this well.........keep asking until you feel comfortable with making a choice but remember......we've all followed fellow racers advice only to find that the car doesn't fit our own driving style.