The only track in FL that gets bumpy is Avon Park and I raced there a few weeks ago. My Agama A8 was very good in the bumps even though I am still using the stock 1.4mm 6 hole shock pistons that came with my kit. Once we have more time to test on bumpy tracks with larger hole pistons or 8 or 10 hole pistons, it will be even better.
Vega had problems on the bumpy track because he had the original 1.3mm 6 hole prototype pistons which is way too much pack to work in bumps imo.
Also, tire tread, foam insert, and compound has a lot to do with how your car works in the bumps. He is sponsored by AKA which has a rock hard foam insert so that may have hurt him. I used VP-Pro UF Axman with the soft closed clell foam and my car did not catch any ruts at all.
As far as "how do I know", I have never seen anyone run a Durango but the designer of the Serpent (World Champion Billy Easton) has been testing it at Hurricane for the last 3 months every week and I raced there 2 weeks ago with the A8 for the 1st time and was only .5 seconds a lap slower. Billy won, I got third. The other Serpent driver there only qualified 5th and finished 8th and was 1-2 seconds average slower per lap then the 1st-3rd place drivers in qualifying and the main event. And the last time I raced against him at Hurricane, he was driving a Losi and also won, while I finished 5th with my Cen Matrix. Back then I was 1-2 seconds slower then him. So that proves that a World Champion will be fast with any car he drives. He has won a lot of races here in FL the last 2 years with a TTR, Mugen, ASC, and a Losi. His Serpent looked great but it does not look any faster then the previous 3 brands he raced here.
As far as durability, I don't crash much during racing but I push it over the limit every time I practice so I have crashed it hard many many times and broke nothing but a shock end since the 1st day so far. But the A8 was designed to be light, fast, and win races. It is not a basher, so if you crash every other lap of racing, it will probably break easier then an RTR that is built like a tank when weight and performance is not a factor.
