Originally Posted by Gnarly Old Dog

If you check my earlier post on this thread (post number 204) this might help give you an initial indication of the mid vs rear motor characteristics.
Over here in the UK, we have an almost complete reversal in preference as you do - the mid motor is now almost completely dominant. The perceived lack of traction is largely a myth now - the mid cars can generate enough grip in any situation other than except for the first few inches of straight away drive in very slick conditions but by and large, I believe the ultimate decision of rear vs mid is not to do with the traction but to do with the style of track and the type of corners on the track. The mid car has a great advantage in longer, sweeping corners - in a point and shoot hairpin, perhaps the initial drive from a rear car can help in the very slickest of conditions. We ran in freezing conditions on ice-covered astroturf on Sunday and the mid motor car was still the preferred option for our drivers - they do require a different driving style and a different approach to setup though - but once you've adapted, I think the mid car is easier to be more consistent with in virtually any application.
As to why the rear car is more popular in your country? I guess it is largely driven by experience, setup knowledge and the fact that almost all of your pro-racers still run the rear car. Ultimate pace is perhaps not much different (as I'm sure Brian Kinwald can attest to) - the difference is in consistency and also that in a dogfight, the mid car enables you to be more forceful than the rear car - you can attack the corners harder and use the brakes knowing that almost all of your mass is contained within the car's wheelbase - thus you have very little pendulum affect from the weight transfer.

For me, the mid car is faster - but the rear car still has that allure of looking just right and feeling just like a proper 2WD race buggy should feel.

Hope this helps