I spent some time looking through the manual and I believe it is for sensored only. It doesn't specifically say this, but it does mention in one spot that for brushless motors "be sure the hall sensor is connected". That sentence, plus your helpful comments above, plus the practical reality that I can't get it to work, has convinced me that it is a sensored only esc. I'll survive. I got it cheap enough and the seller never represented to me as anything other than the combo I bought, LRP esc and Novak 10.5, which does run nicely together in this SCT. I have a Castle Sidewinder SCT esc in another vehicle that I will swap out if I want to run this motor. The Castle 3800kv motor has great torque.