Evan, you're over thinking this. We don't have the kind of telemetry needed to actually measure the forces at work here. All we can do is try something and see if we get faster lap times. If Steve says he can turn faster lap times with the inline car, I believe him. I think if you could accurately measure it you would have a lower polar moment along the longitudinal axis, meaning weight would transfer from side to side more quickly in both action and recovery. That would give you better transition into and out of corners. When you concentrate the weight closer to any axis, you speed up the reactions of the vehicle. Nearly every other type of RC car has longitundinal battery placement.