The ruleset where I race allows both ROAR and EFRA motors and we do see "motor of the month" battles (though it's more of a 3-6 month cycle).

Did you really mean stator? The stator is the main thing that changes between the turns.

The stator is only different for 25.5 motors under the old roar rules. It had to be around 20mm ling instead of 19.3min. Under the new rule they can use the same stator in all spec winds. So more manufactures will join in making those wind motors since its less tooling.

But all manufactuers, to my knowledge, use the same stator across all their spec winds except 25.5 and most just dont participate in that class due to it being different.

Even with all the new motors over the past 4 years I am still running the original R1 super short motors I got when they came out. Thats not motor of the month unless you just buy everything to see if other stuff is faster. I just wait till someone passes me before I buy something new!
EA

Good news!
I teamed up with WMHRacing.com where you can now go to view my motor review and The Jerry spreadsheets. To the site and scroll down to the bottom. Or click on these links.

• WutupClegg BLDC Motor
• WutupClegg Jerry Results

We are still looking to do some more tweaks.

Spot on EA!

If you run R1 or Hobbywing spec motors, there is no motor of the month. Both my best 21.5's (R1-HD and a HW G4R) are over a year old each. Both are still turning track record lap times if I do my part.

FYI, I time both my motors to whatever it takes to pull 5A on a fresh 2s pack. I gear them to just below 200 deg internal temps and watch my peak RPM's and lap times to confirm the gearing is right. I shoot for the highest numerical gear ratio that gives me consistent, fast lap times. The R1 and HW do require different ratios to go the same speed.

Why did we have the motor-of-the-month scenario here in the States prior to ROAR implementing the blanket minimum IR rule?

How often will a company be able to have a motor approved? Once a year, twice a year or more?

From what I have experienced, the "motor-of-the-month" was mostly based on what motor won the Worlds and/or is winning at the track. Not much data was available except the phrase "this motor is faster because it's what all our top racers use." So, that would make sense why racers would jump around? Heck, I bought a Reedy motor because the shop said it was one of the fastest motors. Yeah... it really wasn't, and I found out the hard way.

A company can submit new motors for approval at any time.

A company only needs to get a motor approved once every 5 years. The only time they will have to get it re-approved is if they make any changes to it.

"8.4.2.1 All motors used in ROAR competition must be on the list of approved brushless motors posted on the ROAR website. Instructions and requirements for submitting motors for approval can be found on the ROAR website. Motor approvals shall be valid for 4 years from date of approval. Manufacturers can renew an approval for motors still in production for no additional fee or inspection for an additional 4 years."

And again, new motors may be submitted at any time. This means if company A has the lowest IR and resulting "fastest" motor out in the field and company B comes along and gets a lower IR and "faster" motor approved, company A can then immediately submit a newer, lower-IR motor to keep up with or perform better than company B's motor. Company C then comes along and drops a motor that out does both company A and Company B's motors and you can see how the cycle of the next got-to-have fastest spec motor goes.

This is more of what I was hinting at. Which if it happens, I'm afraid it will turn into the motor of the month and who has the deepest pockets. Lets hope not, but the writing seems to be on the wall. IMHO, it should be a once a year approval in October with an approval date for use on January 1st of the following year.

I don't believe motor manufacturers will be updating motors more than once a year. The only company I have see change a motor in less than a year was Hobbywing and Trinity. Fantom changed the Helix after a year, but most will wait at least 2-3 years before dropping a new motor design. It costs a lot of money to change them out too fast, but if people are willing to drop over $150 on a motor, then I guess yearly motor designs will be a thing. However, motors are not like RC cars. There is only so much you can do to a motor to make it better. You can drop internal resistance to ridiculous levels, but then your talking about using rare metals and a $500 motor.

With motors reaching $200, I wouldn't doubt ROAR coming out with a maximum motor price, just like the brushed motor stock class, way back in the day. However, there are $120 motors that will keep up with a $180 motor.

I see you joined in 2020. Were you involved in the hobby, specifically the racing portion of it, pre-2018 before ROAR implemented the blanket minimum IR rule for spec motors?

Who do you think lobbied ROAR to get rid of the blanket minimum IR rule and why did they do it?

With a price limit they sell you a motor and you can buy the faster rotor afterwards......

I think the ROAR did see that while doing tests in the field. On my club there was also a guy who did rewinding motors. By rounding the edges, using a much thinner isolation and a tight hand winding he ended up with a much shorter wire lowering the resistance. And keep in mind the purity of the copper also plays a role.

I have been in the hobby since the early 80's. I left the racing scene in the 90's and got back into it for a couple years in the early 2000's, then got back into RC in 2020.

I was not into RC when the ROAR brushless motor rules came around. I just recently got into testing brushless motors a couple years ago.