2wd is the more popular at the club and from my experiance is a lot cheaper to race competitively too.
As for a car there is lots of choice in the 2wd category,
Ansmann Madrat,
Tamiya 201,
XFactory X6,
Associated B4 or the newer B4.1,
Losi XXXcr or when it comes out the Losi22,
Schumacher Cougar,
Kyosho RB5 SP,
Plus various mid motor conversions from Vega, Atomic Carbon and others, although a kit is generally required to complete the build.
At NBC the B4 is the most popular choice and from past owernship is easy to setup, maintain and get spares for and with the B4.1 only recently being released there are come good deals on the B4.
There are also a couple of Cougar's at the club, we have been struggling to get them to generate grip over the winter months, although there are some new parts out which I am looking to try, but equally these do increase the price. I think in the summer these will be as capably as any other car out there. I have raced mine indoors on carpet and it's a real drivers car, and obviously being made in the UK spares and support is never a problem.
There are also a couple of mid motor conversion Kyosho's at the club, which seem pretty good, but expensive bearing in mind how much the original kit is plus the conversion, although the kit is equally competitive on the odd occasion I have driven one.
Personally I would buy a car that you know you can get spares for and is within your budget as a 2wd kit could cost anything from £90 to £300+ if you go for one of the mid motor conversions. Due to the design of a buggy it's always worth budgeting to carry a few spares like wishbones, shock tower and hub carriers, especially if you go for a car that is less common or not used by any club members.
Off Road racing for regionals and nationals is always run to modified rules so very few clubs run a motor limit. Something between a 6.5 and 8.5 is most common, but while your learning the jumps and bumps of the track your 13.5 with a decent gearing will be pretty competitive, although I'd do some research as I'm not sure what overall ratio you need to run. With motors like a 6.5 or 7.5 I'd run something like 9.3 to 9.0 overall ratio, so I'm guessin stock runs in the region of 6.5 for a 13.5 which would equate to an 80 spur and 32 pinon, which I have to be honest and say I'm not sure would fit in some cars, although obviously it could be adjusted to smaller spur and pinion if available.
Off road is more about car setup and driver ability than outright power, and when the grip is low or the track is bumpy a slower motor can often be the fastest way round.
Feel free to ask away should you have more questions!
|