1) 5 minutes is not an exaggeration. that's all you would get out of a pack of ni-cads before they took a dump around 5 and a half minutes, and that's why sanctioned races were 5 minutes long.
2) i don't even know why you're trying to pick a fight with me.
Dude, if you're talking about NiCd's, then you're not even talking a few years ago, you're talking a DECADE+ ago. I've been in an out of the hobby since I was 14, and even with the most budget-minded of NiCd packs 20 years ago, you would get more than 5 mins.
These days with Lipo's (which can be had for dirt cheap) you can charge a 4 or 5 5000mah packs at 5C (10A) the night before and race the whole damn day without even bringing a charger to the track. If you don't want 5 packs, you bring your charger and can still slam a pack in no time flat.
The only disadvantage I see these days with electric is if you want to run 1/8th scale. The brushless 1/8th ESCs aren't quite up to the task yet unless you invest in a very high-end one like Tekin's 1/8 ESC.
For me it's always been at 1/10th 2WD electric, though. Those are the most difficult suckers to drive and competition is fierce... LOVE IT!!!
ha, i remember 6-cell ni-cads with a mechanical speed control. no end to the suckage there! now there's 2-way digital radios (no crystals to swap), telemetry, abs, traction control, dynamic stability, steering and throttle/braking mapping, you name it.
You're right, but again, that was TWO DECADES AGO. Mechanical speed controls? Half this forum wasn't even born yet when those were being used (but yes, they sucked ass - my first gold tub RC10 had one of those ... got a paper route just so I could afford an electronic ESC).