this is probably a dumb question but bear with me. theres a local MultiGP qualifier coming up in about 6 weeks and i only have my 75mm whoop dialed in right now. my 5 inch is sitting in pieces because i crashed it into a pole two weeks ago and a replacement arm set is backordered. i know the class is open 5inch but i dont know if anyone actually shows up to one of these things with a micro and just runs it anyway for the experience. i wouldnt expect to win obviously but i just want to fly something and get used to the race environment ? timing, starting beeps, flying with other people, all that stuff. is it worth going or would i just be wasting everyones time including my own

i guess the real question is whether the race experience itself is valuable even if you know youre gonna get lapped constantly

go. seriously just go. i showed up to my first MultiGP event with a barely tuned 4inch that kept desyncing and i still learned more in those 3 heats than i had in months of solo practice. the start sequence alone ? sitting on the pad, hearing the tones, other quads spooling up next to you ? you cant replicate that at home. youll get lapped sure but nobody at a local qualifier is gonna be annoyed at you for showing up with a whoop. most people at those events are just stoked someone else showed up at all

im kind of in the same boat actually, never done a sanctioned race yet. but from everything ive read the first few events are mostly about figuring out the vibe and not crashing into other peoples stuff lol. i wouldnt overthink the equipment too much for your first one. that said if your whoop is really that much slower than the 5inch builds you might spend most of your time just trying not to be a hazard on track, which could get stressful. maybe call the organizer beforehand and just ask if its cool, most TD's are pretty chill about it especially for local stuff