Bill,
You are right with part of your comments and wrong on other parts.
Foxberg, as it is run in Kansas, is not a big dollar event. It is still the Goldberg or Goldberg derived kits (Brodak) with a stock Fox 35.
NCLRA Fox Race harkens back to the very beginnings of AMA Slo Rat with a 300 sq inch wing and a stock Fox 35.
The NCLRA has a new event for folks that got tired of flogging a Fox. It is called Super Slo Rat (SSR). It is basically the same as NCLRA Fox Race except it allows the use of a stock plain bearing .25 engine.
None of those can be considered big money events.
NCLRA Flying Clown Race requires a specific design model and allows any engine up to a .19. Glo or diesel. But you are limited to a 1 ounce tank.
Right now 2nd hand F2D engines seem the way to go. But that may change. I have seen one Clown Racer with a recent F2C engine on it, but it turns out that does not mean certain victory. It seems that in racing, the fastest model doesn't always win.
As to Goodyear, man it was over the top more than 30 years ago. Full length tuned pipes, megaphones, weird fuels. You name it. Where it sits today is a shadow of where it was when it was its most complex.
The problem with control line racing isn't racing. The problem is two-fold. There is no progression between the events and there is no one keeping the faith for the beginner events beyond the local level. Once the event is flown at the Nats, Nats level competitors want to fly it. And they want to fly it at the Nats level. And that is a far cry from the person that just wants to get their feet wet in racing.
So the key to entry level racing? Race entry level at your local contests and enforce the separation between the entry level folks and the experts there. For instance, no expert teams allowed. If the experts want to race either the pilot or the pitman has to be an entry level competitor. Make a club rule (and enforce it) about the engine(s). if you have folks coming in from out of town, let them know about the way you run the event.
I've often thought we should do something like have reed valve Mouse Race for the normal teams and then run a second reed valve Mouse Race event at the same contest with its own set of trophies. Only in the second event the pilot and pitman have to reverse their roles. The pilot pits and the pitman flys! For most teams it might be the first time the pitman has flown in years!
We lose control of our events because we allow someone else to take control away from us. However, there are plenty of exampleswhere clubs have decided that they are going to stabilize an event regardless of what the national level rule making organization decides to allow.
You want a beginner or entry level event? Pick one, find some like minded folks, and go for it. And then control the event to meet the needs in your area.
May I suggest either the Wichita Kansas Class II Scale Race (Goodyear):
http://www.nclra.org/SouthCentral/Wichita_GY.htmor the NCLRA Fox Race, SSR, or F2CN:
http://www.nclra.org/Rules/index.htmlDave Rolley