It seems that Japans governing body - the JRMCA - have been hard at work with some new rules for 2006, the major change being a 4 cell limit for modified tourer.

Along with this decrease in cells, there appears to be a drop in minimum weight to 1350gm, and quite possibly a decrease to 5 minute races instead of 8 - although the change in race time is unconfirmed as yet.

Japan have recently been running 8 minute modified with some success, prompting racers to go back to 10-12 turn motors to get some of the runtime back. The drop to 4.8v will be a healthy move for brushed motors, with armatures & motors barely being able to cope with the massive voltage & runtime being thrown at them by the latest batches of 3800+mah cells on offer.

A discussion thread has been started on the forums here for your feedback and input