So I got my rx8 returned, with a lower PCB replacement.
set it up, great, made sure every connection was well soldered.. ran great ALL DAY.
qualified 5th and 4th.
But just as my luck with the last one I didnt make even 1 lap of the main, about 3 turns from the start of the race I lost power, I ended up coasting into the dip between two jumps, a turn marshal goes to have a look at the car and signals me to give it a little trigger, a few light taps of the throttle- nothing... crap- I start to walk down from the driver stand and here BANG! and the sound of grown men screaming (like little girls I might ad) the esc is shooting flames out the sides of my car! so now im taking 5-6 steps a time down the steps then truck across the track to my car.. by the time I have gotten there they had buried my car to the shock tower in dirt.... I think it actually ran through a guy who was gawking at my smoldering dirtcovered mess. yyanked my my battery out and chucked it clear away from people into a patch of grass in fear of it going up.
Coming back to my pit first checking the voltage of my battery (it was fine) and then i went to go roll my car on my pit table...

felt like someone was holding 100% brake, windings in my motor are completely shot.
Then i Look to the esc to see if any of the wires were touching. I find this :
Two of the 5 posts are completely missing- esc is bricked, motor is bricked.
What caused this, I know that it failed, i want to know why.
Esc is still under warranty- but who pays for my toasted motor...
-Ben.