What I can't seem to understand is why this year is any different?
In the past teams were allowed to keep the RC and bring it with them to the first event. Last year we were forced to ship the RC out to IFI to get it repaired (under warranty
). If we were not allowed to bring it with us to the event we would have been forced to rely on shipping to get it there on time.
Being able to keep the RC gives teams the ability to be more realistic into the whole business plan idea. After a finished product is delivered the programmer will get time after the deadline to perfect the instructions(code).