Remember that a revving nitro engine is a lot less likely to put any resistance on the drivetrain to slow it down. When you let off of the throttle on an electric the magnets in the motor allow resistance to slow you down fairly fast compared to a nitro. That is why you could possibly get away without brakes. I know that with nitro you NEED them. You need to be able to pin it into the turns, get on the brakes so that you can get through the turn and then power out of it...