"anything of the ilk would be considered another power source -- just like adding a second engine -- and therefore not allowed"
.....
I raised that very point - that a large battery, compressed air tank, etc. is already accepted without question by every sanctioning body, and that this is (of course) energy not supplied by or subtracted from the displacement, and not monitored or regulated in any way...
...and was completely ignored. I should be used to it by now.
Except for space considerations, running the legal engine for 5 minutes before the timed contest while it spins up an internal 40" flywheel to high RPM through a gear box would be just like another engine. And right now there's nothing to stop it.