Of course you can use cheaper components, but sometimes, you have money, you can easily afford something, so why not buy it
because in this case the cheaper component will work better whereas he doesn't yet have the knowledge to make an informed choice on the expensive one
He clearly has a love for bikes and wanted to share in his next big purchase.
he clearly has a love for buying **** and showing it off.
Regardless blowing a ****load of money on the fastest wheels you can find for your first race is kind of stupid. Doing so when there are still many things that will make more of a difference than wheels for free , like an appropriate gear, or a fraction of the cost, like shoes, is evidence of a very disordered mind.