Kirk, you had a similar observation as I did. Before I went, I was told by people who had done the school at Roebling just a few years before that most there would never have been on track before. With my several years of HPDEs, I thought I would be far more experienced than most.
Wrong. You had guys with Solo 1, HPDE, all kinds of experience there. My run group was fast -- I don't recall it being that much different from a standard regional weekend to be honest with you, except for the constant spinning and wrecking.
Good point though. Perhaps too many people go in with my attitude -- all my HPDE experience will make me top dog. That ended the first time a car with 50 less hp dive bombed me into 3, adn then just pulled off into the distance. At that point, I decided I just needed to ride at a reasonable pace and get through it.