It was good when he decided to ride for a decent team on a good track, but not the last. Try the final last year when the best team in the league won the title.
The ref listed on the prog was Chris Durno.
The track conditions changed very quickly between the track walk and the start. Riders coming back in from the track walk did not have issues. I agree with the suggestion that it would have been a good idea if a couple of riders had tested the track about 7.