I can't remember whether Gil made the announcement at the series race or at the tag team, but it doesn't matter - the rules were the same for either race.

I'm not saying guys weren't going around the jumps - they were. And I saw the line. It is ILLEGAL.

The correct comparison is someone legally staying on the track and rolling the jump vs. someone maintaining speed
and riding alongside the track avoiding the jump. The rider going off the track will be much faster through a given section.

The point of having the MX track in a course is to vary the terrain and test different sets of skills. Fine if you don't want to jump, but you can't just avoid the obstacle - not only is it illegal, it's lame.

I don't see the concern about being landed on as an issue.

All of our conversation here is moot however - the rules were clearly stated by TORCS.
I would hate to see someone DQ'ed over this - maybe some tape to keep riders on the course before the jumps would help.