I understand everyone's point of view, and many are different, but I like the competition. I understand there are a lot of variables, but that is part of it. And for the record, my chains will be sharpened exactly how I sharpen them to cut in the woods, no different. I expect them to cut well for at least two tanks of gas w/o touch up.
It is like the old cars. Some guys would have mean machines all set up for the track, but would never race any one, they were afraid to get their ego's bruised. And yes, winning & loosing was dependent on how your car ran, your tires, how you could drive (launch, shift) etc.
I used to race just about anyone, and there were times I got beat when I did not expect to get beat, and there were times I won races I had no business winning.
My 427 Ford Powered 70 Boss Mustang lost the first 3 races. Then I put traction bars on it and never lost again. Competition is the ultimate teacher.
Timed event or not, if your saw is not tuned right, or does not have a sharp chain, it will not leave a good impression.
To me, a GTG is like going to the races, except that you can drive most of the cars! How cool!
And yes, I also appreciate seeing Lee's big yellow saws, and other old saws and ones with 4' & 6' bars on them, it is like a car show & a race all rolled into one.
The bottom line is, if I did not go to a GTG, I likely would never have had a saw ported. But after you pull the trigger on a ported saw, most people don't want to look back. And the nice thing is, you can often find an example of the saw you are thinking of building, just to make sure it is what you really want.
As long as everyone has fun, nothing else matters, and, IMO, let the competition go forth!
