Just to echo Splashdown's comments re. numbering. Impossible now to follow who's who and their progress. And all for no safety benefit as far as I can see. It would be interesting to see how riders have finished compared to their reallocated starting positions. I suspect it would show the old system was more realistic.
I also miss morning practice - it was an almost surreal experience - waiting in absolute quiet then hearing the first bike from a long long way off.