hahaa, my misunderstanding.... makes complete sense re-reading your post! They had cones up towards the end and there were lorries at the end, so you didnt want to mess it up. 99% of the time entry to the straight was comprised by slower cars, so starting speed was a lot lower.
My GTR is only stage 4, 165mph was about the average, there was one nutter with engine and turbos done that claimed 200mph, but not sure.