Would you say that most crashes/bangs are because of lack of experience/skill or rather the athletes at the back of the pack are trying to catch up which leads to riskier steering?
Also, is there a difference in the track if you go first or last? I would think the slit of ice at the sprinting section would be more broken into and will be easier to glide if you go last, while the rest of the track would be rough to ride due to it being ridden 29 times before you.
A crash is due to a number of factors, but generally problems start a corner or two back. If you dont get the correct entry into a curve (lets say you enter a little too far left or right, the pressures can come on quicker/harsher/differently, or you might have steered wrong and caused a problematic exit. In the Olympics, with the exception of Ghana we are all experienced and decent drivers (although Jamaica's times were helped immensely by his sprinting start, he was significantly outdriven by the remainder of the field). Even the best drivers have problems on corner 2 and 9 on this track. I'm a good driver (couldn't make the Games without driving well given my slow sprint), and I went airborne in 9-->12 chicane on the last run.
A good observation on over-driving--generally people overdrive when they get into trouble and they make things worse. It happens to all of us--you get into trouble and your brain thinks it can extricate itself by just finding the fast lines. But every time you steer you cut ice and slow yourself. Sometimes best thing is to just lay there. I will remember of all the times in my career on a sled, this was the race i executed that well. I went completely airborne on that last run, and managed to completely regain my position and cancel out almost all steering in the subsequent corners to try and get some speed back.
Going first/last also makes a huge difference, I was disappointed when I got last in the draw of 30 the evening before the race. Generally the track deteriorates over the course of a race. Going early you get the benefit of the fresh spritz they put on the ice--it's generally quicker. the ice can deteriorate as the weather warms, or it can play games with your equipment setup, if you've set it up for colder and it goes warmer over an hour etc.