I say before you start a race or even enter an infected zone, all the pods should be already loaded as well as the area. Waiting three seconds for the first pod to appear can be the difference in time from the second best score to the all time record.
That would defnatley help me in "Megas Last Stand" in the past.
I hate having to wait 30 seconds for the first pods to spawn -....-.
I also wish that lag did not have an effect on races.
It causes me and others to miss pods. [Dinosaour Pass seems to have alot of lag with me]