It was interesting. Probably the worst conceivable WORS course for a surly 1x1 with fairly tall gearing, but I knew that going in.
Sadly, my race ended when I hit a tree trying to get out of the way of some faster riders. The first tree caused a bit of an endo which put me into another tree. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but as a result my front brake got jacked up and wouldn't open. I stopped two more times trying to open it, but couldn't. I still haven't had the heart to take it apart and see what's broken.
Here are some general observations, though:
1. Mt Bike racing is no more safe than road... the ambulance made at least 3 "takeaway" trips while I was there. If an ambulance carts people away from a crit 3 times, that race gets a fairly bad reputation as being dangerous. Seemed like business as usual there.
2. Equipment is a much bigger deal. It seems to be what dominated pre-race conversation... and the average price of a decent bike to keep you in the mix looked to be significantly higher than on the road. I, of course, was on a $600 rigid bike with super wide tires (some dude called me a masochist, which was only part true- I just wasn't going to buy another bike).
3. WORS has their stuff together. Day-of registration was the same as a chicago cross race and it seemed like there was a significant amount of money re-invested into the "infrastructure" of the series.
4. I'm not buying that the environment is more laid-back there. I think it's a matter of knowing people. I didn't know anybody there and didn't really find it any more hospitable than a road race.
Overall I had a good time and would consider going back (with gears and suspension).