Negative. Unable to take any real speed into it thanks to the corners leading up to it and the strip of gravel at the bottom. I'm not sure many outside of the top 5 were riding it.
Myself (on SS) and most others (geared) were riding to the lip halfway and running from there, a couple further back still riding the whole thing, certainly didn't seem faster though.
I did manage to ride the sand every time though.
It's a matter of maintaining momentum: keep it in a big gear, keep the weight back, try and hit the ruts and power through.