I have almost given up on the pet derby. The wait is so long and most of the time there just simply isnt enough people that want to do the "ranked". I have advanced several pets to adult (using multiple megapacks) only to have them have talents in racing not battle.
In my opinion its time to reevaluate the talent system. No one is really racing (or very few). The pet hatching is great and interesting. I think making talents focus exclusively on battle should be considered.
Therefore seems to be getting to the point they race talents are simply a waste and a strain on a potentially great thing.