I think, guys, we have to balance possible time gain from cutting a corner, and the repercussions of doing so, as well as the location. It's all very well saying "Yesss lets slap these spec zones here, here and here" without thinking about it.
Take "word."'s example. Doing as described would either slow you down so much that the advantage was negated, or you'd wreck your car, crash or spin.
(does happen with the tyre barriers)
After all, that is a rally cross track. The idea is you can use the whole 'road', off track sections included. Have you even actually raced on that circuit with a field of 25 drivers? It's not pretty, I can guarentee you, and you'd crash the server with "Player X has been sent to spectate"
Taking "scipy"'s example, doing as expected would get such an amout of dirt on your tyres that you'd lose so much grip for the harpin at the end of the straight, or the chicane, depending on which roation you are on. If you outbraked yourself going into it, you have nowhere else to go, and be sent straight to spec. This is, of course, if you don't go flying over the ramps I mean curbs, either flying off into the adjacent gravel pit, or having gained some form of suspension damage.
Either way, the time you 'could' have gained would be negated by the result of doing so, whether this be damaging your car or getting dirt on your tyres.
I can't help feeling that once 'if' this system is fully implemented, everyone will have to RE-LEARN tracks, which may have already taken them months to perfect. I'm not saying people 'cut' tracks to gain time, but with the result of running wide on a corner meaning a free trip to specatate, you have to adjust your driving suitably. What's more, the idiotic drivers among us will end up pushing leading drivers into these zones for "l0lz".
Obviously I'm not telling you how to run your game, just think about whether certain places actually need it. The only place, in my mind, is that section of the BL circuit, and yet it should only be activated above 50Mph/80Kmph.