There's always a lot of anticipation and excitement for the first race, and sometimes that excitement can make it hard to want to let anyone go by.
Just a reminder, however, that track etiquette says that while you are expected to race the other riders in your class, you should never hold up a faster rider that has caught you from another class.
Rather than holding them up and aggravating them, let them around as soon as possible, and then try to hang with them for as long as you can!