I think the update wiped out all the online times and all your preferences mate. Wouldn't be fair to leave times in place that were set using old physics and different penalties. As for the preferences, I have to believe there should have been a way for them to save those for you.
Ah do you mean for the offline event? That seems strange given that with more grip it should be easier to get a good time. Maybe this is an example of PD dumbing the game down a bit, making it easier to get golds than before?