Dale,
Yes, you are right in the drop issue, but track racers dont refer to it as drop. They all use BB height as their standard measurment. As for the stability of track bikes, this is a common misunderstood point. Stable in what context? Going slow around the rail? Being able to dive under your opponent for a sprint? Being able to respond to a quick turn to avoid a crash? Track bikes generally are and will always be less stable than their road counterparts. There is a reason for this. They are used on a banked track and at high speeds. They race in tight groups with no brakes. You need to be able to maneuver your bike in such circumstances. If you dont have a "twitchy" bike, your chances of getting caught up in a crash are increased. I am not saying that the twitchy steering will help you avoid ALL crashes, but take it from someone who has lived the following saying... There are two types of track riders...those who have gone down, and those who are going down. Lets look at it from another standpoint... at the Superdrome, they turns are 44 degrees. With 170 arms and a standard Campi style pedal and an 11 inch BB height, at 15 mph, you are going to clip your pedal and be pulling out spinters from your right butt cheek. With a 11.5 inch BB height, not a problem... See, remember that for friday night racing they have a "neuteral lap" which most riders use as lap to sit in until the ref blows the whistle to start the race...its always the slowest lap of each race, and always the one lap that sees the most crashes.
i rest my case...
DW donwalkercycles.com Hey Don! Drop is drop on any bike for any purpose.. BB height is ditto. It is often more useful to talk about drop because it eliminates the tires size. In other words, a part=icular track bike or road bike can have different BB heights off the ground with different "fatness" of tires mounted... Now, maybe the range of tires used on the track can vary less than those on road bikes.... But you are correct, steeply banked tracks can dictate higher bbs, 11" + +. But remember, that also takes away a little stability, so folks don't go ordering high bbs just for the heck of it. As with most frame dimensions, it's always a trade off.
Dale