How to Not Blow Your First Chance at a Win

Common rookie errors to avoid, and the decisive winning strategies that will set up your first win.

Welcome to Terence Dove on racing drivers. This week, we're getting into how to win a race from the front and avoid the naïve mistakes that can cost you victory.(🔉Listen to the audio above, I always think of more to say than there than I write!)

When you're quick and in a position to win, you need to know how to beat equally fast and smart drivers, which is more about wisdom than skill. And I’m going to give you the wisdom!

Winning from the front ain’t easy in karting! photo stustretton.com

The Political Minefield of Leading a Kart Race

Winning from the front in karting is more like politics than simple racing. You have to display that you're a smart, reasonable driver willing to work with others to break away. Then, when the time is right, you betray that trust and make your move. It's a complex dynamic that requires giving off the right signals so that drivers don’t see you as a pest, but a temporary ally.

Everyone at the front can overtake whenever they like, so you all have to exercise a degree of restraint to break away as a group. You need to trust each other just enough to cooperate, while knowing that you'll all be ready to pounce when the time is right. It's a game of high-stakes deception, not unlike the dodginess of real-world politics.

To make it to the end of the race with a shot at winning, you must avoid decisions that will get you taken out. And that depends on the vibes you give off, your reputation and moves you make during the race.

Avoid Looking Naïve: Ways to Give Off the Right Signals

To make certain you are in a good position toward the end of the race, you need to be seen as a driver who won’t destroy the race through desperation or naivety.

You want drivers to realise you won’t cause unnecessary hold ups, make rookie errors that cost them the opportunity to win so that they don’t feel it necessary to dispose of you early in the race.

1. Don't try to defend for the whole race. It's simply not viable. The defensive line is slow and makes everyone vulnerable to the driver behind. If you try, someone will either punt you off or force you wide. There are some exceptions, like defending on the first lap to avoid getting freight-trained, but after that, you have to go with the pack or risk becoming a rolling roadblock who gets fired.

2. Learn how to be overtaken well. When a faster rival gets a run on you, let them take the position cleanly so you can slot in behind them before the next driver pounces. Trying to hold on around the outside will only slow you both down and bring the pack into play. Sometimes losing multiple positions is inevitable, but you have to minimise the damage and choose to fight another lap.

3. Don't cling to positions, especially the lead. Holding on desperately signals to other drivers that you're going to be a problem. They'll sense that you're willing to compromise your own race to stay ahead, and will be more likely to send risky moves your way to get you out of the picture. It's better to be near the front, biding your time for the right moment.

4. Defending badly creates panic in other drivers. If you're constantly darting left and right to cover off passing attempts, you'll make your rivals think they need to take bigger risks to clear you. When they do, it's more likely to end in tears for you than them.

That said, there are times when defending is acceptable. If you've just made a pass, covering the inside line on the next corner to consolidate your position is fine. The same goes for defending reactively after you've been overtaken to avoid a snowball effect. But only for one corner at the most.

The key is to avoid defending repeatedly. Doing it sparingly is racing; doing it constantly makes you Public Enemy #1.

Correct Defensive Driving

• Covering your line on the first lap to avoid losing multiple positions is expected and accepted.

• Defending the corner immediately after an overtake to make it stick is reasonable.

• Covering the inside line after being passed to stop a cascade of overtakes is understandable.

The Decisive Tactics for Going Forward and Winning