Seasoned race car drivers don't usually take pity on rookies, especially if there is a title or a lot of money on the line. You try to prepare your driver the best you can for various situations, but this information doesn't usually sink in until they've been burnt once or twice. I have been through it all, so it is painful to watch your driver getting taught these lessons at the expense of a win light.

Some drivers don't intentionally try to distract their competitors, but for others it is part of their routine to gain every possible edge they can. Keep in mind that if done improperly, or by an inexperienced driver, the following tactics can actually turn around and bite them instead.

The "Burn Down": Some drivers insist on staging last, probably to avoid being burned down themselves. They may take more time than they should to stage, causing an inexperienced driver to glance to the other side of the tree. Of course, the light will come on while he is looking away and the aggressor will usually win the battle. The best solution is to avoid being drawn into the situation by knowing the tendencies of your opponents. Of course, someone could do this completely out of character, so just bear down on your own light, keep the rpm up, and you will probably cut a better light than usual.

Stage at the same time: The trick here is to time your roll-in perfectly with the other car. You both pre-stage, then keep a close eye on your competitor's front wheel. When both of you have your rpm up, and the other car starts moving in, try to make both stage bulbs light simultaneously. You know what is going to happen, so you're ready for the light, but the other guy is usually so stunned that he is still sitting while you're a car length out. There are lots of things that can go wrong with this, but if you pick the right opponent and don't use it too often, it can be a valuable tool when you just have to get a tenth of a second head start.

Rap the throttle: This is not usually too effective, and usually ends up hurting the one that tries it. You let the other car stage first, bring up your rpm, and wait a few seconds. While the other guy is getting anxious, you light the stage bulb, then rap the throttle so he thinks you are leaving. If he falls for it, he'll dump the clutch and red light. What usually happens, though, is the perpetrator hasn't pushed the clutch in far enough and ends up red lighting himself.

Bring up rpm, then drop it: When you are racing someone that is famous for having to stage last, wait for a few seconds after pre-stage to see if he is going to go in. If not, bring up the rpm fairly high for a few seconds so that he thinks you are committed, then drop it again. If he has started bringing up the rpm to follow you in, he is not likely to bring it down again. When he starts moving or has had the revs up for three or four seconds, bring your motor up again and follow him in. This method is used against people with a history of staging last, but is also effective when racing someone new, as they tend to be slow to stage anyway, which can throw you off.

Rush the staging beams: This happens rarely now, but some racers used to do a short little burnout so that they could get both lights lit as soon as possible. The other driver would get completely flustered because he thinks the starter is going to red light him, so he would hurry through his routine and cut a really bad light because he wasn't ready. As long as you are not doing anything out of the ordinary, most starters would never red light you for this. Take your time, pre-stage, and ready yourself as you normally would before pulling in.

The best defense for any of this is to be completely comfortable in your car, and have complete control over it at all times, not vice-versa. Don't go up to the starting line fearing the opponent; if he has a reputation, rub your hands together and look forward to it as a challenge. Stay within the rules and don't let anyone bully or rush you. If you come out of the situation with a better light and perhaps the round win, it's likely that no one will try anything like that again, and you will end up giving everyone something to think about the next time.

written by Ken Sitko - Sitko Family Racing - January, 2000