10 Biggest Mistakes On Track

[steveh]

This is my first season of racing, and getting "boxed in" by slower cars has been a real frustration. 

I race low-HP, high handling cars (Spec Miata and Spec Racer Renault), so momentum is that much more important.  Often, a "slower" car will be faster (or, at least as fast) on the straights, but slower in the twisties.  The challenge is to get past him when I have the handling advantage, and get far enough ahead that he can't re-pass when he has the HP advantage.

Finding and planning a place to pass can be tough, because it requires knowing just how much risk to take to make the pass pay off (I've had to use the curbing and even the grass a couple of times when the overtaken car did not give enough "racing room") and not end up in a bad place.  I understand that setting up a pass on a competitive car is "racecraft" and comes from experience.  Does anyone have any tips or techniques that have worked for you?