Finding a Weakness

Your competitor is not going to make passing an easy task for you. But he or she has a weakness, and it’s up to you to find it and exploit it.Whether you've been stalking a competitor for the entire race or just caught him or her, you're not there to settle for the position you're in. You want that position, whether it's to win the race or just break into the top 10. Of course, the person you're trying to pass is equally determined. You have to figure out when and where you can make an attempt without your competitor having much he can do about it."When you're trying to pass someone, you've got to study on the fly," says 2015 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Champion Spencer Pigot. "If you've been behind him in practice, then maybe you have an idea of where you're a little bit quicker; but usually you've got to study right then and there in the race and it can be tricky sometimes, because there's so many other things you have to focus on. If they're understeering a little bit in the middle, or tend to lock their brakes up a little bit or miss their apex in a certain corner ... wherever their weakness is, you just have to make sure you hit that corner perfectly, because some cars on some tracks are very difficult to pass, and you only get one shot. And once you decide to go for it, you have to commit to it."