The quicker you can get your racer to accelerate, the quicker you will get to the finish line. If the race course has a crown or a valley, you must use it to best advantage as soon as you can. You want to be on the steepest part of the course as quickly as you can. A short wheelbase car rests on a steeper angle of the hill, if the hill is convex. Part of this energy is lost or dissipated through friction of the wheels, tires, and all component parts that move or flex due to track surface conditions, and aerodynamic drag.
Different racers lose different amounts depending upon their elasticity efficiency.
This is the KEY to derby racing. Always keep this in mind. This KE builds gradually as the racer gains speed. If the driver makes steering corrections while moving on the ramps, or driving to the high side of his lane with almost no KE, and loses valuable energy because of steering. He must start the process of building up KE over again.