I think if you put it in Drive and leave the line from idle speed, you're being a good daddy and letting your kid win. Remember, you're representing us! Sometimes a little smoke is ok - better than bogging down. I would suggest a few practice launches with the "1" button pushed, one foot on the brake and one foot revving it up as much as you can without breaking loose (trial and error). You could lose traction anyway, but if you're in Drive, you may get an upshift when you let up on it, and the race is over. If you start in Low you can control the shifting. Best of luck! Don't embarrass him too much. George Clineman [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]