Not sure how basic the answer has to be. Single track rear and I assume no lineloc? I would drive around the water and just whack it a few times behind the line to clean the tries as best you can. Pay attention and take your time. Just drive the car if it's not a manual valve body. Learn how to pre-stage and then just bump into the stage beams. Being able to do this the same way everytime is critical and it takes practice. Know where the finish line is and don't drive beyond it. Learn to do the basic things to get the car from the front of the staging lanes to the finish line. Learn how to read your time slip and what the numbers mean. Leave on the last yellow and concentrate on doing everything the same way everytime, once you are satisfied with your procedure. Watch your reaction time and learn how to make it quicker or slower as needed. Ask questions at the track, there are no dumb questions. Watch how experienced, successful racers do it. And I mean from the time they come out of the lanes until they leave the starting line. Good drivers do it exactly the same everytime like a machine. Once you are satisfied with your grasp of all of that, then you can turn your attention to the car and making it better as you improve and learn. Seat time and practice.
