Can't imagine how the tiny one can win unless the last of the big ones drives itself off the platform. So 2nd place is good enough as a strategy?

I actually expected the bigger car to just drive right over it and fall off.

Yeah I guess that's possible if the large one is too gunho and floor it.

Easy to do with RC. The difference between enough throttle to move and way too much is minuscule…or at least was when I had RC cars.

I don't remember the model my brothers & I had anymore, as it was like over 3 decades ago, but they were analog Tamiyas. In addition to being analog sticks, there were sliders that I can fine tune acceleration limits on every axis (can control helicopters too). And that was then. Can't imagine entering these competition without these type of advanced controls with if you have a in-it-to-win-it mentality.

I’ve had a few, from the ubiquitous grasshopper to a racing Kyoto 4wd. I remember the old speed controllers not being good at minimum power…a tiny bit of stick and you would hear the controller whine but no movement, a bit more it would shudder a bit but not move, a bit more and it would suddenly jump forward a few inches before I could pull power back to crawl. Tiny precise movement was difficult, at least for me. That was also over 30 years back.
Granted, I was known for only having two throttle positions in my RC driving repertoire…full off (and breaking) or full throttle. My full size off road racing style was similar.
I still think the transition from static to in motion is hard to control at those scales (maybe electronics can overcome that now), and it’s easy to overshoot the needed power, especially in the heat of battle.