Frankly, most of what is called "AI" in the real world is also ... to "try to follow the car first to see what line it chooses and to understand where it is safe to race it. Some places here ...

Frank Duryea and his American-made "motocycle" won first place in the Chicago Times-Herald race on November 28, 1895. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons On Thanksgiving Day 1895, six cars lined ...