Qualifying is mental test. I'm assuming its your kid racing. Watch him, is he faster following or is he faster on his own, does he handle pressure well, does he tend to take the pressure and throw the kart around or does he barely try. Take the information you've gained watching and use it. With most kids you'll see the pressure mounting way before qualifying (often breakfast on saturday), if this is the case its your job to keep him calm and focused.
I would argue that it is best you don't tell him to do anything other then enjoy himself, he needs to keep the focus on driving, not on finding someone to follow. The easiest way to control where he is in terms of traffic is to put him out where there's not traffic. Treat it like a practice session.
In the end they are almost certainly not going to win this year, it is going to be a steep learning curve. Focus on the other stuff once he's comfortable with the whole qualifying experience.
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