So whilst it may not overcome loosing out to DDW boat, in terms of strategy and technique in a slow asymmetric, I'd offer this advice (for what it's worth), it might all be bread and butter to you;
Below planing conditions wind shifts will be more important than pressure (like upwind). Fit a compass to your boat and just like you would on a beat gybe on the shifts (except do it on lifts). To start off, gybe on every 5 degree lift, then reduce this as you get a feel for how long the shift will last and how much ground you lose through the manoeuvre. It's better to gybe too often to start of with, as it's far easier to tell when a gybe hasn't worked, then when it might have. It's also good for your boat handling, and ultimately, the better the gybes, the more shifts you can take advantage of.
Try an get a feel for what are favourable numbers on each gybe, just as you would on each tack upwind. Do this before the race and remember them from each downwind. Even write them down if needed. This will help you get in to sync with the shifts quicker.
Another trick is to note whether you are rounding the windward mark on a lift or header. If it's a lift, gybe set, if its a header, straight set.
Take transit on two objects as soon as you've set your kite around the windward. Then next lap you can compare your first heading.
As breeze increases pressure becomes more important. For boats with a distinct 'speed hump' around the planing speed then pressure becomes critical to almost all else. Any day that presents these conditions just forget your racing results and spend it playing around transitioning between modes. Having a feel for this is difficult. The best way I can think of describing it is when the pressure increases and you can feel the boat sticking against it's wake. At this point a small heat up in angle, ootch with the shoulders and flick of the sheet should be enough to promote planing. As the boat lifts keep sheeting in for the new apparent. Look back at your trail through the water to gauge how large a change in angle was required to get up and going. If really successful your trail should 'S' as you head up, start to plane, then bear away with the headed apparent to a course not much higher than the original.
Once planning, speed increases are more linear with increased pressure. Speed increases also give your apparent wind a header to, so it's a double win. Shifts are still important, but less than pressure. It may be worth sailing a lift, if it takes you toward a band of pressure. Sometimes it's also worth sailing above your best VMG course to get over to band of pressure quicker than a pack of boats around you.
Once up and planning you want to be constantly looking around a how the patches of pressure are tracking and trying to link up a pattern of gusts.
Being subject to both pressure and shifts, downwind laylines are a very fickle place to be. In light airs if you gybe too early you will struggle to get low enough, but the penalty for this is only another gybe, which you can take at a time that suits. In light airs if you gybe too late, you have to sail high. It won't be the best VMG, but not a disaster. Once it gets windy the lay-lines are much tougher as you gybe too late; in the worst situation you will have to drop the kite and make big losses.
As for technique on how to to set the boat up; i don't know what you're sailing and these thing are often hugely class specific. But for me these have helped: Pay attention to tack length and head drop. Sometimes in light wind it can be good to give a few inches of separation from pole and mast to allow the kite it's own wind. Having a set of light wind, light weight sheets is very useful too. If you have a downhaul line on the kite, make sure this is light weight too (stripped back to core for tail end) so it's not collapsing the kite.
Usually a little windward heal balances the rudder and encourages the kite to roll around to windward too.
Hopefully some of that helps.
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