Anyone know what happens when autopilot kicks in and you are instantly better, faster, stronger than all the other ships? Is it just playing an absolutely perfect line with perfect pitch, or is it just an advantage of the autopilot.

I can never accomplish the speeds the autopilot gets on my turns. Like the spiral up on sol2, the speed doesn't dip below 600 (phantom) and I hit a low of 450/500 to keep off the walls.