As it is only the 4 of us shall we call tonight the first race?
After reviewing a wide range of answers on when can spend Audience votes.
Can be spent at the start of your turn wether you have a potential active vehicle or not. Spending votes is not passing. If someone spends to stop or move the priority the next player can spend to take control and stop or move and so on. The gear phase does not finish until everyone has passed in succession. If you passed but decide to spend the next go (assuming not everyone prior passed) you can do.