An actuator control system and method for a hard disk drive comprising first and second actuators that support a head relative to a disk is disclosed. The actuator control system comprises a first stage, a second stage, a memory device, and a maximum stroke calculator. The first stage displaces the first actuator relative to the disk. The second stage displaces the second actuator relative to the first actuator. The memory device stores at least one data value indicative of a predicted response of the second stage. The maximum stroke calculator generates a predicted maximum stroke based on the at least one data value stored by the memory device. The second stage is deactivated when the disk drive initiates a seek operation. The second stage is reactivated based on a comparison of the predicted maximum stroke with a position of the second actuator.