Heel & Toe'ing (archive)

If your car is set up properly for it (like the M3, for example), you can use the left side of the ball of your right foot for the brake, and the right side of the ball of your foot on the accelerator. This gives you a lot more control than using your heel, but requires the pedals to be close enough together to allow pressing both at the same time.

The idea is that you can be slowing down (braking), while at the same time blipping the throttle to get your engine rpm's up to match your transmission rpms so that the downshift is totally smooth when you let out the clutch. You can even double clutch (letting the clutch out first in neutral, then in the new, lower gear) to be extra nice on your transmission, but if your car has synchros, this step is entirely optional. On race cars without synchros, double-clutching is mandatory.

Here are a couple of book you should check out for excellent detailed information:

"Sports Car and Competition Driving" by Frere
"Going Faster" by Barber
"The Secrets of Solo Racing" by Watts

have fun,

John

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