While coaching I end up spending more time on correct shifting techniques than almost any other skill. While technology is quickly taking away the need to learn the heel and toe technique it is still something all drivers should learn! As the first part of our new weekly coaching tips series I want to take the next few weeks to break this down, and show you all how easy it really is.
So, for the first part of our heel and toe series I want to focus on the blip action, and how to time it. Many drivers think you need to hit the throttle hard to really rev the engine high to be able to sync the speed to the gear. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Actually when done right you just barely hit the throttle, maybe only 10% or 20% throttle is all you need.
To be able to only need that much throttle on the blip timing is critical. Most drivers start the blip before they even take themselves out of the gear they are in coming into the brake zone. Instead the blip needs to happen when you are already in neutral and are putting the car into the next gear down. So for instance if you are arriving into a corner in 5th gear and want to get down to third gear the process is as follows:
- Initial braking
- * Engaged clutch
- Take car out of 5th gear to neutral
- * As you are then entering 4th gear that is when the blip should happen
- Take clutch out
- * Repeat above steps for third gear
That is it for this weeks coaching tip! Stay tuned next week for more in depth heel and toe analysis. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, or if you would like us to go in detail on a specific topic please let us know!
