Hi all

I know this might seem lame but i still dont know how to do this. I dont even know where to begin. I've heard of this technique but I dont see the mechanics behind it. can someone please help me understand how to do this?!

Thanks
Martin

 

It's very simple really, all you do is use your right foot to do 2 things; brake and raise the rpm's. With the toe of your right foot you brake, and with the heel you stab the gas to raise the rpm's .

 

Cool
But what for?

 

Match revs on down shifts. Many find it easier to use the big toe to stomp the brake, and just roll your foot over and blip the throttle with the side of your foot. I know I do.

 

When braking down-shifting to enter a corner, It helps keep the car in it's powerband, so when you need to exit and accelerate you won't have to wait to build power. That's my understanding from my racing buddies from Japan.

 

It also helps keep everything smooth. Many road-racers are familiar with the term "smoothness glue", it means that the smoother you are, the closer you can drive the car to its limits.

Imagine approaching a corner in 3rd, needing to downshift to 2nd, pushing in the clutch, not matching the revs (which then fall to idle as you brake), downshifting from 3rd to 2nd, and letting the clutch out.

At this point the engine wants to be at 4,000 rpm in 2nd, I mean, you're not stationary, so it wouldn't want to be at idle. Unfortunately, your rpm's are at idle and as if you're stationary, so when you let the clutch out you get a jerking motion as the revs come up tp match where they should be (4,000 rpm).

Blipping the throttle (the heel part in heel-and-toe) is simply revving the car to 4,000 rpm in anticipation of where the engine wants to be at once the clutch is released. The pay-off is 1.) no jerking motion, so you get to stay on the track instead of visit the beach early, and 2.) you feel like Michael Schumacher .

The action of heel-and-toe is a lot easier than actually making it work for you, it's something that takes a lot of practice, and a very good knowledge of your powerband, throttle response, and rpm differences between gears. This is why you see inexperienced racers blipping the throttle 4 or 5 times before they actually get the car in gear, they're searching for the right rpm before they let out the clutch. If you see one blip, and no vehicle jerk, you've seen a master.

Here's an easy way to look at it:

Imagine that in 2nd gear at 60 mph you're at 4,000 rpm.
Imagine that in 3rd gear at 60 mph you're at 3,000 rpm.
Imagine shifting back to 2nd, but a split-second before you do, you blip the throttle to exactly 4,000 rpm and then shift.

You should have no drivetrain jerk, and maintain the same speed.

Now do the blip with the heel of your right foot.

Now do this while braking, anticipating what the rpm's will be in the lower gear as you brake.

Now do this while braking with the toe of your right foot, and blipping with the heel or side of your right foot, and just before a corner.

This is heel-and-toe.