I'm fairly new to track racing, so I have a fairly basic question (I think). At what point during a turn would you typically want to engage the transmission in the gear you plan on exiting the corner in? Would you wait until you want to apply power again so you don't have the potential of upsetting the traction of the rear tires in mid-corner when you re-engage the transmission?

 

I make my downshifts before turn-in, while on the brakes as a heel-toe operation. Then from turn-in to turn-out it is all easy application of gas.

 

So if I'm understanding that correctly, that would mean that your corner-exiting gear is already engaged before you've really entered the corner? Just making sure I'm on the same page... thanks!

 

Absolutely, yes.

I want to be able to get on the gas as soon as I can, therefore I get the downshift done while the car is under braking. The theory is you can then balence the car with throttle and steering as you go through the corner, getting as much gas down as you can as soon as you can.

 

Yes. It is very tricky to shift in the middle of a corner. Not usually a very good idea.

In fact, most people prefer to short-shift a corner if necessary, just so they don't have to try and shift in the middle of it. (That is to say, shifting to a higher gear than is desireable during entry because they know they will need that gear before they finish the corner.)

The exception is probably a paddle-shift sequential gearbox or a selectable automatic gearbox. Both of those can be shifted in the middle of a corner if necessary. But it is usually not necessary.

If, for some reason, you have to shift in mid-corner (because of a driver error, usually) then do it VERY smoothly. And do it where you have some margin -- don't try it when you are right at the limit of tire adhesion.

 

Downshifting as you brake before entering the corner is the preferred time, for the reasons alrady covered.

If that is a technique that you have not mastered, then clutch in and shift just before it's time to accelerate out of the corner, then let the clutch out smoothly as you roll onto the gas. And practice heel-toe downshifting at every opportunity, until you can do it on course.

 

If you are not already good at heel-toeing and will be learning how to do it, be aware that it is a lot easier to do on track when you are braking hard and so the brake pedal is not only low (so on same level as the gas pedal), but it's easy (almost natural) to pivot your foot on the brake pedal when pressing hard on the ball of your foot to get your heel over; plus the revs are high so you almost can't over-rev with the heel. On the street it is much more awkward and difficult when you are not "standing" on the brake pedal and trying to do it delicately without overbraking or overevving.

I say this because a lot of people suggest practicing it on the street, but you can easily get discouraged or more likely learn to do it improperly (not using the ball of your foot on the brake and your heel on the gas) really because it's difficult to do unless you are breaking hard and the revs are high. Besides, you only need to heel-toe when you are braking hard yet need to downshift, not when driving leasurely. I recommend learning it on the track.

 

I disagree. Yes, it is easier on the track than on the street, but all that means is that if you can do it on the street then you have margin on the track.

And if you blow a shift on the street, you usually have a lot more time to recover. Most people trying to learn heel and toe are also trying to learn a dozen other track skills at the same time. Learning heel and toe just takes away from their ability to concentrate on other things.

Heel and toe and vision exercises are about the only two track skills you can really usefully practice on the street. Why waste your valuable track time trying to learn something you can learn on your own time?

 

Whatever technique you can do smoothly. There is no perfect answer that applies to all corners. Downshift after straightline braking is pretty standard, but something more complicated like trailbraking into a decreasing radius corner may saturate your attention with modulating the brakes and steering. It does mine, so in that circumstance, I usually shift somewhere near the apex when forward acceleration is near zero.

You don't have to "heel-toe" to match revs if you have finished braking. Your right foot is then free to work throttle as you release clutch.

 

My two cents: if you're new to track driving, forget about heel-and-toeing. Don't think about trail braking. That all comes later. Early on, focus on doing your braking -- and then your downshift -- in a straight line. Do it before you turn in for the corner.

Once you've got this down so that you no longer have to think about it, you can start mitigating the effects of drivetrain inertia upsetting the balance of the car by heel-and-toeing your downshift. But like I say, it won't serve you to try and learn all of this stuff in your first couple of visits to the track. Master one basic skill at a time, and build on that. Otherwise, you end up like a lot of track drivers who get frustrated with the plateaus they're stuck at: they're 'jacks of all track trades' while remaining 'masters at none.'