Heel and toe video

[Tim Comeau]

I enjoyed reading Steve G's article on heel and toeing in the latest Witness and it generated some good discussion among driving friends here. Tough to describe that process, even with drawings, to the lay person. Nice job, Steve.
It's kind of funny that something that has become second nature to me can be a chore to describe in detail when you slow it down and have to consciously explain in detail what you're doing and why. Remember the National DE Instructor school? Unconscious/ Competent.
In the interest of growing more and better drivers, I'd like to augment that written lesson in the mag with a video I made some years back. I was practicing camera mounting angles for shooting future videos and was messing around calling the gears in my best broken German. The car was not running.
Since 944's have an accellerator that hinges at the bottom, it's more difficult to use your right heel to blip the throttle. It looks as if I'm using my heel to hit the throttle in the video because my right foot covers the gas pedal. In actuality, I'm blipping the throttle with the outside edge of my right foot. The inside edge is still on the brake pedal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4iQM9P044Y

CHEERS!

[Tim Comeau]

Some possible discussion topics ? (for new students?)
1. Going from 5th -4th-3rd-2nd instead of waiting for speed to drop, then straight into 2nd. Which do you do?
2. Look at Tim's sloppy, uneven brake pedal pressure during threshold braking/ heel and toe!
3. Listen for the brake return spring going, "twang" as I slip off/release the brake pedal far too quickly near the end of the video.
4. Why does Tim drive like such a hack?

[Bill Behun]

1. Going from 5th -4th-3rd-2nd instead of waiting for speed to drop, then straight into 2nd. Which do you do?

Tim - I've done both at the California Speedway at the end of turn 2. I only do it walking the gears down now.

I remember being told by a very experienced driver about if you can blip the throttle and match the gear speed up correctly you could go from 5th to 2nd but they had a funny look on their face I didn't get. So being new at all this I tried it. It worked a few times - sorta. I say sorta because then it didn't all the time. I couldn't get the gear to go in second all the time. I know why now. I have kept the gear with 2 quarter size chunks of metal missing from the gear. Gee, if it isn't matched up perfectly, you put bad stresses on the gear and gee, bad things happen.

For unproffessionals like me, walk the gears down, not worth the risk of damage (and $$$$) to save what little time that might be saved going from 5th to 2nd!

[Dan Chambers]

Some possible discussion topics ? (for new students?)
1. Going from 5th -4th-3rd-2nd instead of waiting for speed to drop, then straight into 2nd. Which do you do?

I go down through the tree: 5-4-3-2. One main reason: if someone "oops's" in front of me, I can go back to throttle in a gear while steering around the "oops" and maintain control. If I'm half way between 5th and 2nd when the oops occurs (say ... turn three at Fontana) then it's "Oh, %$@#! Find a gear and steer around!

2. Look at Tim's sloppy, uneven brake pedal pressure during threshold braking/ heel and toe!

But .... Tim .... you''re the best, dude. No denegration needed here.

3. Listen for the brake return spring going, "twang" as I slip off/release the brake pedal far too quickly near the end of the video.

I thought that was a "speed release" on the pedal.

4. Why does Tim drive like such a hack?

One man's hack is another man's "winning technique?"

[Tim Comeau]

Bill,
Valid reason. No joking about that. Rowing down thru the gears helps me keep track of how much to tack it up and it doesn't increase my braking distance at all.

Dan,
I really like your answer to the first one (5-4-3-2). That's one of the reasons I do it and that's the method I teach.

Brake pedal "Speed release".......I like that excuse, uh, I mean, answer. Yeah, yeah.
Man, it sounded like a Jew's harp didn't it?! TA-WAAAAAAAAAANG! Sheesh, I thought I saw the gauges jump!

My new attitude towards my driving for 2009 is:
"I suck, but I'm getting better all the time."
Honestly, I know I've lost some of my edge since I was racing alot in 2004-05. NASA sprint racing, NASA and POC night enduros, racing in the streets in Mexico. I was busy and it kept me really focused. Practice, huh?
I plan on really using our pool of instructors to get sharper behind the wheel.