BTCC 2011: Amazing Pedal Cam showing left foot braking technique

[christopherwoods]

@CrawfordPhotography any significant tapping of the brake pedal before full application is likely being done to mitigate pad knockback. The throw of the pedal's also likely tailored to his style so he can apply the brake (and trigger the microswitch for the lights) without actually engaging the calipers... Never driven his BTCC car though ;-) so this last part's pure conjecture.

[exnol]

Its almost impossible for me to do shifts without clutch on a normal gearbox. But on a sequential one, well it works..

[onthewinghard]

@AccordGTR @Lolzilol you are both talking nonsense. The car is running a sequential manual racing gearbox.Pull the lever to go up, push to go down. Then is a micro switch at the base of the lever that is oush when the lever is pulled backwards. This cuts the ignition to the engine for a split second, allowing the next gear to be engaged. Gear ratios will be changed dependent on the circuit, a shift light indicates when the engine reaches its rev limit in that gear.No racing car uses a "

sound"

[117Burn]

usually a manual has an H path

[blacksoilder10]

@117Burn cause hes using a sequential gear box

[117Burn]

what kind of transmission is this?

[ScuderiaF3rrari]

Good video, y is he not using the clutch peddle

[WhiteShadow2k1]

@ScuderiaF3rrari You don't need it in any (!) car if you know exactly how many RPMs a certain shift takes away or adds. When shifting up you don't have to use the clutch at all if you have enough RPMs so the engine does not stall once it is in gear again. When shifting down you need to make sure that the added RPMs will not cause the engine to blow up.

[benanderson95]

What if he crashed???

[sicjustinmagot]

I've seen other drivers use heel-toe when downshifting a sequential gearbox. How come he isn't? Is it dependent on what car you're in, or is it just driver preference?

[Lolzilol123]

@sicjustinmagot It's dependant on the car, yes. As you've probably also seen, he doesn't lift on upshifts either - on some boxes they need to do that as well. I think it's electronics controlling the throttle, so I would imagine (though I have no proof of this) that you would need throttle-by-wire to have a no-lift, no-blip system like this.

[TechScoopUK]

Look up Walter Rohl doing Pikes Peak in a group B Audi Quattro. Then youll see talented footwork. Its like art

[haarsje]

Those children whining about not using the clutch clearly don't have a clue about braking and weight shifting. The only conclusion you can make for yourself then is that you're a rubbish driver with a big mouth on the internet. Please do not hit the track! People like you are a pain in the ass out there.

[TechScoopUK]

What footwork? Sounds like his box of tricks is doing all the work for him blipping the throttle and the specialist transmission allowing clutchless gear changes.

[AccordGTR]

@TechScoopUK No, it's how you brake that separates the men from the boys. Anyone can press on the gas or shift gears but how you use the brakes allows champion drivers to corner faster than others.

[kriklan49]

@AccordGTR Youre right, that everyone is capable of pressing down the gas, but the same goes with the brake. What separates drivers from car-users is their feeling for the car and it is absolutely impossible to win without proper shifting. The gearbox setup is one of the most important things in the race. And even when using floppy-paddles which shift in tenths of miliseconds a shifting mistake can cost you a race. Even if you miss your braking point, you can make it, but if you fail to shift..

[haarsje]

@kriklan49 Haha don't worry, you don't have to try to teach me what heel and toe is about. Look at what McRae did with his mk2 escort, and dare calling that improper racing. What I say is that this footwork is still impressive and that the braking here is much more important then a rev-match which should be no more then an automated habit. Nothing to be proud of if you can do a proper heel and toe. It's only a requirement, and you should be ashamed if you can't do it. That's a whole other thing.

[AccordGTR]

@kriklan49 I don't disagree with you but I think you miss my point. Let's say you had 10 drivers with more or less the same experience and the same car. Usually the biggest difference is going to be braking technique. That's my point. The really fast drivers brake later or sooner, depending on the corner, know how to modulate the brakes, but are generally LEAST on the brakes and MOST on the gas than the other slower drivers. Shifting should be kinda automatic reflex even if its a manual shifter

[AccordGTR]

@kriklan49 ...in shifting, there's no ifs and buts about it...if the engine hits the shift point, you need to shift. Usually drivers will shift on feel and instinct...if you feel the power tapering off, you shift

[Lolzilol123]

@AccordGTR I would think it's very few racing cars where you can shift by feeling the power "tapering off" - firstly, it would probably have been faster to shift a bit earlier than that, and secondly, many racing engines just gain power until they reach the limit where they damage themselves - look at F1, they have multiple shift lights and even a sound to tell them exactly when to change gear, and they're supposed to be some of the best drivers in the world!

[AccordGTR]

@Lolzilol123 the whole point to shifting is to maintain acceleration, so short-shifting is not "faster" unless it gives you more top speed, say, after a slow corner leading to a long straight. Racing engines are designed to endure within their operating range so its kinda stupid to build an engine that you cannot rev within its designed power curve. Also, programming the ECU rev limit takes out guesswork when to shift...drivers (like me) shift by sound knowing what the rev limit "sounds like".

[Lolzilol123]

@AccordGTR You wrote "feel the power tapering off" - and what I said was that most racing engines don't work like that, they gain power all the way up to the rev limiter which of course mean they don't produce any acceleration after that. So "feeling the power tapering off" would cost you time on every shift - and "hearing" the revs is perfectly adequate on the road, but it just isn't exact enough for racing, where of course you want everything to be perfect to gain fractions of a second.

[vmgc12]

"dogbox"

[kriklan49]

I can hardly admit that this is a pedal-technique but what it realy isnt is amazing!

No clutch, no manual gearbox equals to no real driving.

[haarsje]

@kriklan49 You sir, are an idiot.

[kriklan49]

@haarsje Better to be an idiot than to admit that the floppy-paddle gearboxes, launch control and no clutch improved the racing. What do youve got here? Two pedals and two feet. What you had in an old racing car was three pedals and two feet, steering wheel and a thing called a gear lever. And you had to manage to drive the car by using all of these things together. Have look at some videos of the "old-fashioned" drivers doing the heel-toe technique, rev-matching and try to do it in your car.

[LarryLinton]

Race driving is a lost art in modern race cars....... He dosnt even have to match the revs on the down shifts.

[Schutzstaffel23]

what moron actually questions this guys foot work in the video? lol. just enjoy it.

[mikeyblaze9917]

Use left foot to break. My gma didn't even do that. Come on

[berzerkGT]

I don't know what all the fuss is about. When I drive an automatic, I always brake with my left foot.

[cortkatanakx1q]

He didn't use clutch for downshifts but it's common practice to use clutch and heel&toe technique with downshifts, even though it's possible without clutch. But it sounds like his car uses autoblip.

[Mr720j154]

its not a clutch,its a footrest...

[mini4life92]

@Mr720j154 how do they stop and start then?........pretty sure its a clutch

[Mr720j154]

@mini4life92 i thing its a sequential gearbox or a sequential manual transmission.thats how.It turns out that most race cars use sequential gearboxes as well. A sequential gearbox gives the driver several important advantages that are very useful in a race car.In a race car, the motion of the shift lever is either "push forward" to up-shift or "pull backward" to downshift. simple

[mini4life92]

@Mr720j154 i know that...but like any manual gearbox, they still need a clutch to move off...F1 use a hand operated clutch...soooo ummm yeah...

[TGTAP]

@Mr720j154 Usually it's "pull back" to shift up and "push forward" to shift down

[DumpValvesAndDnB]

@Mr720j154 normally forward is to down shift. this is because when you are braking the forward momentum makes it much easier to push forward to downshift. the upshifts are pulled back for the same reason :)

[2009MRTT]

@Mr720j154

Its a clutch pedal lol

[nicolaz1357]

and the clutch ...for what ??

[CrawfordPhotography]

@nicolaz1357 for the start, they still need to depress the clutch if they come to a stop as well.

[ImprezaRacerSTi]

@nicolaz1357 you also need to use the clutch on downshifts unless you left foot brake

[mikespike502005]

@nicolaz1357

Automatic rev doo daa on downshifts. 

[nickforthetitle]

want more cameras like this!