Upshifting and Downshifting

[wombat7]

wow great write up SD... I agree with everything you said except for positioning of the driver.

I was at an autocross and was having significant trouble keeping the car stable during downshifts. I was rev matching very well, I was holding the shifter correctly... I couldn't figure out what the problem was. I had someone ride with me and they said the problem was I was sitting too far away from the wheel and pedals. The guy who rode with me, a very experienced road racer and autocrosser, said that the optimum position for the driver is the one where you can press the clutch pedal completely in with your RIGHT foot. I adjusted my seat accordingly and have found driving on the street as well as the track much easier. By moving my seat that one position forward, it put everything where Porsche designed it to be. The shifter was more accessible and easier to operate as were all 3 of the pedals.

Secondly on the rev match/ heel-toe topic, I have found that in most modern/ semi modern cars, the pedals are not spaced for proper heel-toe shifting. Most are now placed for more of a side step technique. This is when you use the brake with the ball and inner half of your right foot, when you are ready to rev match and downshift, you roll your foot toward the outside and shoudl come in contact with the gas pedal. I've found that if done properly, this makes rev matching much easier than trying to completely turn your foot and heel-toe. It will definately take some getting used to and some practice to learn when to apply the throttle and with how much pressure, but when mastered, this technique will help improve your cornering speeds as well as car control.