Expert: Dan Liddy - 9/21/2004

Question
Me and some of my sim racing buddies are having a discussion of the use of clutches in modern racing. They are saying that modern race cars either don't have clutchs or if they do, drivers don't use them except when coming to a stop.
Do most sports car raceing drivers still use clutches and the heal and toe method of shifting?

Answer
Hi Howard:  

It depends on the kind of racing and the level.  I am a road racer in Sports Car Club of America, and race in amateur races.  There are no clutchless cars, or sequential shifters in our group. In SCCA Pro racing, the use of "dog boxes" is allowed, and though they are not sequential, they may be shifted up with out the clutch. Some of them require the clutch to downshift, and all require it's use when stopping or exiting the pits.

The open wheel cars like IRL, Champ Cars, and such, have sequential shifters that don't reqire the clutch to be used except when entering and exiting the pits. There is a disadvantage in that when entering a corner, the driver cannot skip a gear when downshifting.  In my case, at Sebring when going to into the hairpin (high speed approach) I can brake a little later if I skip the downshift to 3rd. and go directly from 4th.to 2nd.

To clarify the 'heel-toe' concept, it's really mis-named. It should be called the "ball-of-the-foot/outer-arch-of-the-foot" method.  The driver places the ball of his foot, and the big toe area on the brake pedal and turns his foot inward so the toe is pointing at the clutch area.  Then with the outside area of his shoe, he revs the engine to match engine speed with road speed for the downshift.  When your brakes start to get overheated, or start to fade, you end up using your ankle bone to do the revving- - -been there- - -done that.

I hope that this answers your questions, and settles your arguments, good luck to all of you!

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida