double-clutching vs. sequental downshifting

[Tessie McMillan <tessmc@domain.elided>]

- snip -
> 
> Now that's the line taught at places like Bill Scott's racing school at
> Summit Point. My experience at this school many years ago was that
> acceptance of the technique varied depended on the instructor; one said I
> was wasting my time, another said to do what I was comfortable with
> (sequential downshifting). I can do it, and consider the technique a sign of
> a good driver (your opinion may vary). As an aid to correct the different

Ah, this brings in some additional points, George! I think it touches on 
two topics: using the engine to slow down the car (which I consider to be 
a no-no in performance driving) and that different race track 
configurations lead to different driving techniques, because ultimately 
what you're trying to save -- along with the engine -- is the balance of 
the car so you can keep your speed. So for this, the size of a turn and 
the type of turn will be a factor in what kind of braking/shifting 
technique you use. 

I haven't been to Summit Point, but for me, Pacific Raceways (formerly 
SIR) in Seattle and Bremerton Raceway in Bremerton differ a lot from PIR 
down in Portland (as an example). I used left-foot braking a lot at PIR 
when I drove a 911 there; there's also pretty much no place where an 
instructor will tell you to sequential downshift -- at least no 
instructor that I ever had. It's been a while since I've been there but 
I do remember tight turns or squiggles (can't remember exactly) leading 
onto the front straight which allow a good quick downshift however you 
want to do it, as long as it's not sequential. And I wanted to be 
smooth to carry as much speed as I could going into the front straight. 
At PR and Bremerton, some people sequential downshift going downhill into 
3a/3b and sometimes into the Indy turn (turn 2), but I think these are 
usually the Novices. At higher speed I think it upsets the car too much. 
There are those who go downhill into 3a in NEUTRAL to save what they 
believe to be the balance of the car. Especially SOVREN drivers -- you 
can watch a race from 3a and hear the engine noise coming down the 
stright, through turn 2 and up over the crest and down toward 3a, then all 
of a sudden, there's no engine noise and you hear squealing brakes 
instead. I cringe when I'm working a turn at a track day and I hear 
someone blasting down the straight, sequentially downshifting into turn 
2. You can see the car lurch upwards, hear the engine go WHOOM, see the 
car lurch again, hear the engine go WHOOM again, and it seems like way too 
much is going on, it can't be good for the car or the driver.

I'm still reading and re-reading Fred's down-shifting instructions (I'm a 
slow learner, Fred!!), and what ultimately strikes me is how *little* the 
driver needs to do. That limited input has got to be good for keeping the 
balance of the car. It took me ages to learn how to drive clutchless in a 
911 (the fellow who owned the car insisted I learn that technique before I 
could drive his car at the track, and it turned out to be wise advice). So 
it will take me a little while to get Fred's instructions under my belt. 
I'll give y'all a progress report! &:-)

Tess
back on the road in the Spider (was getting too light-headed in that 356)
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