| Although street racing, including drifting, is not an activity | | | | gas pedal gradually (but quickly) to the floor without |
| condoned by law enforcement and community groups, | | | | causing wheelspin. |
| there are "safe" events that local groups plan for | | | | Here is the tricky part. When you get to your redline, |
| drivers who want to enjoy some friendly competition. | | | | you will need to shift. You will need to shift quicker than |
| And if you are fortunate enough to find a community | | | | you ever have before. If you are uncertain how to |
| of like-minded road racers, then you will want to know | | | | make this happen without the use of the clutch, you will |
| one of the best techniques to use when trying to | | | | want to kick in the clutch and shift. The key is to shift |
| shave up to one-half of a second off your quarter-mile | | | | quickly. Although use of the clutch could shave |
| acceleration time. | | | | fractions (literally) of a second off your acceleration, |
| First off, if you own a vehicle equipped with an | | | | you should use your clutch unless you are very familiar |
| automatic transmission, you will be limited by the speed | | | | with your transmission and know how to force the |
| of your transmission, both electronically (the chip) and | | | | gears without permanently damaging your vehicle. |
| mechanically (the hardware). Of course, you can | | | | In most vehicles, you will need only a 1st to 2nd gear |
| upgrade your equipment at considerable cost, so this | | | | shift. In others, you may get to 3rd, which is tricker |
| technique is relevant to manual-transmission vehicles | | | | because it involves and "up and over" maneuver. Still, |
| only. | | | | you will want to shift as quickly as possible from 2nd |
| When starting off at the line, you will want to keep | | | | to 3rd with your gas to the floor and the clutch |
| your foot on the clutch, one hand holding the | | | | engaged only for the minimal amount of time |
| hand-brake (if necessary) and the other foot | | | | necessary to engage the gears. |
| depressing the gas. Allow your engine to rev up to its | | | | If you miss gears, release the gas (or risk blowing the |
| optimal range. In some vehicles, this could be as high as | | | | engine). However, most vehicles will have a sequential |
| 6,000 RPM, in others it could be as low as 3,000 RPM. | | | | transmission, allowing the gears to engage with less |
| You should get to know the optimal range with a bit of | | | | influence from the clutch. You will find that, although the |
| time. At any rate, keep the tach revving at this range. | | | | vehicle does not sound "pretty" when using this |
| When you get the green light, drop the clutch without | | | | acceleration technique, it will get up to speed a lot |
| regard for how "smooth" you pull away and get your | | | | quicker than you have ever experienced before. |