Race Car Driving - Pedals

A driver will have four pedals which are:

• Throttle
  
• Brakes
• Clutch
• Rest-pedal

There are many different methods involved in pedal work. Left foot braking and Heel and Toe are special metal pedals which are put over the original ones which enable different techniques. A driver must ease off the clutch completely when turning corners. He would also have to squeeze his foot against the rest pedal.

Why is the rest-pedal used?

• Passive: To evenly the distribute the weight of the lower body, thus reduction lower back aches and increasing stability and control.

• Active: By actually squeezing our left foot against it while braking hard or cornering, we are pushing ourselves back into the seat, thereby increasing the amount of friction between the seat and our body significantly (in a roadcar, by some 200%!), allowing the driver to recieve more tacticle feedback from the car through his buttocks and back. The reason is that the muscles in our foot are far stronger than those in our back, and are thus more capable of resisting high G-forces or the car's momentum. It allows for a more sensitive application of the pedals and steering wheel, because the driver is not resting the weight of his body over them, and not dangling about on them. Harnesses releave this need, but the left foot is still important!

The right foot should be rested with the heel against the floor, roughly in front of the brake pedal. Th pedal itself should be depressed with the ball of the foot, but you don't necessarily need your whole foot on the pedal. To accelerate, you pivot your foot to the right and depress the throttle. This increases the sensitivity because the pressure is applied against a lower part of the pedal, which makes the required leg motion longer and more sensitive.

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