Heel-and-toe (H/T) manipulation of the throttle and brake with the driver?s right foot is a throwback to ancient motoring days before synchromesh became standard in manual-shift transmissions. To avoid gear clash during up- and downshifting, the careful driver had two choices: wait patiently for gear speeds to match during the shift, or rev the engine briefly with the shifter in neutral and the clutch momentarily engaged between gears.
Today, H/T operation is a standard practice in motorsports to minimize the disruption of the driveline, and therefore the chassis, while braking aggressively into a turn. Even a brief upset of a drive wheel?s speed at the cornering and/or braking limit can cause a major deviation from the quickest line and, in the worst case, trigger a spin. For maximum speed, every driver input must be glass smooth, especially gearchanges. This motorsports necessity is also an excellent way for the accomplished street driver to demonstrate his/her skills in daily driving. Polishing the H/T technique (see below) takes practice, but, when you get this technique right, there?s satisfaction to be had?without so much as breaking the speed limit. Here’s how to do it.

STEP 1: Place the ball of your right foot right of center on the brake pedal to initiate hard braking, with both hands on the steering wheel. (Optimally your hands will be positioned at 9 and 3 o?clock, but they’re higher on the wheel in these images to better exhibit heel-and-toe ...