Accelerating before clutch fully up
Discussion
An almost entirely Off Topic contribution - A Bit Of Clutch Slipping History
Le Mans 1959 was won by Aston Martin.
Three DBR1 were entered by the David Brown Aston Martin team, two with the newer five main bearing engines and one with the older three main bearing engine. Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman were teamed in the car with the older, three main bearing, engine. This is important because more main bearings = more durable but more main bearings = more friction = slower. Moss started in the famous old Le Mans start - where the drivers had to run across the track, jump in, start the car and go - and he got away first. Whether or not team orders were for Moss and Fairman to act as the hare for the Ferraris and Porches to chase and burn themselves out leaving the other two Astons just to survive the race with less competition is debated. It may have just been Moss doing what he did and driving like it was a sprint race not an endurance race. Anyway, when it got round to Fairman's turn to drive, he noticed the car was losing oil pressure and eased up. He was thinking endurance race - better to finish the race than blow the engine. In the pits, Moss was doing his nut at Fairman's lap times. Fairman drove back to the pits to report what he was doing, Moss demanded the car back and, according to Fairman, to demonstrate what a bad mood he was in, Moss gunned the throttle all the way down the pit lane slipping the clutch. That was the end of the car. It retired shortly afterwards. Taking it easy would have made the engine last longer but it still may not have gone the distance.
Even more off topicker - at that time, the racing cars were usually driven to the tracks. If you were habitually late clocking-in, you might be made responsible for one of the cars in transit. That's right, driving an AMR1 from the factory, across the channel on a ferry, and driving to Le Mans was a punishment. Yeah, I know, but imagine if it was raining and cold. It would be horrible.
Le Mans 1959 was won by Aston Martin.
Three DBR1 were entered by the David Brown Aston Martin team, two with the newer five main bearing engines and one with the older three main bearing engine. Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman were teamed in the car with the older, three main bearing, engine. This is important because more main bearings = more durable but more main bearings = more friction = slower. Moss started in the famous old Le Mans start - where the drivers had to run across the track, jump in, start the car and go - and he got away first. Whether or not team orders were for Moss and Fairman to act as the hare for the Ferraris and Porches to chase and burn themselves out leaving the other two Astons just to survive the race with less competition is debated. It may have just been Moss doing what he did and driving like it was a sprint race not an endurance race. Anyway, when it got round to Fairman's turn to drive, he noticed the car was losing oil pressure and eased up. He was thinking endurance race - better to finish the race than blow the engine. In the pits, Moss was doing his nut at Fairman's lap times. Fairman drove back to the pits to report what he was doing, Moss demanded the car back and, according to Fairman, to demonstrate what a bad mood he was in, Moss gunned the throttle all the way down the pit lane slipping the clutch. That was the end of the car. It retired shortly afterwards. Taking it easy would have made the engine last longer but it still may not have gone the distance.
Even more off topicker - at that time, the racing cars were usually driven to the tracks. If you were habitually late clocking-in, you might be made responsible for one of the cars in transit. That's right, driving an AMR1 from the factory, across the channel on a ferry, and driving to Le Mans was a punishment. Yeah, I know, but imagine if it was raining and cold. It would be horrible.
DickyC said:
Brassblaster said:
DickyC said:
Practice changing gear without using the clutch. Pull it out of gear, match the revs in neutral, push into the next gear. It's not as hard as it sounds. And it helps with your concentration when driving too.
I do this from time to time - I wouldn't necessarily say "push into next gear" so much as offer the gear up... As you say, it's not as hard as it sounds.Starting place is to rev to higher RPM than required and gently hold it against the correct gear and it'll suck it in when the revs are right.
As you get better at it, it becomes easy to do.
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