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I have only been driving standard for about a 1 month and 2 weeks and I had my first race today.I was at the lights with another civic si but it was a 6th gen
model. Anyways so he gives me the look and then we wait for the green I launch it and yes I am off to a good start but then oh man I go to shift into second and the car doesnt seem to want to go. I then relise i only took it to about 4000 on the rmp and by then I was watching him take of so I only thing I could think was to trow
it into 3rd and then he was gone. I just thought u would all get a good laugh at this. Anyone have any suggestions on racing to help me out. Also after this my car had
a slight smell of burning is this the cluch it wasn't the tires.

 
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well its obvious who the better driver was

 
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heres a really good tip.....LEARN HOW TO DRIVE!!!!
don't race people till you learn to drive.....how embarrasing.

 
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get shifting down first , its embarrassing to get beat because of a shifting problems, unless its an automatic then ya can blame it on the car heh (be sure not to mistake the brake for the gas though [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] j/k)

 
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I am not saying that its the cars fault I now I suck but how can I improve i mean I now how to drive regular but when I comes to racing how can I improve without
racing somebody. I was asking for tips not to be struck down with comments and also I wrote this for u guys to have a little laugh no to get all pissed
off. Anyways u will find people leaving this site soon because alot off u people not all but a certain few just cant wait to put people down or make jokes.
You think u know everything and that u should be a dame nas car driver. So for all who are not like this tips on better shifting are welcome. And thank you

 
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Buy some Option Auto videos, watch how the cars behave when racing on different tracks, then watch what the driver does: How he accelerates and brakes, how he shifts, and how he sometimes brakes with the left foot while keeping the other on the throttle.

Also watch any type of racing that has different camera angles and in-car cameras. The speed channel is a very good source.

There are also books out there which explain the theory behind competition driving.

Finally, if you really are interested in becoming a good driver, take a performance driving course. Schools like Skip Barber, Bondurant, Derek Daly, and Track Time are just some of the best in the country...they ain't cheap but worth it in terms of the fun and experience you will walk away with.

Edit: Oh, and just a tip--don't be so sensitive; I'm sure no one meant to hurt your feelings...it's all in good fun...this is an automotive enthusiast forum, remember?

 
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Sounds like you may have bogged it...

Yea, you might want to learn how to drive you car aggressively, but then again, street racing is illegal and you don't need to be doing this on the street.

After that though, you need to get in tune with your car. Learn all about it, feel how it likes to be driven and then show it how you like to drive it. You'll figure it out after a while.

 
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first and second are your most critical gears. a good start followed by a good launch out of second. but alot of people that i know coming out of first like to just slam second into gear you kinda get like a quick grinding feel, i dont suggest that it is much better for your launch and transmission just to get your timing down where when you go into second you get a jolt foward. if i were you i would just go to a parking lot.(somewhere no cops are gonna hang out at) and just practice your timing between first and second then the rest will be cake.

 
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Um... Basically. Don't grind the clutch. Release it smoothly and as fast as you can without making the car jerk. Then bring the rpm up to as high as they will go. At around 6,800. Then shift to the next gear. Shift as fast as you can without mis-shifting as that will cost you time. Don't look at the driver in the other lane. Look at the road ahead of you. Stear as straight as possible. When launching bring up the rpm's to about 3,500 for stock wheels and tires. I go to about 4,500 for my wheels and tires. I have more grip off the line this way and the car doesn't bog down. You bring up the rpm's and you dump the clutch. Have the car in first gear and hold the e-brake. You don't want to be rolling backwards or forwards any. Have you foot on the clutch. Then rev it, wait for "go". Then just dump the clutch and wait till the car gets up to the speed of the rpm's. Don't give it any more gas until this happens. Once that happens, you can give it more gas to take it to redline. Then at redline shift and follow my first instructions. It's kinda hard to pull through the rpm's until that launching rpm and thengive it more gas. Otherwise you will waste the possible speed gain from the first gear. Remember that first gear will get you up to about 30+mph. If you shift before that time, then you're doing something wrong.

 
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you forgot to take the e-brake off. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

 
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The clutch needs to be 'slipped', not dumped. Never heard of using the e-brake before.

 
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Don't slip the clutch at launching rpm! You'll grind the hell out of it. I just dump it so that it'll engage as quickly as possible. I use my e-brake to keep the car in one place. Conditions aren't always ideal, so the car might want to roll backwards or forwards when you're reving the engine. You need to keep the car in place somehow. If you're at the track and the ground is perfectly flat, then I guess using the e-brake is just one more thing to worry about. Just forget about it if you don't need it.

You guys slip the clutch at launching rpm? I guess you can do that, but that would wear out the clutch quicker than I'de want it to. I just dump it. Maybe I slip it a tiny bit, but it doesn't take more than .25s.

 
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he meant, use the e-brake just to hold your car up if you have a 5-speed so your not rollin back if your on a hill or something, sometimes you dont need it. You just let the e-brake go down right before you launch off or when you go.

 
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thanks for the help once again I will post my next race to see if i do any better with all of your advice.