A racing safety tip

We've talked alot about reaction times and all that good stuff. Pedals down is an absolute, and very basic, safety procedure that every racer uses when things are going to hell quite rapidly.

Pedals down.

As in push the clutch down, and push the brakes down. It takes care of a whole lot of problems, and keeps some problems from getting even worse. It works on tractors. In fact, it works great on tractors since we've only got a clutch and brakes.

Which does harken back to something I've harped on a bit, and that is to cover your pedals, especially in uncomfortable or dicy situations. It's very easy and fast to shove the pedals down if your feet are already on them.

And if you're wondering about that gas pedal, to heck with it. When you're twirling your way through the guard rail or starting to flip, or some other very exciting event, you don't care if the engine gets revved up or not. You want the brakes down, and the clutch down.

There's something about the "N", it's the only thing I've ever driven that can get me seriously scared at 15 m.p.h. The same adrenaline rush takes a lot more speed and horsepower in a car, motorcycle, or plane.

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It's the best thing you can do once you've lost control of the situation. If there's any chance you might save things, drive for all you're worth, but once you're past that point, lock it down.