Since there were no sequential or even 6 speed boxes back in the AJ, Mario, Parnelli era I suspect it was a bit more uniform jumping from car to car. Dirt track cars were direct drive and most of the others probably didn't have more than four speeds. Taking nothing away from them in mentioning it, just pointing out the increase in gears and types of gearboxes that challenge us to keep up.
There's a YouTube video of Alexander Rossi driving a vintage 1967 ex Jim Clark Lotus 49 around COTA and in that video you see and hear him struggle with matching revs during downshifts a few times almost spinning the car. He's a terrific driver but you realize all the cars he now races have sequential boxes with paddle shifters that match the revs on downshifts so he never practices that skill set.
As we age the ability to process multiple data streams becomes more challenging. Sadly, things take a little longer.
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Originally Posted by GEORGE
Thanks Pat
You hit the nail on the head. The sequential shifter takes one BIG thought process out of the drivers mind. He can concentrate on Line and Braking and almost make shifting an afterthought.
My co owner on the Caterham had a HUGE incident at Watkins 2 years ago when he was on the short course and came in to turn 11 and downshifted into 3rd (or so he thought) spun and hit the guardrail quite hard. Enough to ring his bell and question getting back in the car.
He blamed it on the car for a long time until I had driven about 15 races with no problem.
But I find the H pattern shifter takes an extra thought process at each corner and "Just like tire grip" something else in the brain has to give way so I can shift smoothly. Ususally braking or the perfect line.
Makes you wonder how great the guys who could go from NASCAR to F1 to Can-AM to INDY were. Like Parnelli, AJ, Mario
George
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