The beauty of driving a manual is that you’re fully in control of the launch. You get to choose how fast, hard, gentle, or soft that takeoff is. Picture this: you’re at the traffic lights, in first gear, ready to launch. 

You take off and are feeling pretty good… but then, as you shift into second, the car next to you pulls ahead. He’s in an automatic, so there’s no need for him to shift, and he’s just chopped you at the lights! 

Now, I’m sharing with you how to drive fast in a manual car.

There are three main elements to driving well in a manual: the launch, the upshift, and the downshift. 

Each of these has its own nuances, little things that make a big difference in getting the most out of your car. 

Today, I’ve got the perfect car to demonstrate this in—a G87 M2 manual with roughly 500 horsepower. It’s rear-wheel drive with three pedals and pure driver engagement.

Driving a manual isn’t as simple as pulling a paddle; you have to row your own gears, make decisions, and live with them. That’s what makes it an art form, and why driving a manual deserves respect.

Moving Off Quickly

The first thing to understand about launching a manual car is that, no matter how carefully you do it, you’re going to put some wear on the clutch and flywheel. The harder and rougher the launch, the more wear on these components. So, while I’m going to teach you how to launch hard, we’ll focus on not destroying your clutch—especially in a car like this, where those parts aren’t cheap.

Imagine you’re at a red light, ready for that “traffic light Grand Prix.” Here’s what you’ll do: start by feathering the clutch to find the bite point, then ease off the clutch. Once it’s fully disengaged, you can go as hard as you want. 

A tiny amount of throttle, and boom—off the clutch, full throttle! This method keeps your drivetrain safe, with no risk of damaging your car.

Now, let’s talk about a second method, one commonly used by Formula 1 and racing drivers. 

This involves holding a steady amount of revs, say around 3,000 RPM. You’re accepting a bit more clutch wear here, but you’re also aiming for a faster launch. 

Find the bite point, ease off the clutch smoothly yet swiftly, and maintain a steady throttle at 2,000–3,000 RPM until the clutch is fully disengaged. Then, step harder on the throttle. This approach gives you a solid takeoff with slightly more aggression.

Finally, there’s the third method. 

Here, we trade clutch wear for tire wear. Rather than being smooth and progressive, you’ll simply dump the clutch. To avoid stalling, you need decent revs. If done right, you’ll get some wheel spin and a strong launch. This can feel incredible—just what you’re aiming for. However, push it too far, and it quickly becomes a smoke show with lots of wheel spin and little forward momentum. It looks cool, but it won’t get you moving quickly.

The beauty of a manual car is the control it gives you over the launch. You’re the one who decides how fast, hard, gentle, or soft it is. If you have a manual car, find a quiet, empty road and try out different launch techniques. Practicing this will transform your driving and build confidence for moments when you need a quick takeoff.

This isn’t just about goofing off in the “traffic light Grand Prix.” It’s practical too—think about joining a roundabout with limited space and needing to find a gap. Knowing how to get moving quickly is an essential driving skill—and honestly, it’s pretty cool.

Upshifting

Upshifting isn’t as simple as dumping the clutch and slapping it into the next gear. You need a touch of finesse—a soft, gentle, yet firm and deliberate approach. 

Think of handling the clutch like you would your favorite partner: too rough, and you’ll cause discomfort and damage; too gentle, and you won’t get the performance you’re aiming for. 

When accelerating from low speeds, avoid being harsh with the clutch and gearbox. For instance, if I go from second to third without care, the result is noticeable—did you see the amount of shaking in my body? That’s from completely dumping the clutch between those gears. 

Remember, you’re not in a GT3 RS race car; you’re in a real car, with a bit of give even in sporty models like this one. Sporty as it is, it still doesn’t respond well to a heavy hand.

Now, let’s talk about the trickiest shift: first to second. This shift demands the most finesse. You can’t rush it; instead, you need to slip the clutch a bit in between. 

Let me demonstrate: as we roll into the throttle, just a slight clutch slip is all it takes, even when driving quickly. Sure, you can slam it into gear to feel sportier, but at the expense of your gearbox. 

A gentle approach between first and second is non-negotiable, especially in modern cars with rev hang. Yes, even sporty models like this one experience it. Moving up through the gears—second, third—even when driving swiftly, there’s value in a brief, elegant delay.

As we hit second gear coming out of a corner, notice I still give that moment’s pause. 

With a manual, the car won’t protect itself; that’s up to you and your mechanical sympathy.

Powerband

Understanding upshifting is all about knowing your car’s powerband. 

Right now, I’m hovering around 2,000 RPM—putting my foot down gives us some torque-driven acceleration. 

Now, try that third at 3,000 RPM, and it’s a completely different experience. So, what does this mean for upshifting? When accelerating, your choice on how hard you drive comes down to how high you are on the tachometer. This isn’t about downshifting; it’s about how long you hold your gear. The longer you stay in a gear before upshifting, the more power you’ll tap into from your engine.

Most drivers will get a bit of acceleration in third, then shift to fourth, then to fifth, dropping to the bottom of the rev range each time. When I put my foot down now, I get a slight boost, but not much. What I really want isn’t to drop down a gear, but to hold that gear—say, entering a corner in second, reaping the performance, then shifting up to third, and holding it there. Resisting the urge to upshift yields more responsiveness and power, particularly in the lower gears.

Rev-Matching + Heel and Toe

There comes a time when you need to slow down, and when you do, you’ve still got to work that gearbox. Let me give you a quick, straightforward guide on rev-matching and learning to heel-and-toe.

Step 1: Rev-Matching

First, just get a feel for rev-matching. When you’re in gear and shifting down, you blip the throttle as you release the clutch. Once you’ve got this down, you can start focusing on heel-and-toe.

Step 2: Heel and Toe

Picture this: you’re braking into a corner, but what you can’t do is depress the clutch, select the next gear, and release the clutch while braking, because if you do, you’ll feel that jolt from the clutch meshing with the flywheel. This will give you extra braking, which could even lock up your driven wheels—basically, it’s a recipe for a rough time.

Since you’re braking, you can’t fully press the throttle, so instead, you use the heel of your foot to blip the throttle pedal while still on the brake. You’re braking into the corner, pressing the clutch, selecting the next gear, blipping the throttle, and then releasing the clutch—all while staying on the brake. The first few times you try this, it won’t be smooth; it’s a challenging move.

If you have bigger feet or pedals that don’t hinge at the bottom, an easier way to accomplish this is the “big toe, little toe” method. 

Again, as you’re coming into a corner at lower RPM (Below 3,000), you can downshift early to land in a better power band, brake for the corner, and move up to second. This gives you the performance boost you’re looking for.

In a manual car, the power isn’t just there at your fingertips like in an automatic; you have to go after it. That’s why I love manuals—you work for the power. Your car won’t spoon-feed it to you; it has character, demanding you hunt for that sweet spot in performance.

When accelerating, you climb up the gears, and when decelerating, you work your way back down for the same reason: to stay in the power band. If I go down to third, I’m closer to 4,000 RPM, giving me better responsiveness. And if I need even more, I’ll drop to second while braking for a corner. Suddenly, my responsiveness is off the charts.

It’s thrilling and endlessly enjoyable because you’re working the gearbox and the car, extracting every bit of performance it can offer. You’re always chasing that extra bit of sauce from the car.