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Basic Manual
Manual Driving Training All-Season

Basic Manual

The fundamentals of manual transmission driving

This course will teach you from the ground up. If you're a newbie, this is where you should start!

Even though automatic transmission cars are more in style, knowing how to drive stick is a skill that is more important than people realize.

To name a few benefits: 

  • You have way more control over the vehicle
  • You develop a deeper connection with your car
  • You gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the car and how that aligns with driving in different situations
  • It makes you a more adaptable driver to driving different vehicles in emergency situations
  • These skills are also transferrable to driving ATVs, motorcycles, and other similar vehicles

The curriculum is based on our extensive experience in motorsports. We've identified the approach and progression that guarantees the highest success rate and speed of learning.

Training is one-on-one in your own car or Race Lab's car. You will start on parking lots and then progress to public roads.

A valid driver's license is required. If you don't have a driver's license but still want to learn stick, please contact us.

The Curriculum

We first start with the fundamentals of operating a manual transmission

  • Precise throttle modulation
  • Understanding the clutch, its biting point
  • Gear shift mechanism, feeling the syncros
  • Getting your vehicle in motion with the no throttle take-off method (you’ll never burn a clutch!)
  • Moving-off normally (with throttle), but including added psychological pressure and stress factors

We then move on to learning the art of smooth gear changes, ensuring you're not only in the right gear but are also increasing the lifespan of your transmission and driveline

  • After you master smooth upshifts, we will work on smooth downshits, and only when those are also smooth, we can increase the speed
  • The key starting point for every driver new to manual has to be smoothness of gear changes. No matter where your future driving journey takes you (daily driver or a career in racing), learning to be perfectly smooth IS THE KEY
  • The progression is simple: start driving and shifting very slowly and don’t increase the speed (of both the vehicle and of your shifts) until you can make every shift so smooth, that your passengers won’t feel when you’re engaging the clutch
  • Developing mechanical sympathy will do a long way in your future years of driving

How it Works

After you complete the purchase, we will reach out to you to discuss your current driving level, your goals, and what location and date is convenient for you. Based on the information you provide and our curriculum, we will put together and send you a custom training plan.

The training will be 2 hours of one-on-one private coaching with the instructor. Depending on your skill level and progression during the training, the instructor will adjust the curriculum if needed.

Tune your package

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Options Selection Guide - Basic Manual

TIME

The duration of this training is 2 hours.

VEHICLE

Choose between your own car or Race Lab's manual Honda Civic.

INSTRUCTOR

The Regular Instructor and Racing Drivers have been trained by Crazy Leo and have ample experience.

The Racing Drivers have additional motorsport experience at race tracks, dirt tracks, rallycross or karting.

The Rally Champion is a racing driver who has also won at least one rally championship. As of now, if you choose the Rally Champion, you will be coached by Crazy Leo himself!

Flexible Date (pick date and location later)

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