Left foot braking yes or no? Thoughts from Bendix Racing

There are plenty of opinions about the value of left foot braking in the motoring world depending on who you speak with – and as with most contentious topics, the best answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Determining the effectiveness of left foot braking also depends on several variables: are you driving a manual or automatic car? Are you a novice or experienced driver? Are you on public roads or at a closed circuit or racetrack?

The value of left foot braking will depend on the vehicle, the experience of the driver and whether driving on a closed circuit or public road.

Most motorists will likely remember having lessons and being told to use the right foot for both acceleration and braking, yet left foot braking isn’t illegal. The rationale for this method is that a driver will respond to a hazard firstly by lifting the right foot off the accelerator and covering the brake pedal to ensure it’s ready to go, if hard braking is needed. If emergency braking takes place, the left foot is then better placed on the footrest to ‘brace’ for the fast deceleration.

Another concern is the feel of the brake pedal under the left foot; the sensation can feel unnatural, especially for novice drivers. It can also be more difficult to judge how much pressure should be applied when using the left foot.

Additionally, some modern cars also struggle to deal with any overlap of both the accelerator and the brake being pressed at the same time, even just lightly. For safety reasons, the braking function is given priority leading to a loss of power – cars may even enter limp mode.

What about on the racetrack?
Left foot braking is a lot more common on the racetrack, but how and when the technique is used will depend on the category of racing and the characteristics of the track, according to Bendix Racing driver, Nick Percat.

Bendix Racing Driver, Nick Percat, uses the left foot braking technique in high-speed aero corners to better control the car's pitch.

“As a race car driver, you begin developing the technique in karting – it’s the starting point for most drivers, and the karts have only two pedals, accelerator and brake,” Nick explained.

“For me, the next development stage after karts was in Formula Ford, and here with a traditional manual transmission set-up with H-pattern shift, I was mainly braking with my right foot. When I later raced in Porsche Carrera Cup I left foot braked and I do this in a GT3 car as well – I also left foot brake as needed when driving the Bendix Racing Camaro,” Nick said.

According to Nick, on the racetrack, left foot braking has both advantages and disadvantages.

“In the wet I definitely left foot brake at certain corners where you don’t go down a gear. I also tend to left foot brake in high-speed aero corners because I can better control the car’s pitch through a corner and better position the front splitter,” he said.

In some situations, left foot braking isn’t advised though.

“If there’s too much overlap between accelerator and brake application, it can cause premature brake wear and increase fuel efficiency. So for longer races like Bathurst, where you want to pit as few times as possible, you wouldn’t go left foot braking,” Nick explained.

Understandably, for a professional driver like Nick, his left foot braking skills are easily transferable to driving on public roads in his everyday car.

“I do left foot brake on the road because my car is automatic and it just feels natural to use both pedals at once, but in a manual I’ll right foot brake. There’s probably no real benefit to the technique on the road, for me it’s just pure habit,” he said.

For those looking to hone their left foot braking skills, it’s all about practice.

“It will feel a bit unnatural at first, but if you wanted to develop the skill, the easiest and safest way is jumping on a simulator and getting the muscle memory of the left foot on the brake pedal and the feeling through your foot,” Nick said.

“Otherwise trying the technique at a track day would also be recommended; it will be more realistic and you’ll get to experience just how much leg pressure you’ll need on the left side to get effective brake application.”