Fast start/acceleration in MT

[Vaughanabe13]

Manual experts out there: What is the best way to do a fast start in the 370?

Please walk me through the process from a dead stop to 4th gear or so. Do you rev high and dump the clutch or is that bad like I've read? What rpm do you shift to 2nd? I know these are pretty basic questions but as you guys might know from my other posts, this is my first real MT and I'm still learning the ins and outs every day.

From my experience it seems like 2nd has the most power for acceleration but I've noticed that sometimes I will be going slow (10-15) and then when I try to floor it in second (i.e. getting to highway speed on a ramp) I don't get much power at all. Other times I will get a really nice "push you into the seat" stomach floating acceleration but I'm not sure what I was doing to get that feeling, exactly. Basically, I'm just trying to understand more about the car and the power bands, etc. I don't track my car, but I need to be able to hold my own from time to time (I'm not implying street racing - I don't do that). Suggestions?