RE: alloy shoes?
You can run them backwards, but they engage WAAAAAAAAYYY earlier... The same show turned around the 'suggested' way will let the clutch slip, and the RPMs rise to a point where the engine is making more torque. This is called torque multiplication, and is similar to the effect of a hi-stall converter in a fast street/race car with an automatic tranny....
I try HARD to bring the engagement point to a level as high as possible. The higer you get it, the harder the launch. That's what 1.1mm springs are for... Being able to run a very high idle is a nice plus too...