It's been a while ... but were you the person that was primarily having an issue shifting from 1st to 2nd? If so, that's a non-issue for "spirited" driving as you rarely - if ever - end up all the way back to 1st gear.
I've driven the Tail of the Dragon a couple of times with my Barton shifter and believe that the Barton added to the experience. It certainly didn't detract from it.
I've driven the Tail of the Dragon a couple of times with my Barton shifter and believe that the Barton added to the experience. It certainly didn't detract from it.