I'm studying physical training for race car drivers and I would like your feedback on the following:

1. What parts of your body ache or are sore during/after a race weekend due to your driving activity? Are those aches/soreness/injuries chronic (occurs long-term, say throughout the entire race season, even between race weekends) or acute (only occurs during a race or soon after and diminishes soon after the event is over)?

2. If you currently follow a physical conditioning program specifically for your driving performance, what basic exercises do you do on a regular basis? Do you focus on specific muscles/muscle groups? Do you integrate flexibility training into your routine?

3. What is your perception of physical training on your lap times? Do you think you could reduce times if you were in better shape?

4. How much would you pay (per hour) to learn (for instance from a trainer) how to improve your physical capacity in the driver's seat?

Thanks in advance!

 

I think the neck muscles are most affected. I heard a rumor that F1 drivers necks can increase 2" in circumference over a season.

 

1. After a weekend of instructing, my shoulders and neck ache. I do not get this when I'm driving on my own, just instructing. I assume it's the extra time with the helmet on my head. And could probably be cured with some simple resistance training (we'll see this year, since I've been lifting a lot recently). Other than that, I just feel fatigued, not really sore in any specific place.

2. Nothing driving specific, but I do run 20+ miles a week, lift weights 3+ times a week, and cycle 40+ miles a week. I stretch as part of all my workouts - not for any specific flexibility goal, but to avoid injury.

3. Probably, especially over the course of a longer session where fatigue becomes more of an issue.

4. I played college sports and live with a personal trainer, so I'm fairly up to speed on training. If I thought my fitness was a big problem, I would consider paying for a consultation.

 

Historically, I've been worse off from WORKING on race cars than from driving them (road racing) or riding in them (co-driving a rally car). Understand that I am talking about low-g racing cars here - production-based, steel bodies and DOT tires.

Kirk

 

From what i see at the track road racing makes people crave beer!

 

1. Sholders, arms, and neck. This is especially true after instructing for a full day. I have always just figured it was from trying to hang on without the wheel and decent seat. The soreness I suffer from is mostly acute and is gone in a day or two.

2. Sorry to say nope to all of the above

3. I think reducing physical fatigue would improve metal focus which is always good.

4. Humm.... You mean like paying money! I've never spent money on the nut behind the wheel. That's an interesting concept.

Hope that helps

Dave

 

In the order of your questions (excellent questions BTW, really made me think)

1. It's not certain parts of the body so much. Overall I'd say I suffer most from:
- Dehydration.
- Bruises. From the cage, the seat, the whatever.
- Lower back, probably from lifting tires and working on stuff
- Hands, from cuts and scrapes
- The occasional "how the hell did that happen" cut on something like my neck

2. I sadly do not follow a conditioning program other than to consume foods that make me ever fatter. But...I used to. So I'd certainly put endurance (over say sheer strength) at the top of my list. I'd do a lot of cardio. And I'd put a water bottle cage in the car.

3. Honestly, for my long term plans, I'm not at all sure it's an issue. The car with me in it is underweight for ITS, yet grossly overweight for Honda Challenge. Yet I often wonder...if I were in top physical form, would I be sharper, and as a result, drive better? I just don't know the answer to that.

4. I'll be honest---I wouldn't pay much. I've got enough of a clue to get started if I was motivated to. I think I know enough to get me fit for club racing. I'm just too lazy to apply that knowledge.

That said, if I was racing at a level even like Speed World Challenge (or whatever Pro racing class you like), I'd train my *** off. It's just that for club racing weekends with my friends, it all seems like too much work just to make the car *more* underweight than it already is.

--Karl, who upon reading the above, feels both lazy and guilty...but was also being honest.

 

some insight from other drivers on IT.
http://forums.improvedtouring.....html

 

I was told that drag racers (real dragracers in funncars, top fuel, etc) go blind because the heavy deceleration from the parachute seperates the cornea from the eye.

one more reason not to drag race........

although I would imagine that this applies to roadracers as well, just maybe not as much.

 

For me, it changed over time. At first with this car, it was my lats and triceps that took the bigger beating but that was just not being used to lifting myself in and out of the car w/ limited movement over the door bars. Over time that went away. Lower back and arms hurt after racing on warped rotors for a couple days but that passed with time. My bet, if you are looking for an angle for #3 and #4, would be to offer nutrition counseling on race weekends. THAT in my opinion is far more of an issue than any physical strain the body goes through during a race weekend. All the muscle and aches and pains that coincide *for me* are after the fact, a day or two later. Dehydration and bad focal moments occur during a race and that can either impede performance or lead to something undesirable (moreso than muscle fatigue from my perspective).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by F1HONDA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">4. How much would you pay (per hour) to learn (for instance from a trainer) how to improve your physical capacity in the driver's seat?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Amateur racers don't have any money that isn't being spent on necessities, like living and racing. I think you'll be hard pressed to get a buck off someone on this board.

 

als, carroll smith devotes a decent section in the beginning of his book "drive to win" to driver fitness. you can get some more insight there.

 

Back when I was competitive waterskiing, I would ski 1 hour a day, be in the gym 3 hours a day, and eat like a pig to build the back and legs. I was single too.

Now roadracing, married w/child. Nothing previous applies at all. 0, except of course

 

A production based race car on DOT stickys is a not a physically challenging car to drive, but being physically fit and staying hydrated majorly helps maintain concentration...which is the key!

Purpose-built race cars on slicks that run long races require seriously fit pilots.

 

I've been fine all year until a little off-course tracking where my car got slightly airborne and came down hard. The next 2 days my chest and shoulders and arms were pretty sore. I'm guessing from the 5-pt doing it's job.

 

Thanks to all for the replies.

I expected that most people on this board would not pay for training services. I realize that at the HC level, physical conditioning isn't nearly as critical as at the professional level, but I wanted an I dea of what types of "adverse" or less than desirable effects race driving had on the amateur driver. I figured sore necks and arms would be the bulk of physical adversities.

I have access to software that helps condition the mind to improve concentration during highly active events, such as racing. I might ask for a few volunteers in a few months to give it a try. (I live in the Palo Alto/Mt View, CA area).

Fatigue and lack of extended concentration seem to be big issues with race drivers in general...no surprise there.

Thanks again.