Mark Dreyer

At Sebring? In August? :-)

wanna911

Yes, few understand being in peak physical condition. Once you have done that, you will not recognize the same level of effort and exertion driving a race car. However on that same note, you probably don't understand relative lack of conditioning and how it can affect your mind when you fatigue out. Some people reach the same exhaustion level you may reach in competition/training (martial arts) by driving in a hot race car for a couple of hrs. Your threshold is much higher so you have any to relate to different levels of exhaustion. Being a PT I constantly have to remind myself how much easier new people reach the level of exhaustion that effects your motor skills. As an athlete of a high intensity sport you have to consider that. That being said, it doesn't make you a better driver, just a more durable under a range of elements and time in said elements. I've seen guys at DE's tap out due to heat and/or fatigue. Many times I have run 8 miles Sat morning of track weekends and then drove, instructed and worked on the car all day for a couple of days. Having to have performed consistently at a high level of exhaustion and maintain focus is a definite advantage over the course of a race.

DTMiller

Data point:. There was a pro driver at VIR this weekend who is competing on American Ninja Warrior this year.

wanna911

Jade?


No doubt there are some extreme athletes who also race cars.

fatbillybob

Is that as important with full containment seats in tin-tops? In the example cited that much movement in and open cockpit is a recipe for disaster. Modern open cockpit design does not allow for wild extremes in head movement. Anyone still racing with that much lack of containment is really taking their life in their hands.

At any SCCA weekend of non-contact racing there may be a few hundred to 500 cars. Every one of those weekends someone's car does not go home in the condition it arrived. Rollovers, big single car offs, and car to car contact are common events every weekend. So your chances of a bad day conservatively 1/500.

ProCoach

FBB, conditioning has nothing to do with containment seats or limiting externally the travel of the drivers head. It has much more to do with conditioning, stretching and developing muscular support to resist g-loadings in normal driving and especially when the driver IS subject to trauma.

Those drivers who are fit, including developing the neck muscles and head supporting tendons, are MUCH less likely to suffer serious injury than those not developing their fitness. That was the point.

I have found SCCA to be no worse or better than other weekends with regard to damage. I see less damage per track mile covered in DE events than in competition events, but anything a driver can do to enhance safety, especially while improving their health and body habitus, is a good thing, don't you think?

audipwr1

I find it to be a wonderful motivator. When I am fit it's far easier to crack off consistent laps

fatbillybob

Yes absolutely! However, I wonder if too much emphasis is placed on fitness. My full containment seat is custom. I can rest my helmet on my seat wings with shoulders, and rump firmly held in place. I can race my car which has power steering with 2 fingers of each hand on the wheel. I think I race better when I am relaxed and can feel what the car is doing rather than me "holding on" telling the car where to go. I think relaxation is part of the being smooth thing. If I need my muscles to death grip my wheel and smash my dead pedal to force my body into the back of my seat I truely think I am missing something. If I'm a sweety mess when I get out of the car I think it means I need to calm down not workout more. I am getting faster and more crafty as I get more calm and relaxed in the car. Real racecar drivers say they are athletes. Well...OK. Out of curiosity for those who really buy the fitness thing can you attribute a lowering of your laptimes to fitness?

audipwr1

Not lower but 30 in a row 100%

cgomez

LOL! Will buy you a dozen if you join me next time!

Our races are relatively short. Fitness mostly helps with concentration when temperature or conditions get extreme; mostly because it becomes a non issue as your heart rate and sweat (dehydration) levels are within a range you are very used to when racing bikes or doing Triathlons (or anything else hard endurance)

stownsen914

So I'd say there are a couple reasons why fitness can contribute to a better driving/racing experience. Both have been mentioned, but it seems like they are getting mixed in the debate.
1. Better fitness can result in better driving, and I'd think, lower lap times. For a fresh driver at the beginning of the day, it probably doesn't matter that much. Maybe even not at all in some cars. But how about after a couple hours of sessions on a hot day? Surely the fit driver will do better. Reflexes and mental awareness can suffer when the body is fatigued, and the driver may not even be aware. Or how about driving a prototype or fast GT car? Physical demands from g forces and driver steering/braking input will be higher. Again, the fit driver will do better - maybe even before fatigue figures into it.
Better equipment and driver practices will surely improve the situation. A well-fitted seat, as mentioned above. Learning to relax helps a lot to improve endurance - death grip on the steering wheel as a common example.
2. Better fitness can reduce injury in case of an accident. Equipment is probably more important, but driver fitness will help prevent injury in case of an accident.

My two cents ...

Scott

gbuff

Agree wholeheartedly with 1....I don't get to the really hot areas of the country but I have seen 100 deg at Mid-O and upper 90s at WGI and have done well (worry about the car more than the driver )--I'm sure being fit plays a large part. Also agree with 2 with reservations....if the accident is severe enough all the fitness in the world won't save you. But if not, being fit would definitely aid in recovery.

Gary

Dr911

2 Qs for all you pros/coaches/race veterans:

A: What about flexibility training? Is that regularly a part of driver fitness routines?

B: How about proprioceptive training? Do pros do this? If yes, how do they go about it?

ir_fuel

I think there is a big difference in what car you drive. Driving a 991 Carrera S on street tires for 20 minutes is completely different to driving a Wolf or Radical on slicks for 1 hour.

In the first case it's really hard to imagine becoming tired, unless you are in a really bad shape, and that would mean your body is basically fubar and you need to exercise, track driving or not, before you die of some cardiovascular issue.

The second case is an entirely different story.