Frank Bullitt

You really can't drink enough and with the fluid loss during a race it's not like you'll ever end up with water intoxication though you may just founder if gulping it too quickly.

Veloce Raptor

Exactly. But that doesn't stop dip****s from spreading BS here.

Frank Bullitt

Pretty sure everyone hereabouts realizes that we're always speaking of an enhanced fluid replacement and not simply water alone in these discussions. Happen to have a relative in Texas that witnessed a Transplanto go down @ Texas World Speedway one weekend due to lack of correct fluids. Imagine that Dubai also has many Transplantos there for work who end up getting hurt by that rather harsh environment. Something you see often?

Veloce Raptor

Bipolar?

Also, can anyone translate authentic frontier gibberish? WTF is a "transplanto"?

Jerseybean

I think I've seen some data that Milk is a better replacement than Gatorade or many of the sport drinks.

jakermc

I've read 11 posts from one member who has said nothing more than stay in shape and drink plenty of fluids, something I think we all learned sometime in grade school. In these posts, I think I spotted 12 attempts at 'Spanglish' (hombre, amigos, transplanto, etc.), also indicating a grade school education. Coincidence?

What's missing is any mention of personal experience in a race car. Again, draw your own conclusions ....

M758

Dubai is crazy hot. Here in Az we do not run in the summer months due to the heat for the drivers in the car and for hanging around the track. Plus heat for corner workers. We have race this weekend and it is expected to be 103F. However we cheat. We start at 6am and finish by 10 to 10:30 am. That way we end the event before it gets too hot. Preserving cars, drivers and event staff.

We run full events in May and September. May can be warm, but is bearable. September can be just over a 100F too, but manageble. Late June, July and August can be 110F as normal temp and starting the day at 90F at 7am the real killer. The heat wipes you out before you even start. That is why we don't run in the peak of summer.

Frank Bullitt

Conclusion drawn. Stop whining so much unless your tears from said activity provide some sort of cooling effect. Just drive the race car without lugging your Big Bag of Sensitivo onboard.

A Transplanto is a person not originally from the state of Texas. They tend to be a lot more shrill and whine a bunch. Never very hard to spot in print or in the flesh.

Frank Bullitt

Seems to work @ the Indy 500 every year.

Ricky Boo-Boo Johnson

I think the proper urine color for hydration is comparable to "Country Time Lemonade" color.

Frank Bullitt

Although a dry heat it will suck the life right out out you. Not good @ 100 + even out in the desert.

Ricky Boo-Boo Johnson

From my experience, running in AZ and Grand-Am events - at least 3 days of hydrating makes it at lot easier when you get to the weekend. I go to QuikTrip and buy just the large plastic cups from them and carry them around and fill them up with I empty them - 50 oz. (1.5L) and drink 5-6 a day.

You have to sip, not gulp. For me the goal is to get to where I have to pee each hour during the day and at least once per night.

This helps immensely when the weekend comes. Of course, no alcohol either.

For the 3 hour races, I also spend the day of the race eating pineapple chunks and strawberries (they help your body retain water).

One of the first 3 hour races I did, I gulped water all day...big problem in the race...I used the bathroom before the race, but 2 hours into the race - I had a huge problem - a very full bladder. The pain became more and more intense over the next 45 minutes to where I seriously considered pitting and giving up the race lead. I couldn't get myself to urinate in the car - I just couldn't relax enough to do it. I know that a full bladder for a long period of time is not healthy, but I'm too competitive to stop and give up the class lead.

I finished the race, but drove the car straight through the hot pits and parked the car at the entrance to the bathroom and bailed out of the car.

I learned a lot that day about sipping and not gulping. Trust me - you don't want to be in the situation where you have a full bladder.

In car drink system for long races is a must. I use one with a bite clamp, but your jaw can hurt from holding the clamp in your mouth. I also make sure I chew gum while racing...this helps keep your mouth from becoming dry and also helps you relax and set a rhythm when racing. I use a 50/50 G2 and water mix.

986 cool shirt and a helmet air cooler have worked well so far!

I did see a very trick setup at Laguna last year - someone had the pro A/C set up set up on the back shelf...I was jealous - but that setup is out of my price range.

Hope this helps someone out there not get over-heated or dehydrated!

Ricky

Mahler9th

A good solution will somewhat depend on your car and how much room there is to mount a cooler. Also what type of car it is, for example does it have closed windows like some of the factory cars. And of course where you race typically and for how long. And of course your own personal physiology.

Out here in NorCal, we sometimes see temps north of 100 F. In the Porsche Racing Club, our races are usually 25-30 minutes, so while a cooling system is great to have, the races are short enough for many to survive just fine.

There are already a lot of great suggestions in this thread about systems for cooling, and some not so great ones.

As for heat stress and dehydration, I have studied this field and worked with one of the world's experts... and have a huge library of peer-reviewed literature. Yes, you can drink too much water (versus other fluids) and cause problems for yourself. And it is far easier than you think. I have a paper from the New England Journal of Medicine that describes/discusses this.

Yes, urine color can be used as a marker for hydration... I have the papers that describe the validation of a urine color chart. Larry Armstrong, Ph.D. at UConn did this work, and I have met and talked with him in the past.

At least two start-ups are working on a saliva based test for hydration, one is Cantimer. We'll see how it goes.

I use a Cool Shirt system and it is fine for my application. I used cubed ice and water as it lasts just fine for the types of sessions and races I run... all under 30 minutes. I like to check for leaks and electrical problems as part of car prep before a weekend when I plan to use it.

I take a cooling shower about 20 minutes before grid on hot days. Then change into my racing pajamas.

I have not yet experimented with an in-car drink system as I am not sure it will make a difference in the short sessions/races I do. I may give it a try this year. I will probably use a CamelBak... they seem to have a suitable product and one of my college classmates is CEO.

M758

I use a standard simple camelback (the kind with simple bladder only backpack) and I strap it to roll cage. Then I run the hose thorugh the shoulder harness opening in the seat and have a tie wrap on my harness. This keeps the hose at easy reach. Even in short races and cool conditions I will often grab water on the straight. Very easy and cheap. I only use it during races however.

Veloce Raptor

Says the weirdo from Iowa who claims to live in San Francisco.