by Ross Bentley
It’s the same story with driving shoes. Buy real driving shoes, which have a fire retardant lining. They give a lot more protection and are much more comfortable than just using bowling shoes or runners, like some drivers do. If you’re going to drive formula-type cars, you probably won’t be able to work the pedals properly in the tight confines of the foot area of the cockpit with anything other than real racing shoes.
One other thing I feel should be mandatory: ear plugs. Not only will it save your hearing over the years, but it allows you to actually hear the car sounds better, concentrate better, and means you won’t fatigue as quickly. Auditory input is important feedback when driving. If your hearing is impaired, you be won’t as sensitive to what the car is telling you. The best earplugs are the ones custom molded to fit your ears, although the small foam ones work quite well for most situations.
SAFETY HARNESS
The safety harnesses, or seat belts, in a race car may be the most important safety component of all. Once again, only use the best belts, and take care of them. After all, they’re taking care of your life. They also help support your body in the cockpit so that you can drive most effectively.
All belts should be replaced or rewebbed at least every two years. They will seriously deteriorate, losing up to 80 percent of their effectiveness, simply by being exposed to weather and ultraviolet light. Anytime you’ve had a crash, replace or reweb them immediately, as they will have stretched and weakened. As well, regularly check, clean, and lubricate (if necessary) the buckle mechanism.
Belts should be tight before you start driving. Then, make sure you can tighten at least the shoulder belts while driving. Often, they seem to loosen during the course of a race. And you may be surprised at how far they actually stretch in a crash, allowing your body to impact things you would never imagine.
Anti-submarine belts not only help you from sliding forward in a crash, they also help support your body under heavy braking. So make sure they are adjusted properly, snug and comfortable.
Practice getting the belts undone in a hurry and getting out of the car quickly. This could be valuable practice. Many cars are practically impossible to get out of quickly.
Make sure the belts are mounted securely and in the right position. Sometimes the shoulder belts are mounted too far apart, which would allow them to actually slip past your shoulders in a heavy impact. Try to have them mounted so that they help hold you down, as well as prevent you from being thrown forward in a crash.
Is a race driver an athlete? This question has been knocked around for years. Who cares? All I know is it takes great physical skill and endurance to drive a race car well, not to mention the extreme mental demands.
If you want to be even the slightest bit successful in racing, you need to be in good physical condition. If you want to win, if you want to make racing your profession, then you must be in good condition.
Driving a race car requires aerobic fitness, muscle strength and flexibility, and proper nutritional habits. Without these you will be lacking in the strength and endurance to not only be successful, but also to race safely. Using the controls (steering, brakes, throttle, clutch, shifter) and dealing with the tremendous g-forces on your body demands a great deal more than most people think, especially with the extreme heat you usually have to work in.
To qualify for your racing license, and every year or two after that (depending on the level of license you have), you must have a full physical test completed by your doctor. But even though you may be healthy according to a doctor, how physically fit are you? How strong? How supple and flexible?
When your body tires during a race, it not only affects your physical abilities but also your mental abilities. When you physically tire and you begin to notice aches and pains (and even before you notice them), it distracts your mind from what it should be doing: concentrating on driving as quickly as possible.
The better conditioned your body is, the more mentally alert you will be and able to effectively deal with the stress and concentration levels. A big part of the drain on your strength is the intense and never-ending concentration you must maintain. And just a slight lapse in concentration can bring disaster. How many times have you heard the expression “brain fade” used as an excuse?
Notice how often a driver’s lap times begin to progressively slow near the end of a race. The driver usually blames it on the tires “going off,” the brakes fading, or the engine losing power. If the truth be known, it’s usually the driver that’s going off, fading, or losing power as fatigue sets in.
Drivers who claim to stay in shape simply by racing are only fooling themselves. The workout you get from racing even every weekend is not good enough. You must supplement that with a regular physical conditioning program.
PHYSICAL CONDITIONING
When you train, you become more fit. Stressing your body, in a controlled manner, through running, lifting weights, or whatever, gradually breaks down the muscle fiber. Then, with rest, the muscles heal stronger. So each time you exercise, then rest, your body becomes stronger.
Use a regular fitness training program to improve your coordination, strength, flexibility, and endurance. Sports like running, tennis, racquetball, and squash are excellent for improving your cardiovascular fitness and coordination. Added to a specially designed weight training and stretching program, these activities may mean the difference between winning and losing. Most of these will also improve your reaction skills as well.
Strength, particularly in a modern ground-effects car, is important. So weight training is a key. Keep in mind, though, you don’t want to bulk up too much if driving formula-type cars, as the cockpits tend to be cramped. Concentrate on building muscle endurance as much as outright strength.
You now understand how critical being sensitive to what the car is telling you, and how important being precise in your use of the controls is. Well, try this test. Trace over a picture with a pencil, accurately and with great detail. Then do 50 push-ups. Try tracing the picture again. What happened? When the muscles in your arms tire, you lose some of the precise control. You need that precise control when driving a race car.
Your cardiovascular system takes a real workout when racing. The average person’s heart rate at rest is between 50 and 80 beats per minute (BPM), less than half its maximum potential. Most athletes operate during their sport at around 60 to 70 percent of their maximum, and then often only for a few minutes at a time between rests. Studies have shown race drivers at any level often operate at close to 80 percent of their maximum BPM, for the entire length of the race.
Being aerobically fit will make the difference between winning and losing. The only way to ensure your cardiovascular system is in shape is through aerobic training: running, cycling, Stairmaster, any sport where you keep your heart rate at 60 to 70 percent of its maximum for at least 20 minutes, and preferably more.
Your reflexes can be developed. Sports such as squash, racquetball, and table tennis are great for improving your hand-eye coordination and reflexes. Computer and video games are also good for improving your mental processing and reflexes.
It’s only been over the last few years that I’ve really begun to realize the benefits of flexibility. As part of my regular training program, I now spend quite some time stretching and working on my flexibility. Since starting this, I’ve had fewer muscle aches and much less cramping while driving, and I feel a lot better the day after the race.
Should you ever crash, the more flexible your body, the less chance you have of being injured. With a flexible body, your muscles will be better able to accommodate the forces from an impact.
How’s your weight? If you are overweight, you owe it to not only yourself, but also to your car and team to lose weight. Why have your team work at making the car as light as possible, if you’re not? But, more important, excess fat on your body works as insulation, something you don’t need in the high-heat environment of a race car cockpit. Reducing your body fat content (or
maintaining if you’re already lean enough) should be a part of your training program.
In fact, heat is one of the race driver’s worst enemies. The combination of all the fire-protective clothing, the continuous physical exertion, and the heat generated by many race cars makes for a less-than-ideal working environment. A driver’s body temperature can reach more than 100 degrees.
This heat often leads to dehydration. Some drivers will lose up to 5 percent of their body weight in perspiration during a race. This can lead to weakened and cramping muscles, and less effective mental processing. In fact, studies have shown that losing just 2 percent of your body weight in sweat can reduce your work capacity by as much as 15 percent. There is only one solution for dehydration: drink fluid. Over the course of a race weekend, especially in warm weather, try to take in as much water as possible, at least 4 liters per day on race weekends.
It is well-known that an athlete’s diet is extremely important to the athlete’s performance. Marathon runners are famous for their carbo-loading (eating high-carbohydrate foods) prior to races. A race driver is no different. Again, if you want to win, follow a proper diet. Talk to a doctor or nutritionist. At the least, avoid foods with high-fat content on race weekends. Stick to lean meals with a good balance between carbohydrates and protein.
Finally, do you drink much? How about smoking? We all know that alcohol and cigarettes affect your health. Even if there is a one-in-a-million chance that they could slow your reactions, affect your vision, or decrease your cardiovascular level, consider whether you want to take that chance. How committed are you to being successful?
The effects of alcohol on your body and mind can last for a long time. It slows your reaction time, dulls your senses, and slows your ability to make decisions. And taking drugs to improve your performance is a major mistake. Not only will it not help, it’s very dangerous.
SPEED SECRET
Given equal cars and equal skills, the fittest driver is going to win.
Often a driver with less talent and less car will win due to his fitness level. So, if you want to race, if you want to win, you owe it to yourself to be as physically fit as possible.
Many drivers would rather not have to deal with officials, and seem to pay little attention to the flags. They’re missing an opportunity. Pay strict attention to the flags shown to you by the flag marshals. They are there to assist you, to help you go as fast as possible, and to ensure your safety.
At practically every racetrack you’ll ever race at, the flag marshals and officials are there as volunteers. They are there for the same reason you are: They love racing. The only difference between you and them is the area of the sport they having chosen to get involved in, for whatever reason. Often, a flag marshal is doing it because he or she can’t afford to race yet, and this is better than being a spectator. In fact, working as a flag marshal can often be beneficial later in a racing career. It’s great experience seeing a race from that perspective.
Without flag marshals and officials, you will not be able to race. Remember that. Don’t think of flags, flag marshals, and officials as hindrances. Think of them as a way to gain an advantage.
Before you first venture onto the racetrack as a driver, it is absolutely critical that you know and understand what every flag means and how it is used. Take the time to read and understand the rulebook that you’ll be racing under as the use or interpretation of a flag has been known to change or vary. Keep up to date with the latest regulations.
It’s important to not only note and obey all flags, but also to “read” the flag marshals. You can really work this to your advantage. With experience, you will notice differences in the way the marshals wave a flag. If, for example, a marshal is calmly waving a yellow flag (meaning caution, slow down, there is an incident in the vicinity), it’s probably not a serious incident. While your competitors are slowing up a lot, you back off a little, gaining a bit of an advantage on them. However, be prepared to slow down. And if the marshal is frantically waving a yellow flag, slow down a lot.
Having said that, remember that flag marshals risk their lives to make racing safer for you. Don’t ever do anything that puts them in any greater danger than they already are. And understand that when you slow down 20 or 30 miles per hour from your racing speeds, it may seem to you like you’re almost stopped. But you’re probably still traveling at a very high speed with a flag marshal on or near the track assisting another driver.
While the flag you want to see before any other is the checkered flag, every flag is a potential tool. Seeing, recognizing, and understanding a flag’s meaning—even the subtleties of how it is waved—can make or break a racer. Shutterstock
No matter how much an official’s or flag marshal’s decision or action seems to be against you, try to accept it and get on with your racing. If you are sure you’re being wrongly treated, take it up in the proper fashion (again, read the rulebook as to how). Don’t take it out personally on them. That will only make matters worse.
The officials are only doing their job, and the better you get along with them, the more successful and enjoyable your racing will be. Often, if over a period of time you have treated the officials with respect, it may even help sway a decision in your favor.
Racing today is much different from 30 or even 10 years ago. It used to be that, at the professional level of the sport, a person was chosen to drive for a team strictly on talent. Not so anymore. There are many drivers today who have the talent to win races. So when a team is looking for a driver, why not select one who is promotable and marketable—a public relations person’s dream—and one who can bring sponsorship dollars to the team, as well as talent?
As much as this may seem unfair, it is a fact you will have to live with during your career. You can either choose to make the most of it and look at it as an extra challenge, or be miserable because you’re not getting your “breaks.”
You can’t sit back and wait for a team to come to you, thinking that because you’re a good driver you deserve it. The days of car owners coming to knock on your door are few and far between. These days, if you want a ride, you have to go after it yourself. And probably bring something to the table, as well.
I’m not saying that you will have to pay for your racing throughout your career. Even today, some drivers are selected to drive for a top team based primarily on their talent. But even they had to pay their dues. They probably had to bring personal or sponsorship money to the teams they drove for on the way to the top.
Don’t ever look at this as being beneath you. If you don’t believe sponsorship, professionalism, and public relations are important to your career, you’ll be watching a lot of racing on television.
CAREER MOVES
As I’ve said before, it takes a lot more than just driving skill to be successful in racing. You must have all the right components of “the program” to be a consistent winner. Components like the right equipment (car, spares, and so on), a good crew (mechanics, engineers, team manager, even if one person handles many of these jobs on a small team), an adequate budget (“adequate” being a relative term), an appropriate testing program, and more. Then, all these components have to mesh together. It’s especially important that the people work as a team. Without that, no matter how good you are, you won’t win on a regular basis.
Many drivers aren’t interested in trying to climb to the top of professional racing. They just want to race for fun in amateur events. There is nothing wrong with that. I know many people who have been amateur racing for years and love it for the thrill of competition, the sense of self-satisfaction, the camaraderie and friendships developed, relaxation, and so much more.
Personally, I find racing to be the most relaxing thing in the world. When I’m racing, nothing else matters. I don’t care what else is happening in my life, I’m focused on racing. It allows me to forget everything else. I just relax and enjoy my driving. And, for that reason, the level of the sport you race at is not important.
No matter what level of the sport you’re involved in, however, it’s going to take a lot of work. As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth every bit of it, every time I get behind the wheel. That said, to make it in professional racing takes much more work than amateur racing does. That’s something to be aware of. If you’re having a tough time managing the time and effort in amateur racing, don’t think it’s going to get any easier when you start racing in a professional series.
If you do aspire to reach the top of professional racing, the recommended road you take to get there can vary dramatically. It differs from driver to driver; however, there are usually some common threads. Often, it is determined somewhat by where you live (and whether you’re willing to move), your personal financial position, how good you are at raising money (sponsorship, donations, whatever), your professional approach (whether or not a professional team is going to want you to drive for them), and what your ultimate goal in racing is (Formula One, Indy car, NASCAR, sports cars, sprint cars, and so on). Talk to drivers who have made it. Read biographies of the great drivers. Learn what has worked for others.
It used to be that road racers were road racers and oval track racers were oval track racers and that they never mixed. But with Indy cars running both road courses and oval tracks, many racing series have followed. More NASCAR drivers are coming from a road racing background. Today, if you don’t have experience on both types of tracks, your chances of being successful in the top ranks of racing are reduced.
Look for opportunities to race on all types of tracks. Consider that when deciding which series to compete in. If a series combines both oval track and road courses, and it’s your goal to move up the professional racing ladder, then choose that over a series that only races one type of track. It will pay off in the long run.
