Why Train
Almost all first-timers and less experienced high-performance drivers are caught off guard by how tired and fatigued they feel midway through a full day at the track. That is likely the number-one comment heard by HPDE instructors everywhere. Soreness in the body’s core area, neck, and arm muscles are common complaints. Noticeable deterioration in the ability of a student to react to hazards or stay on the racing line is also a telltale sign of fatigue.
In many cases, errors and misjudgments begin to creep in because of a biological deficiency, not a lack of understanding of the rules for safe on-track behavior. Brain-fade is real, and physical training is one tool that can help a driver maximize their performance behind the wheel for a longer period.
Brain fade can creep in and cause mistakes, hopefully, only little ones. (Photo credit: Jane Absalom)
Heat buildup is one of the most significant hurdles a driver has to overcome. At a minimum, helmets are required equipment when taking a car on nearly any racetrack. Because the top of the head is one of the primary places where the body sheds extra body heat, both open- and closed-face helmets block this function.
While a helmet
should be required when on a racetrack, it does reduce the body’s natural method of temperature regulation. If allowed by the organization with which you run, an open-faced helmet may provide more airflow, but modern full-face helmets specifically designed for auto racing have come a long way in getting fresh air where it’s needed most.
When looking at wheel-to-wheel competition, a race car driver must wear a flame-resistant driver suit. Many manufacturers using a variety of materials populate the marketplace. But, there is no getting around the fact that a driver is covered from head to toe in multiple layers of heavy fabric. Depending on safety rules, another layer of flame-resistant underwear underneath the suit may be required.
On top of that, gauntlet-style gloves and flame-resistant shoes with minimal airflow are designed to keep hands and feet safe in a fire. While wearing a full complement of safety equipment, there is no way a driver’s body can cool itself as efficiently as when wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
There are very few environments in sports as harsh as the inside of a race car. (Photo credit: Shawn Brereton)
We now have a driver wearing a helmet, driving suit, shoes, gloves, and possibly flame-resistant underwear. Put that driver in a race car driven by an engine radiating heat and extremely hot exhaust gasses, and you have the ingredients for problems like heat exhaustion or heat stroke if the driver’s body is not correctly prepared for their day at the track. Add the body heat from the driver, while working the steering wheel and resisting the g-force from cornering, and the heat problem is exacerbated.
The body can combat a rising core temperature, but the ability to minimize fatigue comes at a price. Nutrients from food and drink are used to keep vital organs, and muscular and neural systems, functioning at an optimal level. Physical fitness allows the body to function and use its fuel more efficiently, resulting in burning less fuel to produce the same output over a given period. This increases the total time a driver’s biological system can perform at peak capacity.
Loaded into the car with all the safety gear places a demand on your fitness. (Photo credit: Shawn Brereton)
Today, racers have many options when it comes to driver cooling. Bespoke cooling systems circulating cold water next to a driver’s body, various types of heat shielding, and cockpit ventilation are just a few tools to help increase a driver’s comfort in the car. However, like many things in a race car’s design, there is a performance trade-off.
Cooling systems often draw power for pumps, adding more complexity to the car’s electrical circuitry. This creates another system that can fail due to the harsh realities of racing. Additional concerns regarding cooling systems and some heat barriers are the placement of more weight in an undesirable part of the car. Heat shields can also fail because of on-track damage or inefficient design. Adding ventilation to the driver cockpit is an inexpensive and time-tested fix, but can add speed-robbing aerodynamic drag. Conversely, increasing the driver’s fitness can solve fatiguing, while minimizing the number of performance compromises.