Do you need to be fit to be a racing driver?

When competing at the GT Academy International 2016 competition, in both the national and international finals, there were a series of fitness challenges that I had to undertake. At the national final, there were tests of push-ups, planks, jumps and a beep test. At the international final, there was an SAS style fitness course as well as going to the circus which involved climbing silk ropes. All of these challenges required physical and mental fitness.

On recounting this story to many people, the one question I have been asked time and again is why do you need to be fit to drive a racecar. As someone who has been fortunate to drive some racecars, I have found it to be vitally important, but to the average person who has never driven faster than the indicated speed signs, I can understand their point of view. The majority of people have a drivers licence and drive cars everyday therefore why would racecar driving be any different. After all, you are just sitting down and turning a steering wheel, right?

The fact that most people fail to realise is that the forces inflicted upon a driver in a race scenario are never experienced on the road. Taking Formula 1 as an example, in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton experienced a peak of 6.5G forces in the braking and cornering of Turn 11. With the average head weighing about 5kgs, that would mean that in this extreme peak, Hamilton’s head would have weighed 32.5kgs, with all of that weight being supported by his neck. Even though this 6.5G was only experienced for a brief period of time, it was experienced every lap for 57 laps and that is just one corner. 16 turns all with various braking and cornering forces being acted upon the driver is eventually going to take a toll. It should also be noted that Melbourne is not considered to be a very demanding track and the temperature is relatively cooler in comparison to circuits such as Bahrain or Singapore.

I was fortunate enough to get to Bathurst earlier in the year for the 12-hour event and I was even more fortunate to get to hang out with many of the NISMO racing drivers. Unfortunately the number 23 car of my mentor Chiyo had many issues throughout the weekend finishing in 32nd place however number 24 seemed to work relatively well finishing 2 laps down in 8th place. Jann Mardenborough, previous GT Academy winner, started in the #24 car and was one of the last drivers to make their first pit stop, almost 2 and a half hours after the start of the race. In the category of endurance racing, being able to maintain a high standard of physical and mental concentration is very difficult. Being physically fit allows you to focus more on the mental side too over a long period of time. Many of these endurance events are 24 hours, and a team of drivers competes in the car. Therefore, when a driver enters the pit lane, they must be ready to exit the racecar before another driver enters. Even though this is combined with fuel and tyre changes, an unfit driver would not be able to exit or enter the vehicle as fast as a physically fit one.

Finally, racing drivers must contend with the environment and temperature changes. In the Australian Supercars championship (formerly V8 Supercars) temperatures of 65 degrees Celsius can be achieved inside the cabin even though the ambient temperature might be around 35 – 40 degrees Celsius. The cars do not have air conditioning as this would reduce power and increase weight. Therefore, in order to reduce fatigue whilst driving, the drivers ensure a strict regime of cardio training. Pre race preparation involves reducing the body’s core temperature by staying out of the sun, eating icy poles and wearing ice vests. During the race, air is fanned into the driver’s helmet and cold water is pumped through the driver’s cold suit. However, these suits can and do fail therefore the drivers must maintain their mental concentration whilst experiencing extreme heat and physical degradation.

It is very clear that racecar driving definitely requires physical and mental fitness. Various different disciplines of racing require different types of fitness however when it really matters, the fitter driver will always be the more prepared driver. Plus, if you are a really good driver, you will find yourself on the podium many times drinking champagne, which is not that healthy, especially if it is out of your own shoe.