Fitness in Motor Sports Today

By Ilya Feynberg
The Ferrari F1 team spends a little over $1 million a season to make sure that their drivers are in peak physical condition….

Mclaren Mercedes F1 spends $2 million on various programs, trainers, and in house gym’s, all to make sure that their drivers can not only endure, but excel in the most demanding conditions possible……the race car…

NASCAR driver Tony Stewart has a personal trainer that goes everywhere Tony does….

Yet, somehow the “non-pro” driver seems to totally miss the mark when it comes to realizing the incredible impact that fitness has on his/her performance on track. While many aspiring drivers easily see the steps that high profile teams and drivers take to make sure that they are in top physical condition to race, very few seem to understand why, and most importantly why they too should take part in something that can so dramatically improve their driving that the world’s best teams spend millions on.

The demands of modern racing are not for the faint of heart, that’s why only a few excel at the sport. One very linear and constant variable that you’ll find throughout the whole field of top drivers, whether NASCAR or Formula 1, is that the best drivers are always the most fit. Why do they have to be fit? Simple, because if their not, the demands that racing exerts on the human body will drive them to failure on track….literally. With cockpit temperatures easily exceeding 125 degrees Fahrenheit (or 52 degrees Celsius), up to 5 g’s during turns, and braking that will have you looking at your knees within a second and you start to realize that the demands of modern motor sport are a lot like those of running a marathon with some space shuttle adventures mixed in.

You don’t have to be in the pro ranks to understand the need for fitness in the motor sports arena. You can feel it for yourself every time you race, and witness it from the sidelines. Whether you race just for fun at local track events or are a future world champion, fitness will play a very critical role in your ability to perform consistently on track.

Becoming fit to race and increasing a drivers performance on track is not an easy task but a necessary one for any driver. There are four main areas of fitness that a driver must look into to and create a training program out of. These are:

Cardiovascular fitness

This area of physical conditioning is without doubt one of the most crucial to increasing a driver’s fitness level and on track performance. Cardiovascular fitness refers to improving the overall fitness of the lungs and heart, which in turn gives those vital organs the ability of taking in higher levels of oxygen and essential nutrients to the proper muscles far more efficiently. Cardiovascular exercise also greatly increases the strength and overall tone of the skeletal structure.

Endurance Training

Structuring an endurance training program as a driver can be of great benefit if done properly. Endurance programs for driver’s can be a tricky area of training as it requires a very considerable amount of time, planning and carries the possibility of increased risk of injury. However, since muscle and respiratory fitness as well as endurance during long and hot (or cold) races are what the aim is….it could be a program that’s incorporated into a fitness regime. In turn, you will reap the benefits of the extra hard work put it.
Weight Training

Weight training is the form of exercise that develops strength and size of the muscles in the skeletal structure. While it is the most common form of resistance training, it is not the only form. Weight training focuses on the strength and growth of the muscles needed to drive and control a race car from start to finish. This area of fitness is very important. Cardiovascular training alone is not enough to develop muscles and to instill the right amount of endurance into them. However, weight training programs for racers must be structured differently as the goal is not size, weight gain and mass brute strength. The goal is to develop the muscle so that it can withstand constant abuse and work throughout the entire race weekend at peak levels.

Mental Training

As if physical training and conditioning wasn’t overlooked enough by racers in the motor sports arena…mental training is even more of a hidden secret. Developing and perfecting the right mental mindset is critical and not an easy task to tackle. Proper mind set up is not only curial to stand up to the pressures of the sport, but also to simply get into shape. The mind is a very powerful wonder that can become a great asset to a driver’s efforts, or become his/her worst enemy. From the first run down the dirt trail for your cardio, the last repetition in your weight training routine to the final lap of the race weekend…mental fitness plays a much larger role then meets the eye.

If you’re still not convinced that proper physical conditioning plays a major role in the performance level of a driver and are not currently involved in any training programs specific to racing, then go out for a race among fit and successful drivers…..I promise you that your mind will change half way through the race weekend.