The Challenges Of Night Racing In Endurance Events – It is often used during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A word that just doesn’t do it justice. The Circuit de la Sarthe is notoriously one of the fastest and most ruthless tracks in the world, where its V6 engines can accelerate to speeds of over 300 miles per hour. The task of drivers, engineers and strategists is to drive their 1,000 HP MVP on a 13-kilometer track as many times as possible. Really, it’s far from justice
It’s the perfect proving ground where the world’s biggest automakers fight fiercely day and night to prove their tactics, technology and their place in the industry.
The Challenges Of Night Racing In Endurance Events
There are too many moving parts to mention – for example, over 11,000 tires are supplied to 180 drivers – but one of the most persistent stories is that of drivers’ seemingly endless endurance.
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Even across the four classes of racing machines – LMP1, LMP2, LM GTE Pro and LM GTE AM – there is a common denominator of constant fatigue among staff, crew and drivers. There is no break either: the 24-hour race is just as brutal in the 18th hour
Hours when the night becomes darkest as it was at the beginning. Fans come and go, but the race never slows down.
As with any sport blessed with a staggering budget, the space for “marginal gains” has become significant in automotive endurance racing. At Le Mans 2019 this is more important than ever.
In many ways, the drivers behind the wheel are true endurance machines. The team’s cars can be modified, tires and brake systems changed, but when a driver has three shifts – each lasting from 90 minutes to three hours – fighting exhaustion and dehydration, he has little chance of sleeping. This makes rigorous training, effective nutrition and mental well-being the best tools for surviving Le Mans.
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Ford Motor Racing in particular has made significant investments in the well-being of its endurance drivers. With four Ford cars in the LM GTE Pro group at Le Mans, a category that includes (slightly) slower race cars designed from production vehicles, Ford drivers have access to expertise from top coaches, physiotherapists, nutritionists and race strategists. Every lap counts, so it’s worth investing in the little things.
“The type of training a racing driver must undergo must reflect the type of car he drives and the races he competes in. For example, a Formula 1 driver will train differently than an endurance driver,” explains Ford Performance coach John Camilleri.
“You have to compromise on the seating position to accommodate three drivers. The muscles target more the core, hip flexors, lower body and lower back. In these cars, there is less downforce on the neck and shoulders, so although we still do exercises to stabilize the shoulders and strengthen the neck, it is not the same physical stress as in a single-seater car.
This is not the only significant difference between Le Mans and Formula 1 or rally driving. Perhaps this is a bit obvious, but the duration of the race is the most unforgiving aspect of it all, requiring laser-like focus, impressive levels of strength and increased cardiovascular endurance.
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As with an elite runner, every driver’s metric – including heart rate, breathing capacity and body temperature – is meticulously analyzed after the car and is as important as the number of repetitions completed in the gym. Everything counts on the track and Camilleri’s job is to get them as efficient and smooth as possible.
“Basically, they have to be pretty good all-around players. They have to have good functional strength, they also have to have good cardiovascular endurance: these guys will be in the car for two to three hours at a time,” he explains. “We monitor their physical performance behind the wheel so we have a good understanding of their average heart rate in the car, respiratory rate, ability to breathe, body temperature and g-forces acting on the driver. “
It’s also a year-round commitment. To get the most out of drivers, Ford Performance’s team of coaches, physiotherapists and osteopaths work tirelessly to prepare drivers physically while paying unwavering attention to their fitness and nutrition. “At the beginning of the year we will go through quite a comprehensive fitness testing protocol, identifying areas where drivers are strong and where they need to improve. We will run individual training programs that are timed depending on where you are in the season and take into account many different factors, including travel, jet lag and other factors,” says Camilleri.
“The service we provide operates on two levels. We have everything behind the scenes – fitness testing, training, sports therapy, nutritional management – and then, on the race track, we warm them up before getting into the car. Then recovery strategies after each run, such as sleep management – we take drivers out of the garage to a quiet place where they can get some sleep and start again.”
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One of the team’s drivers who has benefited from Camilleri’s approach is 37-year-old Ryan Briscoe, who took the Ford GT’s first victory at Laguna Seca in 2016. He is no stranger to long-distance racing. Briscoe has eight IndyCar wins and victories in both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. This year, Briscoe – along with teammates Richard Westbrook (GBR) and Scott Dixon (NZ) – secured sixth place in the LM GTE Pro category at Le Mans, completing a whopping 341 laps as the clock passed the 24-hour mark.
His car is obviously tuned to withstand this distance. The front end of Briscoe’s Ford GT can be replaced in 15 seconds and the entire braking system can be recalibrated in 20 seconds, but it takes him much longer to prepare mentally and physically for the race. But once he does, there is little that can reverse him. “I think when racing it pays to be relaxed and get the most out of the car. You think about everything that’s going on, you think about where the tires are going and where the balance is. We always push for the maximum, but we don’t want to overdo it,” explains Briscoe.
“Preparation is the key, we had a good night’s sleep last night. You go to bed knowing that you won’t sleep much the next night. Stay hydrated today. When you get out of your race car, you drink plenty of water, eat well, rest, and escape the garage so you can get some rest when you’re not in the car. It is not uncommon for drivers to lose more than 10 pounds during a race.
However, physical preparation and rehabilitation do not end there. Before the race, Camilleri explains, some drivers will “go for a light jog… a really continuous jog to get their legs moving. Other drivers leave it closer to the time they are about to get into the car, jumping and maybe boxing with blocks a bit.
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Later it’s different. “After each trip, when they spend two to three hours in the car, there is sports therapy,” he says. “We monitored their physical activity behind the wheel and received feedback as soon as they got out of the car. This will influence what they do before they have to get in the car.
“All these things help you. When you get back in the car you are fresh, focused and can give 100% for the next two to three hours,” concludes Briscoe, now just a few hours before the scheduled start of the race.
At this point, no one could have predicted how the next 24 hours would unfold. However, one thing was certain – only the toughest machines would survive at Le Mans.
Ed Cooper is a former deputy digital editor at Men’s Health UK. He writes and edits everything you want to know about – from technology to fitness, mental health, style, food and more. Ed ran the MH challenge, including transformations, marathons, and a website redesign. However, he is terrible at pub sports. Follow him: @EA_Cooper
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