Is physical Conditioning really that important for racing?

Is physical Conditioning really that important for racing?
By Ilya Feynberg (c)

This is a question that I receive more then any other’Ķand to answer it directly, YES! It is very important for a driver to be in his/her best possible physical shape to truly out race the competition. The best drivers are always the ones who know how to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and more importantly’Ķknow why they need to. Just as the package that a team brings for the race weekend must be the fastest in order to win, so does the actual driver package have to be the strongest.

It used to surprise me how many ’Äúregular folk’Äù or non- racers never considered motor sports as an actual sport and still don’Äôt. That’Äôs okay, but what still surprises and frankly shocks me still to this day is how many of ’Äúour folk’Äù or racers don’Äôt fully understand that racing is a real sport. Um’Ķhello’Ķit’Äôs motor SPORTS for a reason. Driving a race car under the pressures of a race is just as demanding as playing soccer or playing American football, in fact even more so. What’Äôs so disappointing is to see how many drivers don’Äôt pay attention to how they feel while driving the car and when they get out, if they did they would notice the need for such training. Your pace drops off a quarter or half way through the race for a reason, just like when you get up the next morning and your awfully sore. Your muscles, respiratory system, and mind are being used extremely hard and if you’Äôre not in proper shape, your muscles, respiratory system and mind is being pushed way beyond its limit.

When a driver increases their physical readiness to race they open up a whole new world of opportunities for themselves on and off the track. Just think about it for a moment’Ķ.if you can stay on the ball and be extremely quick in ALL stages of the race weekend without tiring, how much more of and edge do you have over those drivers who are not in proper physical shape? What if you can remain focused throughout the entire length of the race weekend and be at your optimum mind function, all the way from the first practice lap, to media relations, and to the checkered flag on race day. It’Äôs not enough to just posses talent or desire to win anymore. Those who posses all the qualities of a great package and work hard to achieve them will always come out on top.

Training hard to get into proper physical shape specifically for motor sports is not something most drivers are used to, and as a result the transition might be difficult. Not everyone posses that burning desire and discipline to do everything within their power to become a champion, that’Äôs why there can only be one. The question is’Ķ.do you have the drive?

Photo by Eagle Shooter