To begin this discussion about hydration for drivers, let’s look at the science. When the ultimate goal is to make the car go faster, it’s critical that the driver be as light as possible. So each tiny bit you can shave from the weight of the car is beneficial. Irrespective of the race series you drive in and type of race car, only a limited amount of water/hydration drink can be carried (around sixteen to twenty ounces). Any more would add too much weight. The average race stint is two hours or longer in the race car for professional sports car series (IMSA, FIA WEC etc.), so what the driver drinks is crucial.
During a two- or three-hour race, a driver can lose up to ten pounds of water, and if they are not replenishing, their performance can be damaged. During longer races, such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, where drivers take shifts in the car, hydration is even more crucial.
‘It’s common to see drivers receiving fluids from an IV while waiting for their turn to get back behind the wheel. Nutritionists along with other human performance experts who help drivers during races make sure they hydrate with the correct fluids’ ref Dion Von Moltke Hydration inside the race car, Stack 2013.
- When you become dehydrated, it can take hours or even days to fully recover
- Sodium helps move fluid freely through the body and sweats out during physical activity
- A lack of sodium in the body is a major contributor to dehydration
From a practical standpoint, when you are prepping for your race weekend, you need to remember not to rely on just any water or the water they have at the track; make sure it’s good quality. Just as I advised in the previous article about nutrition, you need to prepare in advance. Some of the foods I mentioned that can be easily ingested such as strawberries, cherries, watermelon slices, etc. will provide added hydration benefits. Bananas add sodium into your system. Coconut water is also great for hydrating at the track, a little lesson I learned from one of our IndyCar clients, Oriol Servia. It has been suggested that consuming coconut water after exercise improves endurance and athletic performance. This is because it naturally contains carbohydrates in the form of glucose (a simple sugar) and the electrolytes sodium and potassium – the crucial components in commercial sports drinks.
“So what supplements should I take during the race weekend?” I hear the big question now! I have listed the links for you as we did in the prior article, however, they are recommendations only and our suggestions may not suit everyone’s needs or tastes. So please use these as a guide only:
Test the products in advance that you decide to use in the car to be sure that they suits your personal requirements:
Quick tip: Have watermelon on hand in the refrigerator, as this is a great, easy-to-keep hydrating snack
PRACTICALITIES
Here is a sample hydrating program used at the Le Mans 24 Hours for one of our drivers (as a guide only). Products used have been referenced purely as an example of the type of products you should be looking to utilize for your own hydration requirements.
Hydration: should be primarily water to establish a sweat rate in order to determine an appropriate core temperature. Drink approximately five liters daily, interspersed with additional water mixed with a rehydration product (like this one from Skratch Labs mixed two scoops in every 20 oz. of water). Many race tracks can have relentless heat and humidity – the in-car and out-of-car climate conditions will make it easy to lose focus and drop your head in the car. Make certain your urine is clear…if not, you are under-hydrated. Always consume water and hydration/electrolyte replacement after your in-car stint.
Additional snacks that can be used throughout the day (in addition to the fruit, nut snacks or flavored Justin’s packets) would be Performance Fitness Concepts (PFC) peanut butter bars (or good quality peanut butter bars of the same standard) and Bonk Breaker bars– as well the product Second Surge may be used 15 minutes before seat time to offer energy stimulation – Second Surge is a gel product used for increased energy that will last approximately 60 to 80 minutes. Bonk Breaker Shot Block Strawberry Chews are caffeinated as well.
Supplementation: Using Emergen-C packets – up to 4 daily – is an efficient way to receive a burst of energy without caffeine. Take a packet – pour it under your tongue swish around some water and swallow the contents. In about 10 minutes, you will get a solid energy increase without the use of caffeine. Additionally, the use of a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement at night will promote a deep sleep and muscular relaxation – take 3 capsules of a product called Osteo-health. In order to promote cognitive focus, NADH is best used – 1 capsule in the morning and again about 30 minutes after lunch. NADH is a product that stimulates brain energy and mental clarity and focus without the use of caffeine or an elevated central nervous system response. Without individual assessments, supplementation should be limited to the items described above.
At this point, I want to reiterate that this is an example for an individual driver; you can use the products discussed as a guide and utilize others if you feel they suit your individual situation better. We all have our own tastes and react to supplements differently. If in doubt after reading this article, we are happy to answer further questions regarding what you should eat, drink, and supplement at a race weekend. Please feel free to e-mail us.
Sample products and amounts for a race weekend (click on the links in each product for more information):
- Bottled Water: Good quality bottled waters listed here
- NADH – 1 capsule every 4 to 6 hours during the weekend
- Osteo-health – 3 capsules to promote relaxation for sleep, as your patterns will be off. This product will help with your central nervous system stress
- Skratch Labs sport hydration drink mix – 2 large bags: 2 scoops for every 24 oz. sports bottle of water. This is in addition to regular water consumption. You will be sweating a lot, so this will keep your electrolyte replacement in check.
- Second Surge gel packets – 2 boxes – These are 1 oz. caffeinated gels used in endurance sports – it’s a great energy product. It has about 45 minutes to 1 hour of energy life.
- Bonk Breaker Bars – 16
- Emergen-C – 1 box – use as needed
- Bonk Breaker Caffeinated Chews – 8 – much like the Second Surge product. 4 chews constitutes a serving
- Peanut Butter G-Bars or good quality peanut butter bars – 16
- Sally’s Smart Almonds– 2 packages
- Justin’s flavored nut butter packets – 4 boxes vanilla/chocolate
Thanks to both Performance Physixx’s contributing consultants: nutritionists
Meg Mangano and
Philip Goglia, PhD for their help and contributions to this set of articles.
– Simon Hayes
