Le Mans 24Hr - a true test of grit
- mrosenstock7
- Mar 28, 2024
- 6 min read
Le Mans 24Hrs
The Le Mans 24hr Race is one of the most famous and gruelling endurance races in the motorsport world. Held annually in Le Mans, France, the epic 24 hrs of Le Mans is won by the car that covers the most distance over 24hrs in sports cars that are capable of reaching top speeds of 366 km/hr. The race itself consists of 60 competitors, each consisting of three drivers taking turns to drive a single car around a 13.6km circuit for 24 hours straight, with the team covering as many laps as possible. The track includes a mix of public roads and dedicated racing sections, with the famous Mulsanne straight being a highlight.
Role of the physio in motorsport
I had the very fortunate position to be working with a very talented Formula 2 racing driver over the 2023 F2 season, and was a role that has generated a great deal of curiosity amongst my peers and patients alike. You would be forgiven for thinking that a racing driver has the easy task of simply sitting in a car, and driving around a race track. In reality, racing drivers are some of the most conditioned athletes in elite sport, capable of withstanding extreme forces under intense stress in extremely challenging environmental conditions.
Behind every successful racing driver, there is a team of professionals working tirelessly to ensure their car's performance is maximised and the driver's physical and mental well-being is finely tuned.
One crucial member of that team is the physiotherapist. If engineers are responsible for the data collection and performance, and the mechanics are responsible for keeping the car running as efficiently and smoothly as possible, then the physio is a combination of both of those for the driver's body.
The physiotherapist's role in motorsport is very much a hybrid role, encompassing everything from physiotherapy to strength and conditioning, to nutrition, psychology, to coach and support staff. A typical day can involve planning timings around the drivers schedule,manual therapy and mobility work to loosen up the body post travelling and racing, and activation work and strengthening to keep the nervous system firing.
Drivers are required to have high levels of muscular strength in their neck, shoulder and upper torso, as well as superior grip strength and excellent cardiovascular and muscular endurance to be able to withstand the high gravitational forces (G-forces) they experience during the race. A team of specialists will work together with the driver to develop a personalised training program that target each of their specific training needs to ensure performance is maximised.
In addition to physical training, the physiotherapist will also assist drivers in the recovery process between sessions and races to help prevent injuries and reduced performance. Racing drivers are at a higher risk of developing musculoskeletal pain due to risk factors such as prolonged sitting, whole-body vibrations, awkward postures, and repetitive actions (Joseph, Standen, and Paungmali et al., 2020), with lower back being the most frequently reported body region, followed in descending order by neck, upper back, shoulder, knee, hip, wrist, ankle, and elbow. With targeted exercises and treatments, a physiotherapist can help drivers stay healthy and avoid time off the track.
Physiology of the racing driver
During the Le Mans 24hr race, a driver will ride between 45 minutes and 4-hours at a time, with each lap averaging 3:30 mins and consisting of 38 hair-raising turns, before swapping with one of the other two drivers. External and internal physiological factors that can have a huge effect on the outcome of the race and the fatigue of the racing driving.
G forces
Changes in direction or velocity will subject drivers to G-forces. One G-force is the equivalent to the gravitational force exerted on the human body in the vertical plane on planet earth. On the track, the driver can experience vertical changes in elevation, horizontal changes in force when accelerating or braking, and lateral changes in forces when cornering. G-forces when cornering are directly proportional to the velocity and the corning radius, meaning there tighter the turn and the greater the speed, the higher the G-force.
Physiologically, resisting G-Forces in the lateral and horizontal planes are the greatest challenges fro the driver. An F1 race is typically 1.5 hrs long consisting of repeated lateral and horizontal loading in excess of 5G on the body, particularly the neck. At G-force 2-3 your eyesight begins to deteriorate, and breathing is greatly affected. To put this it into context, most roller coasters typically reach 3.5-4.5G. If the drivers head and helmet equate to a total of 6kg, then when cornering at 5G, the resultant weight of the would equate to 30kg which the neck resists over the course of the 1.5hr race. For an endurance race such as Le Mans 24hrs, the drivers will be experiencing similar loads in forces over repeated bouts of driving over a 24hr period.
Therefore, racing drivers need to have very strong necks capable of enduring repeated bouts of efforts, as well as strong upper torsos, grip, and powerful trunk muscles to assist in stabilising the body in the cockpit in the turns. Studies have shown racing drivers are able to withstand the same cervical isometric strength or resisted neck hold as professional rugby union props (Hamilton, 2014), despite being only half their size. This is what makes this race one of the greatest endurance races in the world, and huge physical test for any racer.
Race prep: Resisted Horizontal and Lateral forces
Environmental stress
A racing driver typically wears fire resistant overalls with a balaclava, gloves, shoes and a helmet, and depending on the race track and environment, the cockpit can heat up to between 50-65 degrees celsius, meaning the driver's body must work extremely hard to try and maintain a stabilised body temperature, risking increased body temperatures, hyperthermia and dehydration.
If a driver loses 1-2% of their body weight in fluids, a decline in cognitive function becomes evident resulting in delayed decision making and decreased reactions which could prove lethal on the race track. Heat stress relates to how effectively the body dissipates heat. A body temperature of greater an 40 degrees celsius can lead to heat stroke and dizziness, fainting, nausea, and vomiting. Strategies such as hot weather training camps, stationary bike sessions in saunas, and training with excess clothing can help acclimatise to the heat in the build up to hot races.
Pre-cooling strategies are often used prior to racing in the form off full-body cold water immersion, ice cold towels around the neck, or ice vests.
Demands of the sport
Races are often demanding on the drivers, pit mechanics, and support staff alike with long days of 12-14hrs at the track over the course of the racing week.
In some racing calendars, multiple races can feature back to back limiting recovery between races for the drivers and staff.
At the track in the build up the race weekend, drivers confer with engineers and team managers, coordinate final car adjustments, complete testing practice sessions and qualifying runs before the weekend racing.
Additionally, drivers have sponsors to meet and greet, and media obligations both before and after the race which can interfere with recovery plans for the driver and physio.
Carbon Monoxide and air quality
Carbon monoxide (CO) exposure is commonplace is motorsport racing especially within race series where the car has a closed cockpit such as the Le Mans 24Hr. Environmental CO can acutely increase the circulating carboxyhemoglobin concentration of motorsports athletes due to poor air quality from the exhaust fumes from the cars and equipment in the pit areas.
In general, CO exposure increases with the number of cars on track, car proximity, and race duration. Races on road courses led to carboxyhemoglobin concentrations generally less than 5% with 10% qualifying as low-level CO poisoning. After a short oval race, concentrations as high as 15% to 18% have been reported in drivers this constitutes moderate CO poisoning which may cause headache, lethargy, and fatigue.
Noise!!!
Noise interferes with the driver's hearing and communication in the race. Drivers and support team will often be surrounded by loud machinery in the pits and garages for extended periods where ambient noise can reach peak levels of 130 to 140 dB. the same noise as a plane taking off, exceeding the exposure limits. At such high levels, environmental noise can interrupt communication among athletes and can impair performance. The physiologic challenge and health risk of noise can be overcome by the integrated use of radio communication plus hearing protection.
Vibration
In order to maximise aerodynamic grip go the modern racing cars, the rider height is kept as low as possible to minimise body roll, however, every bump and uneven surfaces are transmitted through the rider's body in the form of vibrations. Limited research has examined the physiological effect of whole body vibration and fatigue and it is generally supported that vibration negatively affects fine motor control, cognition, and visual perception which when making split second decisions can have a large impact on results (Conway, Szalma, & Hancock 2007).
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