Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It's a known fact: GT cars are among the cars with the highest inside temperature.
Especially front engines.
Heat comes from the engine, from the gear box and from the rest of the environment;
and we can witness heat stress is affecting drivers, even if they are in great shape
when they come out of such a car
after a one-hour run
with dangerously high temperature.
37°C (98.6°F) is the normal core body temperature;
when the inside temperature of the car reaches this temperature - and it's the rule -,
we see drivers like Jean-Philippe Belloc here,
come out of the car
and collapse right away.
Doctor Jean-Claude Launay shows us an experiment. He says:
"I've here a pan with water boiling; It can represent the driver
and the temperature in his car. We can see that when the temperature
is very high, the body cannot react correctly
and when we think that the driver is wearing his racing suit
- represented by this plate -,
that I put as a lid overthe pan,
we can imagine how much the temperature is rising in the racing suit
and the resulting amount of stress for the drivers."
Christophe Bouchut is one of the fittest drivers.
Of course, there are differences between drivers:
some are reacting better to heat than others.
And Christophe Bouchut's
several successes rely on
comfort in his car.
"One takes more care of the driver now:
he's indeed an important element in terms of performance of the car.
Technical evolutions can help drivers.
Therefore new materials are coming, new racing suits,
as well as accessories to help drivers feel better and comfortable
to manage those high heat levels,
and feel good in one's environment."
And many experiments have been made
in this sense by simulating race temperatures.
Different climates can be reproduced to drain the driver's maximum energy.
That way, core body temperatures were measured reaching almost 40°C (104°F)
and in the end even more.
Drivers have to be able to evacuate their sweat as well
even if some prefer old cooling methods.
To each his own
to fight heat.