Motorsports Research For Military Aviation
Driving a Formula 1 car exerts enormous stress on the driver, who must withstand the forces applied to his body and maintain a clear head in the race. It's not enough to be able to merely survive the ordeal; drivers also need the reflexes to avoid crashing at speeds most would consider suicidal, all the while thinking about racing lines, overtaking strategies, and more. (The Nuts and Bolts of Training Tactical Athletes | Military.com).
The research data provided in motorsport performance can aid in more than just driver performance but can contribute to other athletic industries. The knowledge gained from motorsport performance can be valuable for tactical athletes across military aviation. Because they experience similar high g-force and intense environments, both these athletes, motorsport and tactical, require training to handle the strenuous physical and mental conditions. By studying the established training and nutrition programs these athletes need to succeed, the stress that a driver is placed under can be better understood, possible areas for improvement can be identified and solutions for continued optimization under these strenuous conditions can be explored.
One of the main areas of research for human performance in motorsports is examining the impact that primary stressors, like fatigue and hydration, have on driver performance during a race. Fatigue is a factor that impacts both the mental and physical systems of an athlete, affecting an individual's ability to focus, their attention to detail, and their reaction time. For a driver of a motorsports vehicle, many factors contribute to fatigue, ranging from the weight and neck strain associated with wearing a helmet, to needing to hold a consistent position in the seat, to environmental factors such as g-force, noise, vibration and heat (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705815015179).
Another primary stressor placed on drivers is dehydration. As any practitioner will tell you, hydration is vital for athletic performance. Nevertheless, most athletes do not ensure that they are consistently hydrated throughout the day and only pay attention to their hydration needs immediately before, during, and after exercise or performance. An inconsistency in hydration leads to athletes having slower reaction times and errors which is revealed in A recent study by Dr. David Ferguson, Ph.D. ACSM-CEP at Michigan State University's Spartan Motorsports Performance Laboratory suggests inconsistent hydration contributes to slower reaction times with braking ability and increased driver error toward the end of long green flag stints, which costs valuable time. The findings are beneficial to Tactical athlete performance as they continuously depend on their instinctual reaction times when it comes to intense split-second situations. Having inconsistent hydration strains the body and can induce mental and physical fatigue, impacting the athlete's performance and reaction time. This is why it is vital to ensure the athletes are hydrated to perform at the highest level.
Many of the factors that impact human performance in motorsports are also present across military aviation, and as dedicated performance labs such as Michigan State University's Spartan Motorsports Performance Laboratory explore how to optimize drivers and their support teams for a competitive advantage, their same research can be analogous to the military environment as well. Applying motorsport research to tactical athlete performance can benefit the industry by continuously documenting the human performance variables drivers and tactical athletes' experience on the track and in the air. Aligning the research will optimize tactical athletes' readiness, resiliency, and recovery and will increase the performance and safety of these elite tactical athletes.
Julia Castrucci is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She previously completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology at Michigan State University. While at Michigan State, she worked as a senior research lab analyst with the Spartan Motorsport Performance Lab. During this time, Julia contributed to in-lab research and data analysis on core temperature and hydration strategies to help improve race car drivers' athletic performance. She plans on pursuing a career working in the sports industry, developing technology that serves to quantify and improve athletes' athletic performance.