Le Mans is not just an endurance test for the Aston Martin DBR9, but also for the entire team.
The driver is subjected to the biggest physical forces, but everybody else – from the Team Principal to the chef – is tested to the utmost during the 24 hours of the race.
Some of the trials are obvious – such as trying to stay awake. But equally, there are some more obscure medical problems to deal with. The drivers can get pressure sores for sitting in one position for so long, and also burns to their legs from sitting so close to the transmission tunnel. With Le Mans being run through the French countryside in June, hay fever can be a big problem for not just the drivers but for other members of the team as well. With so many cars on track at one time, following each other closely for hours on end, drivers often inhale exhaust fumes and fine particles of rubber.
That’s before you even start considering the effects of cramp, fatigue and dehydration. Dr Paul Trafford is one of motor sport’s most experienced doctors, who has participated in detailed medical studies about the effects of endurance racing on the human body.
“There’s a lot going on that we don’t know about in a long race, as some of the stresses are enormous,” he says. “If you analyse blood samples from drivers immediately after a 24 hour race, the enzymes indicate serious muscle damage. Le Mans is a bit like running a marathon: you can’t just do it without expecting it to take a lot out of you.”
One of the biggest priorities is to avoid dehydration. The Aston Martin Racing drivers will benefit from air conditioning inside the cars this year, which helps. They also make use of a drinks bag plugged into their helmets, which is filled with a carefully balanced mix of energy drink, mineral salts and calcium. The drink is chilled when it goes into the car, but within three or four laps it is usually lukewarm.
It is vital for the drivers to keep drinking though. If they do not drink enough they lose the ability to sweat, which results in heatstroke. David Brabham remembers having to be put onto a drip at the end of one stint a few years ago, in order to re-hydrate himself quickly. “The physical demands are massive,” he says. “You have to try and acclimatise yourself by training properly before the event – and if you can do that in hot temperatures, all the better. In a closed-top car like the Aston, you don’t get the airflow that you get in the open-top prototypes – although we are painting the roof white this year to reflect heat.”
One of the biggest problems when it comes to driver comfort is the fact that everything is a compromise: one car has to accommodate the different needs of three drivers. “You’re never completely comfortable in the car, as you don’t have your own tailor-made seat – just an insert,” says Darren Turner. “As I’m the smallest of the three drivers, I tend to move about a lot in the car: everything is a bit loose. I’ve had some chafing on my back before where I’ve rubbed against the seat, and also a huge blister covering the sole of my foot.”
Even though these may seem like small problems, they take on a disproportionate significance when a driver is pushing the limits of human stamina – as Dr Trafford explains. “Whenever anybody gets extremely tired, it’s natural to become very irritable and sensitive to the smallest problem,” he says. “A slight cramp can turn into an enormous issue, and drivers can become very argumentative. That’s why it’s important for there to be a strong relationship between all the drivers and team members.”
The body is governed by Circadian rhythms, which mean that a natural low point comes between 3 and 4 am. Humans are programmed to shut down and sleep, and while adrenalin masks the symptoms of tiredness, the physical effects do not go away.
That’s part of what makes Le Mans such a tremendous monument to human endeavour. The car is what helps the drivers win the race, but above all Le Mans is about how every person in the team faces up to their own individual challenge.