Le Mans 2014 – How does a driver eat during the race? (2024)

Le Mans 2014 – How does a driver eat during the race? (1)

24h Le Mans

15/06/2014

10:16

For all top-level athletes, eating and drinking before, during and after a race are crucial matters. And Le Mans is certainly not the exception to the rule.

The length of the race makes eating and drinking slightly complex: "The drivers will always eat pretty much the same thing",explains Greg Riffi of the GR Industry company. "Starchy food, in other words pasta or rice with either white meat (chicken or turkey) or ham. Their menus are only based on these ingredients. For dessert, they eat cottage cheese. They can eat bananas, but they avoid all acidic fruits. To make a long story short, drivers eat whatever they can handle in the car. They try to stay away from anything that is acidic ."

One of the drivers' priorities is managing their meals and the time between each ones."Generally speaking, drivers eat after their stint because while their teammate is driving, they can eat, digest and go to sleep a bit. They will eat up until 11 p.m. and then will no longer eat up until around 5/6 a.m. If they were to eat, they would digest and be more subject to drowsiness and fatigue. As they don't eat, they get more energy and avoid the digestive cycle. This is why they snack a few nuts or a chocolate bar, but by 6 a.m. they are starving!"

Of course, drivers don't decide what is good for them: "When drivers are done with their stint, their physio tells us what to cook."Same thing for drinks: "They drink plain water and then their physio will mix some energy drinks for them."

David Bristol / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY JUNE 14 2014, RACE. Andrea Bertolini, #72 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia, snaking.

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    FAQs

    Le Mans 2014 – How does a driver eat during the race? ›

    The length of the race makes eating and drinking slightly complex: "The drivers will always eat pretty much the same thing", explains Greg Riffi of the GR Industry company. "Starchy food, in other words pasta or rice with either white meat (chicken or turkey) or ham. Their menus are only based on these ingredients.

    How do drivers eat during Le Mans? ›

    “I hydrate and eat small portions of food before each stint,” says Calado. “If necessary I also sustain myself with energy bars and gel supplements.” “Every time I get out of the 499P I eat something: pasta or plain rice, along with a slice of tart,” adds Pier Guidi.

    Where do drivers sleep during Le Mans? ›

    How do drivers sleep at the Le Mans 24 Hours? They book a room in the @cadillacvseries hotel of course, located conveniently just behind the paddock 😎 Check out the tour! Especially here at Le Mans because I'm sleeping at the track, I need them. Obviously there's work going on all the time.

    Do they refuel in Le Mans? ›

    Drivers can get out of the car and be replaced by another driver during refuelling. Those rules are also applied in the FIA World Endurance Championship. There are various long-standing traditions at Le Mans, including the waving of the French tricolor to start the race.

    Do drivers eat during Le Mans? ›

    The driver goes over two hours behind the wheel before stopping in the pits. Then a relief driver takes over the driving duties. Drivers then eat and rest before returning to drive. Today it is a rule that three drivers share each car.

    Do you still run to your car at Le Mans? ›

    The famous “Le Mans Start” originally had drivers start outside their vehicles, run to their cars, start the engines, and drive off. This proved to be dangerous, so the procedure was changed in 1970. Drivers then began the race inside their vehicles with their safety harnesses already in place.

    Do spectators sleep at Le Mans? ›

    With hotels filling up quickly and costing exorbitant prices, thousands of fans each year choose to lie out in the grandstands or camp out on patches of grass overlooking the track, intent on not missing a second of the action.

    How many hours does each driver do in Le Mans? ›

    How long do 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers drive for? Driver changes are crucial to succeeding at 24 Hours of Le Mans - teams must rotate through three drivers during the race. During the 24 hours, no driver can be in the car for more than 14 hours, and drivers tend to drive for between 45 minutes and four hours.

    How many drivers drive one car at Le Mans? ›

    All teams must rotate three drivers through the car during the race, with no one driver behind the wheel for more than a total of 14 hours.

    How many MPG do Le Mans cars get? ›

    For comparison, a regular Le Mans car gets about 6 miles per gallon. On the other hand, a Le Mans car can go 205 mph while a Shell Eco-Marathon car… cannot.

    How fast do cars go at Le Mans? ›

    "The fastest top speed recorded at Le Mans is 405 kmh. This was in 1988 by Roger Dorchy in a WM Peugeot P88. The record was set on the Hunaudieres straight on the section after the Nissan chicane. " (The chicanes were built in 1990.) 240 mph McLaren F1 Road Car Shatters Top Speed Record.

    How long are Le Mans shifts? ›

    Drivers are not allowed drive more than four hours in a six-hour period. At Le Mans, every driver has a minimum drive time of six hours and a maximum of 14 hours. At Le Mans, no driver can drive more than four hours in any six-hour period. Every driver has to drive more than six hours in total.

    What do F1 drivers eat during a race? ›

    Prior to and during races, drivers consume carbohydrate electrolyte drinks to help maintain blood glucose levels, and replace some of the fluids and electrolytes lost through sweating.

    How do race car drivers eat? ›

    "Generally speaking, drivers eat after their stint because while their teammate is driving, they can eat, digest and go to sleep a bit. They will eat up until 11 p.m. and then will no longer eat up until around 5/6 a.m. If they were to eat, they would digest and be more subject to drowsiness and fatigue.

    How do drivers drive for 24 hours Le Mans? ›

    How long do 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers drive for? Driver changes are crucial to succeeding at 24 Hours of Le Mans - teams must rotate through three drivers during the race. During the 24 hours, no driver can be in the car for more than 14 hours, and drivers tend to drive for between 45 minutes and four hours.

    How do truckers eat on the road? ›

    If you are short on time, buying pre-made bagged salads is a helpful solution. Deli foods like lean lunch meats, cheeses, and pre-made heat-and-eat meals also are excellent choices. Some delis offer things like picnic chicken that already is cooked and can be eaten cold if you do not have the means to heat it up first.

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