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WRC
What does a WRC driver eat during a rally?
Petrol fuels the cars – but what’s fuelling the World Rally Championship drivers behind the wheel? We speak to Hyundai driver Hayden Paddon’s nutritionist Katie Lane to find out.
World Rally Championship drivers endure long, hard days in the cockpit during events, maintaining concentration behind the wheel from dawn to dusk.
We’ve previously revealed how WRC drivers keep their fitness levels up, and even how they stay mentally strong – but what about a rally driver’s nutritional needs? We spoke to Katie Lane – a fully-qualified nutritionist who also happens to be the partner of Hyundai ace Hayden Paddon – to see what a rally driver's food needs are during a WRC round.
So, Katie, what’s your basic strategy when devising a rally driver’s nutrition plan?
The rally days can be physically and mentally demanding, with drivers using large amounts of energy. It’s important to ensure good nutrition practices are taken in the lead up to and during competition to achieve peak performance in the car. Since the competition aspect of a rally is typically over the course of three days, with consecutive days in the seat, that means that it’s important to have good recovery practices, making sure the driver is refuelled and rehydrated to be set for the following day of racing.
What’s Hayden’s food schedule like during a rally?
Before the first stage, Hayden will start the morning eating oatmeal, low-fat yoghurt and a banana, or sometimes a ham and cheese toasted sandwich. This provides him with a good combination of carbohydrates and protein to ensure the brain has adequate fuel and can also help prevent fatigue.
In the car, he takes a couple of energy bars and a fruit and nut mix, which he has in between the stages if he’s feeling hungry or low in energy. Hayden will have one of these for the morning, which will be replaced for the afternoon loop of stages.
For lunch, Hayden will typically have grilled chicken breast, potatoes or rice and vegetables.
For dinner, he’ll often pick from the buffet prepared for the team. This could consist of a pasta meal with meat, for example. He’ll often choose foods that are good sources of carbohydrate, which replenishes muscle glycogen stores, and protein to assist in muscle recovery.
During the media zones, the team supply ham and cheese toasted sandwiches, bananas and protein bars, too.
Hayden's secret weapon – a ham and cheese toastie
© Hyundai
What are the biggest nutrition challenges for a driver during a rally?
Mental fatigue is an important factor on the outcome of rallies, because drivers need to maintain concentration for long periods. It’s essential that they minimise fatigue by making sure hydration levels are met before the race and that fluid delivery systems are readily available. The days are also long and often you spend a lot of time away from the service park, so it’s important to ensure you have the right food available. Drivers will take convenient and portable snacks in the car – energy bars, muesli bars, gels, nuts. These snacks are good sources of carbohydrate and the drivers can have them in the road sections between stages, delivering fuel to the brain and body to help prevent fatigue.
A reduction of two percent body mass through fluid losses can result in fatigue, diminished mental alertness, slower reactions and driving errors
Drivers also battle with the heat in the car, which can get up to over 50°C, and the effect of altitude is another factor to consider in certain rallies. It's not uncommon for drivers to experience large sweat losses during racing, because coupled with the hot temperatures they also wear fireproof underwear, overalls, socks, boots, gloves and helmet, which all reduce sweat evaporation. Hydration becomes important to drivers, as in hot environments, a reduction of two percent body mass through fluid losses can result in fatigue, diminished mental alertness, slower reactions and driving errors. In these situations, drivers should aim to drink enough to offset most of their fluid losses, but not exceed their sweat losses, which would make them gain weight.
Drivers have a hydration system in the car, containing either water or a sports drink
In practice, drivers should drink what is comfortable and practical to prevent levels of dehydration dropping. The rate of gastric emptying, sweat loss and fluid tolerance intakes vary between individuals, so each driver should devise a drinking schedule that suits their own requirements. When sweat losses are high, sodium should be included or water with added electrolytes, to decrease urinary output and help maintain fluid retention. Drivers will have a hydration system in the car, containing either water or a sports drink, which they can sip on regularly over the day to maintain hydration. It’s important to replace fluid losses at the end of the day, especially if there's another day of racing to follow.
Hayden's topped up Camelbak goes back in the car
© Hyundai
What about supplements? Do you get Hayden popping pills?
Hayden doesn’t take a lot of supplements, but rather tries to eat a balanced and nutritious diet to get required micronutrients. On days of competition, though, he will take a caffeine supplement in the mornings.
So why do we see so many rally drivers using caffeine?
Approximately 200mg of caffeine has been seen to have an enhancing effect on athletes’ performance and cognitive function, while minimal side effects are experienced within these doses. However, some people can be more sensitive to caffeine than others, so it’s wise to try caffeine outside of competition first to avoid any negative side effects affecting the performance.
Away from rallies, what sort of food is Hayden eating and why?
Outside of competition, Hayden will aim to eat a diet that is rich in lean protein, wholegrains, vegetables, fruits and foods that are good sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. During times when his training is high, he consumes foods high in complex carbohydrates to ensure he has enough fuel in the tank and post-exercise, protein intake is important to assist in muscle recovery. In general, he will also watch his energy intake, as weight is a factor in the car.
A good bowl of pasta replenishes glycogen stores
© Hyundai
And what type of training is Hayden doing alongside this?
In general, the fitter the driver the less susceptible they are to fatigue and lapses in concentration. For training, Hayden will undertake a lot of endurance-based, cardiovascular exercise – he especially enjoys mountain biking. It is also important to do strength training and to maintain a strong core. However, for weight-saving reasons he tries not to build too much muscle. Incorporating circuit training into his programme is a good way to burn fat and build lean muscle, while providing variety.
What are some of Hayden’s go-to meals?
Outside of competition, he enjoys a rack of New Zealand lamb with vegetables – mainly because he doesn’t get the opportunity to have it when he’s overseas. From a nutrition point of view, it’s a good source of protein, iron and vitamins.
Ham and cheese toasted sandwiches provide carbohydrates and protein
He likes chicken salad, as it’s quick and easy but also nutritious and the chicken is a good source of lean protein. He’ll also eat ham and cheese toasted sandwiches during competition, as they’re easy to eat on the go, the bread provides carbohydrates and the ham and cheese are a good source of protein.
Katie’s five key pieces of nutritional advice for amateur rally drivers:
- Have a hydration plan, to ensure you offset fluid losses and prevent dehydration.
- Consume high-energy foods that are easy to take in the car and can provide you with energy when you need it.
- Have well-balanced main meals during competition periods – that means good sources of carbohydrate and lean protein – to help prevent mental and physical fatigue.
- Recovery is important – have a meal or snack post-competition or training that contains carbohydrate to replace muscle glycogen stores, protein to speed up muscle recovery and fluid to replace sweat losses. Ideally this meal will be consumed within 60 minutes of the activity ending. Examples of recovery meals or snacks could include: low-fat yoghurt and a 600ml sports drink, or a ham sandwich, banana and water.
- Developing a nutrition plan can be a good idea, as race days can be hectic with numerous commitments. A plan will help a driver stay on the right track.
Watch the highlights from Rally Germany below:
