Track Star vs Field Hero

[smileyman]

Like I said before the level of concentration a racer has for such a long period has to be phenomenal. I too have done the 20 minute GP and run 4-5-6-and 8 hour endurances where I got up to about an hour 20 stint. To be sharp, precise, and smooth that long takes everything you have.

A NFL player can breathe 30 seconds at a time before going back to 100% concentration. NBA stars get free throws and time outs, Soccer has enough players on field that not all are involved with every play despite being on the move.

But yeah put a Palamalu or Erlacher up against Gordon, Martin, Stoner, Hayden, Rossi and I think we know who will be able to run longer, hit harder, lift more...

[Trip]

Originally Posted by smileyman

Like I said before the level of concentration a racer has for such a long period has to be phenomenal. I too have done the 20 minute GP and run 4-5-6-and 8 hour endurances where I got up to about an hour 20 stint. To be sharp, precise, and smooth that long takes everything you have.

A NFL player can breathe 30 seconds at a time before going back to 100% concentration. NBA stars get free throws and time outs, Soccer has enough players on field that not all are involved with every play despite being on the move.

But yeah put a Palamalu or Erlacher up against Gordon, Martin, Stoner, Hayden, Rossi and I think we know who will be able to run longer, hit harder, lift more...

mental training is far different than physical training, didn't want to really add this to part of the question, more directed to the physical side of things. The amount of concentration of a racer is not of much importance to me, because at that stage in a career a lot it is second nature going through the motions. The mental concentration of a noob riding on the track for the first time and the stress on their brain would probably be at the same level if not more. Think of your first time getting on the interstate and cranking that throttle back, that speed feels completely different now. The level of mental stamina for any racing sport would be along the same lines as motogp level, even such sports as NASCAR especially on tracks like Daytona and Talladega where they are constantly running inches from each other for several hundred miles. You become desensitized to it. Real mental tests come from new and unexpected things.

[pickle.of.doom]

The physical toll riding at your limit takes on you can be huge too. Ever do an LED track day? Try staying out there for an hour! Even after your 15/20 minute session at a regularly run track day you get pretty worn out.

[smileyman]

I see your logic Trip. Although I do think the mental focus shifts with experience. Newbs are worried about braking points and which way the track goes next, MotoGP level riders are either diagnosing handling issues and thinking set up in testing or constantly coaxing that last hundredth of a second out of the package while plotting a pass/repass strategy. It is pretty busy either way, so the mental load while different is no less loaded...

[fasternyou929]

Originally Posted by pickle.of.doom

The physical toll riding at your limit takes on you can be huge too. Ever do an LED track day? Try staying out there for an hour! Even after your 15/20 minute session at a regularly run track day you get pretty worn out.

I wonder how much that changes when you reach the level of WSBK/MotoGP though. The reason most of us regular track day riders get tired, IMO, is because of nerves. That takes a huge physical and mental toll.

In other words, I wonder how tired a pro racer would be after racing 40 minutes compared to a track day rider riding at their own limits for 40 minutes.

[deals gap dragon slayer]

It depends on the level of intensity applied...

I played soccer for YEARS... and I was always riding/racing too... Now days though... I admit... If its hot out, I get absolutely worn out from playtime in racer practice at the track. Its more of an endurance thing i think. Doesnt mean one is necissarily more fit than the other, just more conditioned for the particular circumstances.

[The Awesome]

To be a top athlete in any sport requires maximum fitness. The type of fitness varies from sport to sport, but at that level the competitors are doing anything possible to gain an advantage. If they won't train as hard as they can, someone else will, and it will show in the results. Your poll says "more fit" which I don't agree with, but "as fit" I say yes, in their own way.

[OreoGaborio]

Originally Posted by pickle.of.doom

The physical toll riding at your limit takes on you can be huge too. Ever do an LED track day? Try staying out there for an hour! Even after your 15/20 minute session at a regularly run track day you get pretty worn out.

I DEFINITELY wasn't going all out (especially in the beginner & intermediate groups) but I remember one track day where we were a little light on control riders & instructors so I was doing 3 or 4 sessions in a row, only sitting out maybe or two session every two hours. Out of 21 on-track sessions I did probably 15 of them. It was soooo much fun

I'd say I was only riding 75% for most of the day, but it was a blast.

[smileyman]

I remember endurance racing on Saturdays and sprinting the next day. My endurance times were typically 2-3 seconds slower per lap as I started out at a pace, didn't force my way through traffic, and then they would drop a second or two as I wore out over the course of a 45min or 1 hour stint.

The next day running 8 lap sprints i could run my lap times within a couple tenths, 8 in a row and usually faster than my practice times from the familiarity with the track.

Saturdays 2'04" to 2'07"s usually became Sundays 2'01" and 2'02"s with less effort but more concentration.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by fasternyou929

mental toll.

In other words, I wonder how tired a pro racer would be after racing 40 minutes compared to a track day rider riding at their own limits for 40 minutes.

Mental toll is huge in a lot of things in life, if I have an issue come up at work that is very very complicated and taxing to me, the mental stress from it will make me feel like I have been run over like a dump truck and I haven't really lifted a finger all day in the way of physical work. I am sure we have all had days like this at work or just home with the family when they are driving you freakin bonkers, that's why I have tried to leave that out of this discussion.

I don't think there would be a difference. Take for example running a 100m dash. If you lined up a fat guy and a gold medal athlete and told them to go 100%, they are both going to put incredible physical stresses on their body, the athlete will recover faster and obiviously whip the fuck hell out of the fat guy, because of his conditioning though. As a gp rider would be ready to go again a lot faster and be done a lot sooner than a track day novice.

This is where is it required to be in supreme physical condition to be a competitor in the sport, not just seeking an edge. When I think of people in the highest caliber of physical fitness, scrawny Valentino Rossi is not one that would pop into my head.