In Ian’s report he quoted someone as stating that an “accident” had never occurred. WRONG! Two or three years ago(possibly longer), the day before a race, NASCAR champion Tony Stewart had a bout with a stomach virus. After winning the race, during the cool down lap, Tony radioed his crew to request a golf cart be waiting at the pit road gate. He stated he had to take a shower and change his firesuit before doing any interviews. ;)When Tony reached the golf cart he was immediately whisked away to his motorhome. The Victory Lane celebration was held up until he reappeared. This is no urban legend… it was all broadcast on television.
How do racecar drivers relieve themselves during a race?
Link to the article in question.
In the Top Gear episode where Clarkson, Hammond, May, and The Stig enter the 24 hour Britcar endurance race at Silverstone (Series 10, Episode 9 for any Top Gear geeks here), Hammond (IIRC) found himself “forced” to relieve his bladder by just wetting himself in the car; I think the joke was that the normally fastidious Jeremy Clarkson was then forced to drive for several hours sitting in a car seat wet with Richard Hammond’s urine…
Don’t know if that was done for the humor of it, or if that is actually racing practice. Wouldn’t at all surprise me if it is racing practice though…
Cheers,
bcg
Technically, Ian quoted someone who stated that an accident had never happened with “[our driver]”. So as long as [our driver] is not Tony Stewart, it is a factual statement.
Also, the accident in question for that quote was diarrhea, not urine.
Why is this even an issue? Most people can hold it for a few hours, right?
I don’t know, I was just as creeped out when I found out that some surfers urinated while on the board. Come ON! Can’t you stop for five minutes?
How many hours does a NASCAR race last?
Up to four. Longer if there are many cautions.
But is holding it for four hours that big a deal? Granted, I try to pee more often that that. It’s not good to hold it in, UTIs and all that, but still…I feel like I could if I had to.
This is just one more reason I’m glad not to be a NASCAR driver.
I tend to not swim in pools which have a lot of usage by kids. Because kids pee in pools.
But the ocean? Man… fish pee in the ocean, and much worse. And they’re small. You got sharks and whales and stuff peeing and worse in the ocean, and you’re worried about the pee from a few surfers being dilluted throughout the entire ocean? Talk about a drop in a bucket…
Besides which, where would a surfer go? Depending on the location, there may not be public restrooms easily accessible. Even if there are, though, you’re talking about more than 5 minutes, especially if they’re wearing a wet suit. (Although, peeing in the ocean while wearing a wet suit … talk about warming yourself up!)
Well, I was thinking about what if they’re wearing a wetsuit or a bathing suit? Then it’s like peeing on yourself. I don’t even think I’m capable of doing that.
If we’re just talking abou peeing it may not be an issue at all. With the firesuit and weather that they usually race in I’m sure they sweat quite a bit just driving. Mostly when I’m being active and sweating I find that I have to pee a lot less since I am losing so much water through sweating.
I think if you stopped 10 people who’ve ever worn a wetsuit you’d find 10 who peed in a wetsuit. There’s not a lot of choice if the urge strikes. I once participated in a food-art event which involved a floating dining table in the middle of a stream in France (an “ile flottante,” get it?). The banqueters were seated up to their waists in water. We all wore half-suits because even on a summer day it gets cold sitting in water for hours at a time. I know from discussion that just about every diner let loose. What the hell, flowing water whisked it away. I grant you that we were drinking wine, which is a diuretic, but even so–you spend a lot of time on a board, waiting to catch a wave, and the urge strikes–well, it’s sterile and it’s yours.
Isn’t it kind of hard to just…go? I know that they’ve done psych experiments where they tried to get people to pee in their pants (in private areas, etc.) after feeding them lots of diuretics, and a lot of them just couldn’t.
This is yet another reason why I will NEVER do any activity involving a wetsuit.
I think that this is the main factor. The drivers may be drinking water and sports drinks all day, but they’re also exerting themselves (with heart rates well over 140bpm) while wrapped in a firesuit in an uncooled car in the Deep South. There’s enough water leaving their bodies as sweat that it isn’t that big of a deal to hold in what little excess water is left.
It’s not hard at all, either in a wetsuit or just a bathing suit. You’re floating in warm salty water. You know the prank where you put someone’s hand in a bowl of warm water so they pee themselves?
This is like that, only it’s your whole body.
Soaring pilot checking in. 8-10 flights are not uncommon. Accommodations must be made, External condom catheters are employed by some of the male pilots, as for the female ones…I guess it Depends. ™
Yes, the drivers might be able to hold it, but holding it might become a distraction. Also, given the flame suits and sweltering conditions, dehydration is a serious concern, and even mild dehydration can impair judgment and reaction time, so they need to be drinking plenty of fluids during the race. Note that these are taxed the heaviest at the final sprint for the checkered flag, so staying hydrated and having the means to deal with the biological consequences could well be considered a competitive advantage. Given what NASCAR teams spend to gain even minor advantages, investing in a relief system seems like it should be a no-brainer.
“Holding” it can also result in turning a minor crash into a serious incident. If one’s bladder is completely full, a relatively minor impact can result in a ruptured bladder, surgical repair, and the risk of complications from both. The five or six point harnesses used in race cars (and sailplanes) tend to focus crash forces on the abdominal area, so this is a realistic concern.