Music while racing........

[DaveKillens]

The driver wear earplugs to protect from engine noise. But they need to listen to as much as possible. Radio commumications, tire squeal, anything unusual. It's very necessary to be as aware as much as possible of everything happening.

[Ciro Pabón]

The driver wear earplugs to protect from engine noise. But they need to listen to as much as possible. Radio commumications, tire squeal, anything unusual. It's very necessary to be as aware as much as possible of everything happening.

Some people can't feel it without music. Perhaps the engine is more felt with your skin and guts (and your butt, ehem...) than your ears.

It must be another of these latino things or maybe is a little right brain hemisphere I like to throw into the fight...

[EKE]

As a music and an F1 lover this is the perfect topic for me.
I firmly believe EVERYTHING is better when done to the right kind of music.
Surgeons cut to it.
Religious types get religified to it.
Students study to it.
Lovers lurve to it.

Assuming pit to driver issues could be sorted and the driver would actually be able to hear his selection I don't see a problem.

It would be funny , though, if in a post crash interview if a driver said he stacked it cos he was trying to skip track 7 on an album on his iPod and missed his braking point!

I'm also a huge cycling fan and avid cyclist and one of my regrets in life is that its WAAAAAY too dangerous to combine my love of riding and music. A 4 hour ride would be much easier with the right tunes.

[Reca]

One of the first things Dindo Capello said to answer the question “What is like to drive the R10 ?” was exactly about engine sound. He said the diesel V12 is so quiet that aerodynamic noise covers it at speed hence it’s at first quite puzzling because drivers are used to listen a lot to engine sound. Then obviously he got used to it, but the way he was talking didn’t give me the impression that the difficulty in hearing the engine is something he appreciates.

Another related thing, although I’m switching on bikes now. You’ll see that the Yamaha MotoGp bike uses sort of silencer while other bikes don’t. That’s because when Yamaha tested the “free” exhaust (don’t remember if in 2004 or 2005) Rossi complained that the engine was too loud and almost distracting.
That also leads to interesting consequences. At the Donington race few weeks ago, during the last lap, Marco Melandri was leading with some meters of margin but then he braked too late, consequently missed the apex in the penultimate corner allowing Rossi to pass. After the race Marco said that the reason he risked so much in that braking is that he didn’t know where Rossi was exactly because he couldn’t hear the Yamaha engine. He said that while battling with other bikes he’s perfectly aware where the other rider is because he can hear the engine sound, but the Yamaha is very quiet so he can’t distinguish it from his own bike. Consequently in that corner he feared that Rossi was very close to him hence decided to brake as late as possible making the mistake that cost him the race.

At the end, talking about concentration, as others said it’s fundamental in driving a F1 car and, interestingly, it’s also related to heart’s bpm.
I saw many times on tv Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli who follows several drivers in many categories since several years illustrating via graphs of drivers’ bpm during the race a quite clear relationship between bpm and laptime. Thru several different studies he discovered that bpm for drivers is directly related to the level of mental effort. During a race bpm is at peak at the start and in the few laps before the pit stop, when driver is pushing at maximum, and that’s exactly because of concentration. In fact the physical effort is roughly the same if driver pushing hard or taking it relatively easy.
BTW, driver’s bpm during the race is constantly (for more than 1h30 !!) above 180-185, with peaks of 200-205.

[Ciro Pabón]

... He said that while battling with other bikes he’s perfectly aware where the other rider is because he can hear the engine sound, but the Yamaha is very quiet so he can’t distinguish it from his own bike...

... BTW, driver’s bpm during the race is constantly (for more than 1h30 !!) above 180-185, with peaks of 200-205...

Thanks, Reca. Your posts are always interesting. Long time without them!

One of the things that seem interesting in urbanism is how we deal with space (proxemics). I haven't thought how much of the "racing space" (specially your "back space") is sensed through the ears.

Tomba posted something about heart rates on this site in First corner approach at Hockenheim. He states heart rate at warm-up lap is around 110 bpm.

Are you sure the pilots heart rate is 180 bpm for the entire race? It makes me think of F1 pilots being a bunch of hyper-excited or terrified guys. My karting is more relaxed, even if I confess two things:

1. Sometimes my heart seems to be about to explode...
2. During my life I have been scared, exhilarated and in rage, but no in such a strong way as I have been in a car.

What kind of feelings does racing or driving bring in you?

[wazojugs]

going back to 1996 hey taped a heart monitor to Damon Hill at one of the GP's. During the count down phase of the lights at the start of the race his heart rate was around 220bpm which is around 10 short of the heart exploding. during the race it levelled at around 180bpm

[Tom]

I think Didier Pironi's heart rate was tested at Monaco alongside team mate Gilles, GV's heart rate became highest after qualifying going into the pits! Pironi's was highest when someone nearly knocked him off the road, more random facts from Tom.

[Hudsonhawk.]

R some people for real???

Eye fink we should install a tv and yeah yeah air conditioning too in d F1 carz...these poor drivers need this stuff to dryve beta you know!

[Tom]

erm, what does that mean?

I think I can just about guess what you mean and i agree that the drivers already have life far too easy with all the downforce and TC etc, just try using real English next time, or write in your own language and let us learn your lingo if you like.

[autogyro]

I used to play Led Zeppelin on the start line at Santa Pod at max volume worked great.

Interestingly electric race cars make no sound and this allows the drivers to become far more attuned to the vehicle by hearing the tyre noise etc.
Electric vehicles on the road would benefit from music played outside to warn other road users.

[CMSMJ1]

ref the OP - Kimi was being sarcastic..the race was boring and so some music would have been nice.

Simple as that..no-one is going to listen to music when participating in a 100% effort sport or discipline.

[zonk]

Nico Rosberg - Radio Station

http://vimeo.com/14881626

[Websta]

How did you guys manage to find this thread? Anyway, don't most of the drivers get a beep in their ears for each gear change? Would definitely not go well with any music.

[rssh]

I think the best driver will often say that the engine rev is there music; the music repeat each lap and they love to get into the rhythm of different circuit (though the music is toned down nowadays due to delicate tyres and at the end of the stint is almost at vol 0 )

[andartop]

http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/14/6/317.short

I think someone should set up a proper experiment and investigate the effect of listening to music on lap times.

Having said that, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near a track if Romain Grosjean or Pastor Maldonado were driving while listening to heavy metal...