Do you drink the night before motorsports?

A semi serious question. Reading over some of the things Sterling Moss did for prerace rituals. No booty? No booze? Exercise? What’s your pregame ritual? I know a “good night sleep” is number 1, but I haven’t gotten a GOOD night of sleep in years due to age related body pains. 

“Stupid korean hackers! Stealing all the lime light from my forum post!”

I generally don't get a good night's sleep before an event due to the distances involved, so that's out.

I usually function extremely well the morning after, uh, "excessive intake", like it hypercharges my mind and spirit.  So what works for him doesn't work for me.

_ said:

“Stupid korean hackers! Stealing all the lime light from my forum post!”

Looks Chinese to me, but I could be wrong.  I can't read Chinese or Korean, but Korean to me looks a lot blockier and more simplified.

Apparently, Korean is the only written language that was created by scholars specifically to be a good written language.  As opposed to, say, the complete mess written English is.

When I was younger I could do most anything. Then came a night before an autoX at Shafter Airport (a higher speed place). I arrived late the night before just as a few of the GRA guys broke out a bottle of sake. I was on "on" the next AM. Since then I'll maybe have a beer before a race but nothing more and get a good sleep if there wasn't a wrenching session needed that night. 

In reply to Knurled. :

Korean characters look a lot simpler and have circles.

Sleep and a light supper are what I try to do.

I have an older copy of Paul Frere's Sports Car and Competition Driving, in the Do's and Don'ts section it used to say: "Don’t drink any alcohol with, or after the meal preceding practice or the race, and avoid excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks during the practice and race period."  The revised edition from the 1990s removed excessive.

I sleep much better if I don’t drink at night. 

Having a few drinks in the pits right now, so yes. I try not to over do it as the next morning could be a bit rough. But I have been around a few drinking team's with a racing problem. Fun to watch.

The night before, the night of, and the night after.  

I've actually found if I have a glass of wine before bed, it puts me right out and I sleep well for 6 or 7 hours.  

I've known guys who take a little nip before getting in the car.  Takes the edge off, and helps you focus.

No booty?  Now that's just crazy talk.  

I think my highest ever pax placement was a day I was pretty hungover.

But in general, no.  I try and go to bed by a reasonable time, but as Knurled said, hard to get a good nights sleep when you have to get up super early to travel and events start pretty early as well.

Maybe a couple of beers to help take the eagerness off so I can sleep.

But not like if I was going bar hopping with friends.

volvoclearinghouse said:

The night before, the night of, and the night after.  

I've actually found if I have a glass of wine before bed, it puts me right out and I sleep well for 6 or 7 hours.  

I've known guys who take a little nip before getting in the car.  Takes the edge off, and helps you focus.

No booty?  Now that's just crazy talk.  

 

Yikes. If I saw someone having a drink before getting in a car, where I'm also going to be driving, you'd be talking with the organizer, and reveling in the fact that you'd be banned from ever driving at that track again.

That's literally one of the most irresponsible things I've ever read.

Had an HPDE classroom instructor who began the Sunday session with a great reminder..."y'all did good yesterday keeping things tidy on the track but that's the easy part. Today's the real challenge when everyone is tired, hungover, didn't sleep, or been wrenching all night."

I forgot - the only time I ever did really well while bracket racing, I had the flu or pneumonia or something, and I just felt AWFUL.  I kept thinking, okay, I'll lose the next round and then I can go home.   Nope, I was in the final race, a little after midnight.  I lost (think I broke out, actually) but by that point it didn't matter

It was spooky when they killed the track lights right after we went through the traps.  For whatever reason, they finished up the money classes first, and the final DOT tire races were held after.  This was at Norwalk, probably around 2000-2001ish.

Wasn’t there a Can Am story about Vic Elford setting the fastest qualifying lap one morning and he admitted he was hungover so he had to quickly get it over with?

Never gets old. 

In reply to z31maniac :

Never been circle track racing, huh?

Most of those guys are puking up foam by the time they roll through the gates.

Ethnic Food-Wrap Aficionado said:

In reply to z31maniac :

Never been circle track racing, huh?

 

Most of those guys are puking up foam by the time they roll through the gates.

Cripes. 

Ethnic Food-Wrap Aficionado said:

In reply to z31maniac :

Never been circle track racing, huh?

 

Most of those guys are puking up foam by the time they roll through the gates.

I appreciate the condescension, but no, regardless of the type of racing, or even track days you're doing, going on track with alcohol, weed, or any other intoxicant in your system is completely unacceptable.

I literally couldn't care what someone does to endanger their own lives, but when you endanger other people, I draw a line there 

Call me what you will, it's just not acceptable.

I hardly ever drink alcohol, so not much of a point of reference. Not before an event though, messes with my sleep pattern. 

_ said:

In reply to z31maniac :

I’m with ya.

 BUUUUUTTTTT, if everyone is doing it, and everyone knows it, and everyone is ok with it....

Its about the only way this would be even slightly “ok”.

Not everyone is doing it and I can guarantee no one is ok with it (that isn't doing it).

People get black flagged for the day after a few 4 offs,what makes you think being berkeleyed up on track is OK?

Where am I that I'm seeing people say being inebriated on track might in any, way, shape or form be acceptable?

JFC can we get some mods/admins in here to back me up?

I'm flabbergasted.

z31maniac said:

JFC can we get some mods/admins in here to back me up?

I'm flabbergasted.

I'm with you on this one.  Save the beers for after the race.

In reply to z31maniac :

It’s ok man, it’s ok. You’re just not “stimulated” enough, like we are. Lol