Do you drink the night before motorsports?

Yes, but in moderation. Unless I don't.

In reply to _ :

 I traded any liquor budget for part of a racing budget, Typically I’m on the road hauling the race car to the track.  How prepared I am prior to the event determines the time I leave and all too often I leave barely in time to register Saturday morning!  Meaning I arrive at the track beat  and not having slept in the last 24+ hours.  

My goal on Saturday night is to get the car ready  to race Sunday. Rather than wrench on it all or most of the night.  

When the event is over Sunday afternoon typically around 4:00 I load up and make the 8+ hour drive home.  

I have a meeting at 6:00AM Monday 

Some friends of mine who are into motorbikes have used the expression: “12 hours from bottle to throttle.” That always made sense to me. 

z31maniac said:

_ 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?

I don’t disagree, any amount of alcohol is a bad idea, but there is a difference in “a little nip” and being inebriated. 

I don't doubt this will come across as atagonistic but nonetheless.

Forward to present times. 

Boy that last one will catch grief.  Again!  

edit:  I haven't had a beer since March.  Living in an inner suburb means you have to drive everywhere.  Jeez I gotta take a couple of days off.  Probably the Texas game. 

joey48442 said:I don’t disagree, any amount of alcohol is a bad idea, but there is a difference in “a little nip” and being inebriated. 

Arg, the video has been deleted from YouTube.  I have a download of a video of the Isle of Man rally in 1992,, which doesn't help here, of one of the drivers saying "I got up this morning, had a shot of Phyllis Island (?) and off I went."

Day before is more important than the night before. Day before you want 228oz of water prior to 8pm, having to urinate through the night or being overly full isn't a good thing. Protein and low salt as well. Cycle down through out the day and try to eat earlier. In the morning of the event more protein and some carbs for energy, but not enough to bloat you. More hydration. 

Jokes on you, I drink my self to sleep every night.

^joke

In reply to LanEvo :

I cant drink any less than ~10hrs before work or I'm completely useless. This is good advice for any sort of 'high intensity/high stakes' activity

z31maniac said:

_ 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?

He was responding to the Circle Track comment. I think. Keep in mind this is also the venue where the “main event” is a smash-up derby after the real racing.

I think you’re safe.

Also: In for “Back-40 keg-stand” races. I’ll sign the waiver.

joey48442 said:

z31maniac said:

_ 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?

I don’t disagree, any amount of alcohol is a bad idea, but there is a difference in “a little nip” and being inebriated. 

I’m with z31maniac on this one!!

The way I see it, if you have to take a “nip” before an event then you have a problem and that “ nip” has a different definition to that person.

My only pregame ritual is getting the vehicle and equipment ready which often means staying up late. I don't normally drink the night before, but I would, just not too much.

I haven't for many years. Way back when it seemed to be very common. Knowing the effect alcohol has relative to hydration, it sure seems like a bad idea.

I am very conscientious about my hydration and also take potassium, magnesium and zinc supplements on a daily basis to insure my electrolytes are good.

This comes from information shared by Bruce McGinnis, a Skip Barber instructor, who stated the Air Force taught this to their pilots. My personal experience is that I am just as fast at the end of a race and am fine afterwards. I am also 74 and see many much younger drivers who are wiped out at the end of a race. YMMV

Just as a footnote: My final 2 laps at the SCCA Runoffs at Indy were 2/1000ths apart.

I don't really drink at all but along with the other people who've mentioned it the dehydration aspect can't be overstated.  As for sleep; being the ADD poster child I have a tuff time winding down but I do mange 7 hours of sleep. Also as I live in the Mojave Desert I drink a lot of water to begin with.

I have noticed while folks not at their peak (Saturday night mixer) can manage fast laps they don't seem to be able to string together a peak "set" of laps. I think many racers don't comprehend pace the way runners do I.E. holding a steady pace for each mile. 

I also try to eat several small meals throughout the day rather than loading up on carbs at dinner. I also gravitate toward fruit for breakfast and I like peanut butter sandwiches (with a hint of jelly) for lunch. For dinner I prefer grilled chicken with some veggies and perhaps a little bit of pasta.

I will have some drinks the night before but almost always liquor mixed with something caffeinated, usually not beer. But not a lot of them ,  I don't want a hangover. As to "booty" ... I've been married for 15 years so that's pretty no chance that will happen lol

I can't drink and Xbox. I can't imagine drink and racecar. 

irish44j said:

 As to "booty" ... I've been married for 15 years so that's pretty no chance that will happen lol

Wait until your married 33 years....LOL.  

Sometimes we reminisce about certain things we did in our younger years....then we laugh....

Mndsm said:

I can't drink and Xbox. I can't imagine drink and racecar. 

Aw jeez.  I found through extensive research and many hours of playing Quake III and Unreal Tournament that the "Ballmer Peak" is real, although the slope is a lot more gentle.

Of course, this is sitting in a chair in a living room at night, not in the sun in a hot car that is doing its best to confuse your inner ear.

Knurled. said:

Mndsm said:

I can't drink and Xbox. I can't imagine drink and racecar. 

Aw jeez.  I found through extensive research and many hours of playing Quake III and Unreal Tournament that Quake > Unreal

Fixed.

I tried this many times in college.  I am pretty good at Quake, but no amount of alcohol made me better at it.  It took a bit before I got worse, but there was definitely no increase in skill ever. 

I recently did this experiment with One Finger Death Punch and 1 beer has a definite negative effect.

ProDarwin said:

Knurled. said:

Mndsm said:

I can't drink and Xbox. I can't imagine drink and racecar. 

Aw jeez.  I found through extensive research and many hours of playing Quake III and Unreal Tournament that Quake > Unreal

Fixed.

I tried this many times in college.  I am pretty good at Quake, but no amount of alcohol made me better at it.  It took a bit before I got worse, but there was definitely no increase in skill ever. 

UT had better maps, better AI (that you could tune!), better power ups, and better weapons with alternate fire.

Q3 did have more consistently decent maps, not just three or four really good ones.  Combine this with the generally smaller maps used and we'd end up with things like the max number of bots va. three humans, 50 frag limit, in the training level, and the match would last two minutes tops.  Sheer madness.

My go to was the screwdriver, or ouzo screwdriver (because nobody else would drink it), or rum and iced tea, or sometimes Brass Monkeys (screwdriver with rum in it, basically).  Two or three glasses was the perfect amount to confer godlike levels of accuracy and what I like to think of as innate serendipity - managing to always be in the right place at the right time.  I couldn't tell you how much alcohol that WAS because I always mixed by the "looks about right" method, maybe two-three shots per glass?  I'd stop drinking when my friends started to catch up with me.

Not the day before. The night after the race, absolutely. 

I used to the night before, but having the beer E36 M3s in portolets at an autocross, I’ve changed my habits. 

<looks at open beer on desk>
<Looks at alarm set for 6:15 tomorrow morning to race in another country>

Yep.

In reply to Knurled. :

Ask anyone that's played with me hammered (Just about anyone in the Xbox area of simulation central) and they'll tell you, my skill decreases. 

I used to play pool sorta seriously.  I quickly discovered there was a point, after a beer or two, that my concentration increased and I shot better.  Naturally, there was also a point after 3 or 4 beers where I was worse than when I was sober.

This effect has been pretty well documented.  Some studies have shown an improvement in reaction times, etc after one or two drinks.  

As others have said, there's a lot of real estate between cold sober and stumbling, puking drunk.  Anyone here _ever_ driven after having one drink, on the street?  How about 2?  The law says I can slam 4 beers and go for a cruise.  (0.08 BAC).  No way would I ever do that on a public street.  

Its impossible to talk about this nowadays and not be called on the carpet and made to seem like a totally irresponsible asshat.  But the reality is, drinking and driving is a lot like speeding.  Doing a nickel over is illegal, but generally harmless, usually.  Doing half a buck over the posted speed is reckless and going to land you in jail or a grave.  MADD and SADD have just conditioned us to think otherwise.  Not that that's a totally bad thing- most people are bad enough drivers sober.  But there comes a point when you yell and scream abut some hot issue enough and people start to tune you out.  

Full disclosure: I have never gotten in a race car under the influence of any drug.  I hydrate like a mother before and after, and keep a little bit of a hunger on.  

volvoclearinghouse said:

I used to play pool sorta seriously.  I quickly discovered there was a point, after a beer or two, that my concentration increased and I shot better.  Naturally, there was also a point after 3 or 4 beers where I was worse than when I was sober.

This effect has been pretty well documented.  Some studies have shown an improvement in reaction times, etc after one or two drinks.  

As others have said, there's a lot of real estate between cold sober and stumbling, puking drunk.  Anyone here _ever_ driven after having one drink, on the street?  How about 2?  The law says I can slam 4 beers and go for a cruise.  (0.08 BAC).  No way would I ever do that on a public street.  

Its impossible to talk about this nowadays and not be called on the carpet and made to seem like a totally irresponsible asshat.  But the reality is, drinking and driving is a lot like speeding.  Doing a nickel over is illegal, but generally harmless, usually.  Doing half a buck over the posted speed is reckless and going to land you in jail or a grave.  MADD and SADD have just conditioned us to think otherwise.  Not that that's a totally bad thing- most people are bad enough drivers sober.  But there comes a point when you yell and scream abut some hot issue enough and people start to tune you out.  

Full disclosure: I have never gotten in a race car under the influence of any drug.  I hydrate like a mother before and after, and keep a little bit of a hunger on.  

Having a beer or two at dinner, which I do, is way different than getting on track.

I didn't realize this would be a controversial opinion.

EDIT: Not you, just in general.

I don’t drink and I aim to have my car ready long before the night before. Anything else is planning to fail. 

I am not a fun party guy.