During a race, drivers are squeezed into often tiny, technology-packed cockpits, strapped in while wearing safety helmets. It gets hot in their fireproof racing suits; they lose several liters of fluid in a very short time and burn several thousand calories. In every bend, they are exposed to acceleration and centrifugal forces similar to those in a jet plane. The muscles work extremely hard, the head and neck, but also the shoulders, arms, and legs, lift many thousands of kilos during the race. These are extreme conditions under which the racing drivers have to be both wide awake and able to react quickly. If you make a mistake, you end up in the gravel – at the very least. And yet this is exactly their dream. “I love it, I don‘t want to do anything else,” says Ariel Levi. The four-time Israel karting champion has been driving in the Porsche one-make cups since 2022 and for Team GP Elite since spring 2024. “When I'm on the racing track, I feel good.”
From rookie to professional
Together with seven other drivers, he made it into the rookie program of the Porsche Supercup this year. With this program, Porsche supports young drivers in its most prominent one-make cup racing series on their way to becoming professionals. They are supported by a coach for a whole year, who, among other things, coaches their driving skills, and prepares them for the individual races. Marco Seefried was a racing driver himself for many years before moving to the “sideline”. “We simply want to prepare the boys in the best possible way. At our kick-off in Leipzig, we familiarize them with the car.” PR work and team building are on the agenda, too. The experienced racing driver also goes through each track with the rookies, even inspects the racing track on the spot with them, and analyzes the data recorded during the races. “This is very important for the drivers because it’s the best way for them to learn and compare themselves.” The success of the program proves Seefried and his colleagues right: Many of the former rookies have since taken off and are now professionals.
Kas Haverkort, who is also taking part in this year's program, wants to achieve that, too. The young Dutchman has been sitting in racing cars of all kinds since he was three years old. “I could drive a kart before I could ride a bike. Being able to do what I love is a dream!” Even as a schoolboy, he took part in races all over the world. Up to 30 a year, he says. He fought his way up to the Formula Regional European Championship, Formula 3. The difficulty for all drivers is finding a team or sponsors, as cockpits are rare. Haverkort has made it and will also be driving for GP Elite in the Porsche Supercup and the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2024.
A check-up, please!
Before Levi, Haverkort and the other drivers were allowed on the racetrack, they had to undergo tests at the university outpatient clinic in Potsdam. Here, the young racing drivers are inspected thoroughly, as the head of the outpatient clinic, Prof. Dr. Frank Mayer, explains. “Over a period of three days, they undergo a health and a fitness check.” First, there is a medical examination which checks all resting functions, from the heart and lungs to the eyes and ears, as well as an analysis of blood and body composition. This is followed by stress tests on the bike, including ECG and breath analysis. To conclude the health check, the rookies receive nutritional advice, during which an expert reviews a log that they had to keep for five days beforehand. This also includes instructions on sport-appropriate nutrition, especially under the extreme conditions of motor sports. “We discuss the results of the entire check-up directly with the drivers – and, where necessary, draw conclusions and give advice, for example who needs physiotherapy or what measures are necessary to prevent infections,” the sports physician says. “If someone has back pain, he will get the adequate exercises right away.”
Only in the second step do the athletes complete a fitness test. “But we don’t want them to go faster, higher, and further,” Prof. Mayer says. “Our aim is to see what fitness level the drivers currently have in order to get through the races, but also the many journeys, and not drop out due to illness.” The check involves exercising on the treadmill, and strength measurements for the torso and legs. “Most drivers develop issues with backpain, some also have problems with their knees and Achilles tendons. That’s why we take a particularly close look at these things.” The final test is a reaction test, which is not just about speed, as Mayer explains. “We also look at how long the drivers react correctly to the stimuli. This is particularly important in motorsport and can hardly be compensated. On race weekends, the drivers have to keep making the right decisions quickly and under high stress, sometimes for several hours.” At the end of the tests, Dr. Josefine Stoll from the university outpatient clinic reviews all the results with the drivers individually and, if necessary, recommends training programs to prepare them medically for the upcoming stresses and strains in the best possible way.
Prof. Mayer has been working with Porsche’s motor sports department for over 20 years. He brought this collaboration with him when he came to Potsdam in 2006. As the official racing doctor of the Supercup, he also attends the eight races of the series. “Time and again, there is a recall,” he says. “We are able to address questions and problems, look at current data, and compare them to those of the check-ups. This helps us recognize problems and react quickly.”
But Josefine Stoll is also by the side of the drivers throughout the entire season. She discusses in video calls how they are able to manage the tips, advice, and exercises and makes adjustments, if necessary. On the medical side, the team of the university outpatient clinic leaves nothing to chance. Everything else is in the drivers’ hands.
Frank Mayer has been Professor of Sports Medicine and Sports Orthopedics and Medical Director of the Outpatient Clinic – Center of Sports Medicine at the University of Potsdam since 2006.
This text (in german language) was published in the university magazine Portal - Zwei 2024 „Europa“ (PDF).