Roller Coasters Research Paper

Imagine being on a roller coaster with your hands in the air, going speeds that seem impossible. Now, imagine that same ride, but this time wearing a full face helmet, and controlling the speed, making it go as fast as physically possible, could you do it? The fastest roller coaster to date is the Formula Rossa of Ferrari World reaching 149 mph (telegraph uk). 149 mph seems no problem, for an amusement ride, especially since you are just along for the ride. The most G-force felt on a roller coaster have been recorded up to 7g’s. To put that into perspective, a fighter pilot experiences up to 9 g’s while doing intense combat maneuvers. So riding a roller coaster flying at 149 mph, slingshotting you around corners at 7g’s may seem fine, even fun, but how is it that one person can do that in a car.

Formula one racing may seem boring to a viewer at home flipping through the channels, or exciting for those track side watching the cars fly by--what goes on in the driver’s seat.

Most people go on roller coasters for the thrill of going fast with no real risk. Formula one drivers, some could say, do it because of the risk. Roller coaster? Who needs one while you have a car that can go 250 mph and up 7g’s around corners in your control, that is 100 mph faster than the fastest roller coaster in the world (Cooper). At these speeds it may seem insane that one would purposely want to control a machine and make it go that fast. What does it take to even accomplish something like

this?
Most Formula one drivers start out racing at a young age, developing their skills early. In turn, becoming comfortable at high speeds at a young age. It takes a lot more then what is perceived to race a car as fast as they do. Driving a car at high speeds and under several G’s is a constant strain and most average drivers wouldn’t be able to even think under these circumstances. Diet, exercise and mental training are huge factors in this field. Driving a car at 200 mph is not only hard on the body, but the mind too.
Formula one drivers are in very good physical shape not always because they want to but because they need to. They have to be able to cope with the extreme amounts of force being put on their bodies continuously throughout a race. The extreme G force is also a huge factor in their training. G force, forces ones blood away from the brain and negative G force, forces the blood to rush to the brain, as the drivers are experiencing the variations of G force though out a race it is necessary to learn how to combat the effects of this and control them.
Being in good physical condition is a major requirement in this sport. Some may think “Oh they are just driving around, it won’t matter”. One reason (as silly as it may seem) would be, you have to be able to get into the car. Formula one cars have very narrow and snug cockpits as there are a single seat car and made to fit the single person that drives it. In some cases, drivers will have to loose substantial weight in order to be able to fit in the cars. But, as the drivers experience the harsh conditions of being whipped around through corners, this helps in stabilizing the drivers body. The drivers also must be able to steer the car under these conditions, so it is important that their arms can take the constant pressures to keep the car under control. When under six to seven G’s the drivers neck is being pushed to one side of the car under lots of force. Neck braces and a racing seat are used to combat this but trying to look left when the drivers head is being forced right is a task in its self. Drivers also learn breathing and muscle techniques to help with the G force and negative G forces, such as tensing of the body under extreme braking to slow the rush of blood away from the brain. This would cause major fatigue with a normal person that only drives 70mph on the highway, if they were suddenly put into this position. Drivers have to do this multiple times with in one lap and most races last an hour to 24 hours.
Diet goes right along with being in shape. The driver needs to keep a fairly constant target weight one for yes, fitting in the car but also so that the drivers weight can be calibrated with the car, any excess in weight can throw off the cars calibration causing it not perform as well or as is was set up to (Cooper). Rarely known to other also, is the amount of energy a driver uses in one race. Having a good balanced diet assures that they will have the strength and energy to perform at their best without getting too strained during a race. Most drivers will have their own perfected schedule for when and what to eat around race time and between races.
Eating properly also keeps a clean head, the amount these drivers have to think has no comparison to any normal driver. When going 60mph to 200 mph in seconds with a sharp turn coming up takes skill to comprehend. Most of these drives grow up racing, it becomes an instinct and it has to be. “Expertise modulates brain activity during passive driving: a study in professional and naïve drivers,” by Giulio Bernardi of the University of Pisa in Pisa Italy, is a study of naïve or average drives compared to professional drivers brain activity while driving in certain situation. Using brain scans Berardi discovered that professional drivers are able to use specific motor and visual parts of the brain when called for as with a naïve driver, the same parts of the brain were used steadily. Formula one drivers have developed motor and visual skills, enabling them to know what exactly they need to do within milliseconds to get around the next corner.