Re: Heat stroke
It's easy for anybody to get locked into the macho and bulletproof thoughts, but it's not always a good thing.
A long time ago, I ran across a NASA study that focused on environmental stresses affecting human functions. They found a huge difference during adverse conditions. But technology improved, I built new computers, and somehow I lost the link and haven't been able to find it since.
We're talking about heat in this thread. It will absolutely, positively affect your ability to think, concentrate, and react. If the racer in the other lane has body temperature a noticeable amount cooler than yours, you're probably going to lose. Of course, that's assuming that person is not one of the Terminators with cyborg like performances pass after pass.
One of the drivers I worked with actually got a coolsuit/helmet (nascar technology) and though he caught a huge amount of flack for using it - stuff like getting called a wuss and real racers don't worry about the heat. Even though looking back I'm not sure he had the equipment for it to matter, the data was clear. His shift points and reaction times greatly improved on very hot days, same track, same setup, etc.
Long winded way of saying that even though keeping yourself away from heat exhaustion or heat stroke is the main point, it's something every racer who wants to be competitive should pay a lot of attention to. Of course for the reaction time, but especially now that rapid decision making at the finish line is now the norm.
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