What Are The Risks In Motorsports?
Photo by Vikram Sundaramoorthy from Pexels
Motorsports, without a doubt, is full of excitement. The adrenaline rush never ends, whether you’re watching F1 racing, rallying, or any other sport that involves a high-powered motor vehicle. Still, motorsports face their fair share of risks and dangers, just like any other sport.
Generally, motorsports involve physical and mental risks (particularly to drivers), the risk of accidents and collisions, as well as fire and explosion risks. However, with proper risk management planning and motorsports education, these risks can be reduced and managed. That way, all stakeholders can continue to enjoy their favourite motorsports in a safe and controlled environment.
In the following sections, we will explore the risks and dangers in motorsports and what can be done to manage them
What Dangers Exist in Motorsports?
Generally speaking, you can categorise the risks or dangers in motorsports into three groups: physical and mental risks, accidents and collisions, as well as fires and explosions.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these risks in greater detail.
Physical and Mental Risks
Dehydration: No matter what climate a motorsports event might be taking place in, one of the top risks that motorsports drivers face is dehydration. Unlike in many other sports, motorsports drivers often do not have time to take a break and rehydrate during a competition.
On top of that, driver’s bodies also heat up and sweat a lot because of the race suits that they wear.
Remember: competitive motorsports drivers wear fire-retardant suits made of multiple layers. These outfits are necessary to protect against fire, another risk, but they also cause drivers to sweat a lot.
Besides affecting their performance, severe dehydration can also pose a serious health risk to the drivers. That’s why a well-thought-out hydration plan before and after each race is critical.
Exhaustion: Physical exhaustion is another risk that race car drivers face every day. Drivers use up a lot of physical energy to operate their vehicles with split-second precision.
On top of that, drivers’ bodies are continually exposed to g-forces. These forces represent the pull of gravity on their bodies which are more intense than average, particularly when they accelerate and brake. Drivers will also feel the g-forces at their strongest when they’re cornering at high speeds.
Whenever drivers face these g-forces, their bodies have to use more energy to operate their vehicles normally. This effect of g-forces drains their energy even quicker.
Mental and Emotional Stress: Motorsports drivers are operating in a highly competitive environment at all times. Not only are they competing with other drivers, but they’re also continually trying to outdo themselves.
All of that poses additional mental and emotional stress to the drivers, which also needs to be managed carefully to continue to function at high levels.
Accidents and Collisions
Part of what makes motorsports so exciting in the first place is experiencing high-performance vehicles in competition with one another. But, unfortunately, that is also where a lot of the risks come from, such as vehicle damage, physical injury, and risks posed to spectators and support staff.
Damage to the vehicle: Some motorsports involve multiple vehicles sharing the same track, like F1 racing. Others, like in rallying, may only involve one car at a time. Still, even a race car that’s alone on the track faces the risk of sustaining damage.
For one, race vehicles can suffer damage by colliding with one another. However, cars can also get damaged by colliding with barriers, natural obstacles, or rolling over during an exceptionally sharp turn.
The race car is the heart of the competition, so any damage will have widely-felt effects. For example, a damaged race car that can no longer operate will cause the team to forfeit entirely. Worse yet, the damage could also cause injury to people inside, such as the driver or even the copilot (if there is one).
Injury: Despite all the protective gear and equipment, occupants of a motorsports vehicle are constantly exposed to the risk of injury. ‘Intrusion’ is one of the most significant risks in this case, which is when an object outside of the vehicle enters the cockpit during an accident and hurts the person inside.
Spectators and support staff: Still, the risks that come from accidents and collisions don’t just affect the drivers and their cars. Spectators and support staff who are all over the race track are also at risk of injury for the same reasons.
That’s why you’ll notice at major races that many investments have gone into building barriers to keep people on the sidelines safe at all times.
Fire and Explosions
When you think about it, it’s pretty evident that race cars will have tanks full of fuel at all times. However, most people forget that motorsports events will also require plenty of fuel being stored on-site throughout the entire event. That way, cars can refuel whenever necessary, and the event can continue without a problem.
Unfortunately, wherever there’s fuel, there’s always the risk of fire and explosions. For example, when a race car collides with another vehicle or a barrier on the track, the fuel tank could be compromised and burst into flames.
Besides that, the fuel storage facilities at the motorsports event could also cause a fire or explosions if they are not stored and handled correctly.
How Can Dangers And Risks Be Managed In Motorsports?
When managing the dangers and risks in motorsports, an essential aspect to have is a well-structured risk management plan. Motorsports organisers should have this plan to identify and prioritise the different risks unique to their event. That way, they can reduce those risks as much as possible, and develop contingency plans to handle them.
Of course, the responsibility doesn’t rest solely in the hands of the organisers. All participants also have a responsibility to manage their risks as well. That includes everyone from the race car drivers to the motorsports teams and support staff and anyone else on the race track.
That’s another reason why a well-rounded motorsports education is so crucial these days. Through education, all motorsports stakeholders will have a much broader understanding of the risks in motorsports and can contribute towards managing them well.
With Dangers And Risks, Are Motorsports Still Worth It?
So, with all of the dangers and risks associated, are motorsports still worth it? The answer is a simple YES. There are plenty of reasons why people feel so passionate about motorsports, and those reasons aren’t going away anytime soon.
Even during the pandemic, motorsports have only increased in popularity, resulting in increasing numbers of spectators and participants alike.
The most important thing to remember is that all types of sports involve their fair share of risks and dangers, including motorsports. However, with sufficient motorsports education, those risks can be managed and reduced, allowing everyone to have a good time while staying safe.
To learn more about motorsports education, check out TOC Automotive College, the best automotive college in Malaysia.