Motorsport team Strakka Racing gets help from CNP sports supplements to deliver the perfect lap at Le Mans
Le Mans – probably one of the most romantic and iconic names in motorsport. The roaring engines, daring drivers, the beautiful scenery, the car cabins dripping with sweat… The truth is, endurance motorsport puts incredible stresses on the drivers. Physical fitness is a must and increasingly motorsports athletes are looking to their diet to improve the performance of their cars.
Endurance motorsport team Strakka Racing, based at Silverstone, is now working with sports nutrition company CNP Professional. The aim is to ensure the drivers’ diets are formulated to deliver the concentration, coordination, stamina and energy they need to drive the perfect lap –time after time – during Europe’s highest level sports car championship, the Le Mans Series. Getting the very best out of the drivers is especially important since this is Strakka’s debut in the top echelon of prototype sportscar racing.
"F1 drivers have to focus for no more than two hours – we have to do it for 24 hours!" says Nick Leventis, Strakka Racing driver. "In endurance motorsport, fitness is not just a potential source of advantage, it can be the key to success."
Strakka’s drivers sometimes have to endure cockpit temperatures of 50 or 60 degrees C. In these conditions drivers can lose two litres of fluid in two hours – sweat splatters the inside of their helmet visor as they brake. The G-forces add to the load on the body: this year the team is using Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S cars that will generate up to 4G lateral load in corners – get a switchback like the left-right-left at Silverstone and you’re looking at an 8G transfer.
"Typically the members of the team will each drive for two hours at a time," says Peter Hardman, driver and Team Principal. "But they need to be ready to drive again after a two hour break.
"We now use CNP products to assist the drivers during their racing preparation and for recovery."
For the drivers, the key areas to focus on are fitness, energy, rehydration and recovery. "Strakka’s combination of supplements is designed to support the body in all these areas," says Kerry Kayes, CNP’s sports nutrition expert. "For example, Pro-Napalm’s electrolytes maintain hydration and the product has caffeine and guarana for alertness. The Pro Slams include beta alanine and help with muscular endurance before and during a race."
One of the big benefits of CNP products is that, as well as doing you good, they are easy to digest. Nick Leventis, 29, is Strakka’s youngest driver. "I use a range of CNP products. I’ve tried various brands and find CNP’s are the most effective and the best fit with my requirements. Plus they taste great."
Fellow driver Hardman is 46. "Diet and fitness are very important for professional drivers and CNP products actually help and enhance performance, before and after training sessions and while competing. I find Pro-Recover is especially useful." CNPs’ Pro-Recover is a post-workout drink that both aids muscle repair and helps limit muscle damage caused by intense exercise.
In the opening round of the 2009 Le Mans Series at the Barcelona Grand Prix circuit in Spain Strakka qualified on the outright pole position and finished a strong fifth – an impressive display given that this was the team’s debut race at this level. "We have all noticed a real improvement in alertness, endurance and recovery since trying the CNP supplements," says Peter Hardman.
CNP Professional is one of the UK’s leading sports nutrition specialist companies. For more information visit www.cnpprofessional.co.uk or call +44 (0) 161 320 1212 for sports nutrition advice and +44 (0) 161 320 8145 for sales.
Notes for editors
CNP Professional is a leading supplier of sports nutrition supplements including protein shakes, protein bars, creatine supplements, meal replacements, mass gainers, weight loss supplements and post work out shakes, all designed for the ultimate in sports nutrition.
Kerry Kayes, the founder of CNP Professional, is a former national bodybuilding champion. He has been involved in sports nutrition for many years and his dietary expertise has established him as ‘the man in the know’ to a wide variety of sportspeople worldwide such as the Ericsson Round the World Yacht Team, boxer Ricky Hatton, dart’s champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, international strongman Glen Ross and Sean Long of St Helen’s RLFC.
CNP Professional supplements are carefully formulated to ensure that the body is able to make best use of the nutrients. Unlike many nutritional supplements, CNP Professional’s products are easy to drink.
There are several articles explaining protein nutrition supplements on the CNP website – go to the home page and click on ‘nutrition’ under the articles section.
Strakka Racing is a Northamptonshire-based race team currently competing around Europe in the highest level sports car championship the Le Mans Series. This season Strakka Racing has confirmed an agreement with Ginetta-Zytek that will see the team competing in the Le Mans Series with a Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S LMP1 chassis. In addition Strakka is probably Britain’s most successful historic racing team, racing the rarest Aston Martin and Ferrari sports racing cars.
The CNP products being used by Strakka:
Pro-Napalm is a pre-workout, isotonic drink containing Guarana, caffeine and electrolytes. Pro-Napalm provides a boost in energy and increased focus whilst assisting in hydration. Pro-Napalm is a powdered formula in a bottle that can easily fit into training bags. Just add water, shake and take.
Pro Hydrate is a hyptonic drink which actively pushes fluids and carbohydrates into blood and cells to ensure optimum hydration. This outperforms water or isotonic drinks, which do not flow into the blood until the body starts to become dehydrated. A 2% loss in hydration can cause a 10% loss in performance so optimum hydration is essential for peak performance. Pro Hydrate is a complex carbohydrate drink which will provide sustained energy for exercise plus electrolytes to replace lost salts and improve hydration. Taurine has been added for increased hydration and to promote blood flow, which will combat muscle tiredness. Pro Hydrate is easily absorbed without bloating. Mix two scoops in 500ml of water. Drink shortly before exercise to optimise carbohydrate energy stores and to ensure you are well hydrated. Drink 125ml-150ml every 15-20 minutes during exercise to provide an optimum delivery of timed released energy.
Pro Slam is a ready to drink protein supplement with CarnoSyn beta-Alanine. Each vial delivers 27 grams of protein, zero carbohydrates and zero fats in only 86ml. Pro Slamcontains a pre-workout formulation that has been shown to delay the onset of muscle fatigue. Pro Slamcan be drunk in less than 5 seconds. Pro Slam delivers a quality protein blend and a pre-workout (non stimulant) kick to drive a body through any exercise or sports activity.
Pro-Recover post-workout drink contains a blend of high glycemic (fast-acting carbohydrates) and fast-acting proteins in the form of hydrolysed whey and whey isolate, providing a high concentration of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) that aid muscle repair and growth. Pro-Recover post-workout drink also contains antioxidants that help to limit muscle damage caused by intense exercise. Consume Pro-Recover immediately after a workout or any form of intense exercise to assist optimum recovery. Place 2 scoops in a shaker bottle, add 400 – 500ml water and mix.