Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Intro.
[00:00:06] Mark Boudreau: You're listening to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast.
Hey, it's Mark from Motorsport Prospects and welcome to the Motorsport Prospects podcast. This is where we dive into the world of motorsport with the people who live and breathe it. From driver coaches and sponsorship experts to team owners, pro drivers and more, you're going to hear real stories, practical advice and insights you can actually use, whether you're just starting out or already chasing success on the track.
Now, people have asked me, why did I start Motorsport Prospects?
I found a Motorsport Prospects and the new Verified by Motorsport Prospects designation in the directory after hearing the same question time again from drivers, aspiring drivers, their families and advisors. And the question was always, who can I trust?
Many people are struggling to find reliable guidance, so I created Motorsport Prospects to help them make informed decisions.
The professionals I feature on this podcast represent that trust and these are truly motorsport professionals.
So if you work with drivers or racing teams, building trust is one of the most important things you can do. Over the years, I found that being clear about what you offer, following through on your promises, and genuinely caring about your clients goals makes all the difference.
I put together some practical advice in my free white paper, the three Essentials for Motorsport Business Owners, which shares simple ways to strengthen relationships, attract the right clients and grow your motorsport business naturally. You can find it in the show notes of this episode or@motorsport prospects.com okay, enough with that. Let's get started.
My guest today is Lewis Paris. Lewis is a performance optimization coach working with elite sim racers and high pressure performers, including his role supporting athletes within the Red Bull racing environment.
He specializes in helping drivers build sustainable physical, mental and recovery systems so their their performance holds up consistently under competitive pressure.
Welcome to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. Louis, thanks so much for taking the time to speak to me.
[00:02:26] Lewis Paris: Thank you, Mark. Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here.
[00:02:28] Mark Boudreau: Great. Now I mentioned this every podcast and if people are listening to this regularly, you know you're used to this. But I ask one question and it's simply this. Based on your experience and expertise as a motorsport professional, what would be the one most important piece of advice you can offer a current or aspiring race driver?
[00:02:54] Lewis Paris: Straight in. Let's go.
Don't mess about.
My one piece of advice, honestly, is to treat your performance like a system and not to rely on talent alone. What tends to happen is people who are talented enough get into the car, but they rely on that and then they wonder why their performance might leak or dip in some way or another.
So without a system in place that you can rely on you can use as your foundational tool, you can maintain and build from there.
You're gonna, you're gonna fall flat and you're not going to be as competitive. Right. So as working in this sort of sim racing environment, in the motorsports environment, focusing on their physical conditioning for strength and endurance, Hostess stability, reactions, consistency and then understanding how can we maintain mental regulation.
Are they staying calm under pressure?
All these things add up, but it comes based on the systems that they've got in place.
[00:04:03] Mark Boudreau: Right?
And these systems, is this, you know, kind of a workout plan? Is this a kind of more of a holistic 360 degree program? What is that exactly? What would that exactly entail?
[00:04:19] Lewis Paris: So what people tend to look at is am I physically fit?
And then that's it.
So they might do the odd thing of okay, I'll do a little bit of strength and then the next thing I'm going to do is maybe just chill out and then eat whatever I want and then get back into the car and start practicing.
So what my thing has always been is the educational part.
How can I understand this driver in front of me? What is their current constraints? How are they performing now?
Now let's look at the four pillars.
Sleeper, recovery, activity levels, nutrition, consumption and mindfulness.
So if their sleep and recovery is poor, they're not going to be mentally sharp, they're not going to be in the right frame of mind, they're not going to probably have the self belief that they, that they should have to be able to form well activity wise. What are the specifics that they are doing not only for the needs of their sport, but for them individually? Some people are just naturally powerful, some have better motor skills than others.
So we need to understand where's their strengths and weaknesses. We understand their strengths, now let's dive into their weaknesses. Do we need to work more on their reaction speed? Do we need to work more on their grip strength? Do we need to work more on having powerful muscles in particular areas? When it comes to the braking and accelerating now what is it they're consuming?
I've worked with drivers who all they want to eat is burgers and pizzas.
I mean emotionally that's fitting, but is it going to fuel you the right way? Why do you feel lethargic? Why do you feel tired? Why do you not feel like things are ticking? Are you dehydrated? And then the mindfulness element comes into visualization.
How can I remain focused and regulate my emotions during pressure? Do I understand my triggers and then how do I overcome that? So it's a holistic view and then educating and putting certain things in place. Okay. On this week or this particular day, here's our non negotiables. This is what we're going to do. And then it becomes the baseline and then you can just focus on things, become almost second nature natural because it's something that you're used to doing. It's your routine and now that allows you to express creativity and then look at the finer margins that may have been missed if you never had foundation in place.
[00:06:43] Mark Boudreau: Right. Okay. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
Now we've talked before and you had mentioned that you work with sim racers in, in regards to physical conditioning. And I had the, my, my reaction, which is probably like a lot of sim racers, was sim racers need to be fit. What in the world, what's that all about? So tell me a little bit about that work that you're doing with sim racers because I think this is an area that most people never really thought too much about.
[00:07:15] Lewis Paris: Yeah, originally it was unknown.
I still to this day don't know anyone who works specifically with some races in the capacity I do. And I've been working with Red Bull Racing as their performance coach for the last six years now. So I've, I, I, I've been there from the very beginning and implemented certain things. That is now the sort of go to and protocol for the drivers and engineers of that team.
Now when I first got into this role made sense, but it didn't make sense and then it made sense again. So they first approached me with Sebastian, who you've spoken about and have done an article on. He came to me with a shoulder injury.
Now what, what, what people?
[00:08:04] Mark Boudreau: Sebastian. That's Sebastian.
[00:08:05] Lewis Paris: Sebastian Job.
[00:08:06] Mark Boudreau: Job. Right.
[00:08:07] Lewis Paris: Yeah. And what, what tends to happen is when you're a sim racer, all you're thinking about is how can I get faster on in the game, in the track, on the whatever competition you're doing, how can I be the best? Right.
But what you're neglecting is the toll it has on your body.
Okay. So as much as we know, an F1 driver, for example, needs to be physically fit because that is a demand in small sport. In the most complex city of ways, sim racing is the same minus the G force. Okay. So the human body is not made to be stagnant and static for long periods of time. We are made to move and flex in so many different ranges of motion which we seem to neglect was so linear. We just focus on what we can see in front of us.
Our anterior side is so dominant, but our posterior is so weak when it comes to spine, spinal realignment, posture development, core stability, lower back issues, glutes, hamstrings tightening up, these get neglected because we don't see it and we're sitting down all day. So imagine a sim racer in that cockpit for so many hours.
Everything shortens up.
The hips, the joints get tight, the spine is not as flexible. So when I first started working with the drivers, they literally had bodies of 70 year olds, right. Because they just didn't have the mobility, the flexion.
Their bodies were tight, they had the weakness. So when you're in that position, in that seat, imagine you're in that seat. Imagine us sitting us in. We didn't move for about four hours. We're going to feel tight. So imagine they're doing that eight to 10 hours every day, which they used to. They've, we've kind of switched it up, which allows for breaks and movements so they can move around and reset. Right. But prior to that it was, you're in that seat every day and you're just practicing, tweaking, tweaking. And then you wonder why your brain gets fatigued and certain things creep in.
So what I'm getting to is if you don't start implementing things on a, just a, a longevity perspective issues will naturally creep up. So with Sebastian, shoulder injury, he was just in that position, rugged. I'm holding the steering wheel tight and I've just got a race and I'm just doing this practical movement. A lot of the weight is now into the shoulder. Now to be able to counteract that, we've now got to do elements in the gym, which is focusing on the posterior side so his body understands where to use the weight.
So instead of using his shoulder, we're now going to use his scapula and the muscles in the back to manipulate how to distribute the strength and force and power that he should produce, which not only allows him to last longer in the race, but to apply more force output.
So instead of relying on joint stability, we're now feeding into the muscles. A lot of it comes through the core core. So if we can get the body to naturally engage the right muscle groups, he's going to perform at a higher level. Because the human body, all it wants to do is just move.
It will adapt to any situation.
No matter if it's right or wrong, it will just do the job.
So it's imperative that we get into the mind to muscle connection and realign how the body should work on a biomechanic level, which then will be able to produce better results.
So again, going back to your question, the reasoning why I got involved with Red Bull racing was on a longevity perspective, minimizing injuries, coming in as an educator as well. But how can we ensure that the work that we're doing on a physical basis realigns with what they're doing when it comes to racing and competitiveness? Then the sort of, the systems then sort of fell into place. Okay, we've got the physical in place, but something is still lacking. Let's look at the mentor, let's look at the, the, the nutrition and then the sleep and recovery. Because if we want to win, it's all about the percentages and the capacity of the driver to be able to do certain things when things are being thrown at them from all angles. Right.
[00:12:25] Mark Boudreau: I, I can guarantee you that sim racers listening to this podcast, hopefully light bulb has gone off because they, you know, you, they tell you all the time, you know, oh yeah, the weekend I was in the sim for, you know, 10 hours straight and you know, maybe not actually understanding the impact that that has on their bodies because they didn't probably don't even think about it. So that's a really, this is something that I just never considered, never really thought about.
[00:12:59] Lewis Paris: So
[00:13:02] Mark Boudreau: where can people get more information about what you do, how to contact you, maybe tell me a little bit more about the services that you offer?
[00:13:10] Lewis Paris: For sure. The easiest place is my website where you can find an overview of the performance optimization frameworks. Okay, so I've created something which is, I wouldn't say basic level, but it's an entry point to have an understanding of your current weaknesses. Okay, so something called the health optimization assessment takes no more than five minutes and it will literally give you an answer on whether you are poor in your sleep or recovery, your activity, your nutrition and your mindfulness. And then it sends you an actionable steps on what you can implement now. So understanding where your weaknesses lie so you're not trying to do everything and second guess on what you should be focusing on, focus on the weakness, bring up that pillar, realign, reassess and go again. So my website, www.lewisparisfitness.com working with individuals or consultancy across teams in performance optimization.
[00:14:07] Mark Boudreau: Okay, perfect. And I will of course put, put links to the website in the show notes as well. So if anybody wants to do that test, get a hold of you, they'll be able to do so easily.
Now I do have one last question for you.
What is Your favorite racetrack, current or historical?
[00:14:30] Lewis Paris: I've got a split answer for this.
[00:14:32] Mark Boudreau: Everybody has a split answer.
[00:14:36] Lewis Paris: Okay, so the first one is more like, mama, you gotta love me or hate me for this. But from a technical perspective, because I'm. I'm so analytical.
Monaco is my favorite track, mainly because of the technical parameters around it.
[00:14:55] Mark Boudreau: Right.
[00:14:55] Lewis Paris: It is not the easiest track, and you are flying at speeds on the littlest of margins. Yes. We don't get the dog fights as much, but it's a game of chess, okay? So if I get that split decision wrong, my race is over. And it's extremely tight. So this is why it's important.
It goes back to the frameworks. It's getting me to a high level. And now what is the weakness in that point for me to ensure that I become 1% better, if not 0.5% better than that guy on the track? Because technically we all have the same car. But what is making me different? Is it my mental sharpness or do I have that. That. That physical edge? Right.
And then emotionally is Silverstone, because that was the first Grand Prix I've seen in person. Okay, that's my answer.
[00:15:45] Mark Boudreau: Perfect. Perfect. And. And it is true. People look at Monaco and they look at it. Yeah. There's not as much passing or no passing. And. And I think drivers always have a different.
A different response to Monaco. And that's exactly what you said. It's a. It's a chess game played at 200 kilometers an hour or 200 miles an hour. And.
And, yeah, one tiny mistake and that's it, you're done.
People will, you know, I've been around a while. They'll forget, or maybe they're not aware that in Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna was on his way to a clear victory in Monaco, literally out on his own, and he mentally, he. His mind wandered and he hit a curb and that was the end of the race room.
So it's. It's. There's. The margins are so tiny that it really is a test of a driver.
Louis, thanks so much for being on the. On the podcast. Really appreciate it.
Like I mentioned to everybody, the details of Lewis's website will be on the. Will. Will be in the show notes as well in the upcoming Motorsport Prospects Directory.
So seek them out. And.
And, yeah, if you're a sim racer, think seriously about the physical requirements of sim racing and not just the technical. You know, I have this rig, I have that monitor requirements.
That's it for this week. This is Mark from Motorsport prospects, reminding you to stay fast, stay focused and keep chasing that checkered flag.
Thanks for listening to the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. For insights, advice and the latest news racers can use, visit motorsportprospects.com.
