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Survival of the fittest on the ERC?

The FIA European Rally Championship's Circuit of Ireland takes in 14 stages this year but in the past there were typically around 55 special stages and a total route length of 1300 miles, run over the Easter weekend.

The competitors started on Good Friday morning, then drove all the way down to Killarney in the south of the island overnight, completing a full day of rallying when they got there. Only on Saturday night could they get some sleep before completing the ‘Sunday run' that had its own classification. Then the crews drove back up north during Easter Monday and the following night, going through stages such as Atlantic Drive, before ending up back in Belfast at Tuesday lunchtime.

By the end of it, every driver was exhausted. "But the funny thing is that none of us were especially fit," remembers Jim McRae, the most successful driver in Circuit of Ireland history with seven wins. "I mean, today's drivers are athletes, with gyms and personal trainers. And we definitely weren't athletes..."

Zdroj: fiaerc.com