drugs in motorsports (also a Poll)

[antonioledesma]

hope this topic isn't a repost (i did a search and didn't find nothing about this) and doesn't get lost as some of fordcapri's topics

so... all of us have heard about performance enhancement drugs in sports (epo, anabolics, stereoids, etc.), well known such as ben johnson from canada (beating carl lewis in the ____olympics with a little help from his friends)
now as the last olympics have just finished, and some greek athletes were caught "cheating", and that I read and article in which the IOC/COI (International Olympic Comitee) "banned" the FIA and now the COi doesn't recognize the FIA as an official federation and all because the FIA doesn't forbid the use of drugs in motorsports.

yes... being in a sportcar, racing, etc. is very demanding... having a minimum of 40°C in the cabin, losing lots of water, etc.,

but what do you think? drugs are a myth? Shummi, Rubens, DC, KR, old time favorites such as senna, mansell, prost, emerson, etc. used/use drugs to handle the stress of the competition, to withstand all the suffering of the g forces, bumps, pain, to keep sharp at all time?

I say yes... racing drivers use some medications/drugs to increase their performance.
If you do it to increase your weight in the gym; cyclists have used them for decades, etc etc

so? your opinion, please

[Ford Capri 2.8i]

besides brembos explanations, i think that drugs lets maintain the concentration when driving the car once the rallying drivers have to drive about 450-500 kms a day at full throttle, in non confortable cars at all, and very bad road conditions,..in addition, the drugs let the driver pass through some roads at full throttle although any minimum slide makes them crash against some big trees, walls, many spectators, or go down a cliff at high speed.......

[possessed_beaver]

yes - well the pilots in the airforce use speed to keep awake, and concentrate!

during rally australia i was reading the rally drivers have to have sleeping tablets, and help to sleep, due to the adrenaline, and other factors.

[mustang]

i dont know if they use drugs in motorsport it has never been braught to my attention.

during rally australia i was reading the rally drivers have to have sleeping tablets, and help to sleep, due to the adrenaline, and other factors.

have you got a source for this so that i can read it myself, i dont see taking sleeping tablets as a bad thing because if you can imagine what those drivers/ navs must be going through it would be very hard to get to slepp

[antonioledesma]

Originally Posted by possessed_beaver yes - well the pilots in the airforce use speed to keep awake, and concentrate! during rally australia i was reading the rally drivers have to have sleeping tablets, and help to sleep, due to the adrenaline, and other factors.

also i've heard that, they need to sleep all their hours so they can be fresh in the next morning
another myth in war history is that soldiers are given drugs so they can stay awake, lose their "ethics" and moral so they can kill more easily.

I know a couple of persons who drive in some championships in my country. The youngest told me he uses caffeine mints during the race. He has a little dispenser (something like a pez) and grabs a mint every 5-10 mins. Also he was tempted to use "something else" that another pilot offered him, but his school has constant drugs tests for the students.

Imagine racing for 2 or more hours...lots of heat, pains in your back, bollocks, legs, your performance starts to go down...why not use something so you can give your 100% all the time.

I do believe big shots in f1, cart, irl, wrc, etc. use drugs, medications, even when they are semi-athletes

[360modena]

Never heard anything about drugs in motorsport. Anyway,maybe some rally drivers take tablets to sleep better but during the race I'm not sure the drug 'ford capri' is talking about can avoid stress and increase the driver concentration. I'm convinced those two factors can't be separate.

[chipanggo]

my answer to this is maybe.

drugs are a worldwide problem. be it in motorsport, any other sport, or simply in everyday life, the world is faced with this problem. this is a social reality. i will not be surprised if someone in motorsports turn out positive for the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs or even narcotics.

[ZfrkS62]

i wouldn't object to OTC pain killers since race cars aren't built for comfort and tend to bounce you all over the car. the drivers must take one hell of a beating, especially in the WRC.

i don't see how any narcotic would help a driver, as the "crash" effects can be devastating. I think the drivers have enough common sense to know that the effects of some of these drugs can present a real danger on the track.

would you want another driver on track with you coming down off of something? i sure as hell wouldn't.

[possessed_beaver]

Originally Posted by mustang during rally australia i was reading the rally drivers have to have sleeping tablets, and help to sleep, due to the adrenaline, and other factors. have you got a source for this so that i can read it myself, i dont see taking sleeping tablets as a bad thing because if you can imagine what those drivers/ navs must be going through it would be very hard to get to slepp

i diden't read this off the internet, it was during an interview at rally australia and also one of the commentators even mentioned it.

yeh i think it should be encouraged, with all the adrenaline in there system they would defentley need it to get to sleep!
unlike other motorsports, rally is over a few days at stages they have sometimes never raced on before!

[frozzu]

well I've never heard about drugs in motorsports either. But who knows. Still I don't think they would be able to concentrate on the most important thing, the driving.

[m3mys3lf4ndi]

maybe thats the case... we've never heard of any drugs in motosports - coz most of people suspect that "drugs dont work" for increasing concentration ability so drug test are v. rare in this sport.
but who'd thought 15 years ago that most of athletes take all diferent kinds of drugs (except East German olimpic team )

[mk2 fan]

I think that anyone who used drugs is an asshole, unless they are things like sleeping pills because i wouldnt concider them as drugs, sometimes you just gotta sleep and if your say doing a 15mile rally stage through single lane roads on the side of a mountain in monte you need to of had all the rest you can so your awake for the challenge

I voted NO

[Mattk]

I reckon many drivers use drugs. As if they don't.

[bmwmpower]

i never heard about drugs in motosport, but its possible,

[Pimp Racer]

Maybe/I don't know or care. I agree that most drivers wouldnt do drugs. well at least the ones that I think are cool. EX. Boris Said.