Grand American Rolex

For the Ganassi team, the Rolex 24 is all about preparation, for anything and everything. And one more thing – it’s very clear that it’s not a 24-hour race, but a 365-day a year race for the Lexus-powered team.

“The preparation started the day after the race was over last year,” said team owner Chip Ganassi. “While you obviously go hard the rest of the season in trying to win a championship, this is a very special event and it takes a special ideology more so than any other race – or even the rest of the season.”

It’s also an event where there’s much more than meets the eye.

“Everyone focuses on the car on the race track, but it’s a total team effort that goes far beyond just the drivers,” relays Ganassi. “It’s also the crew, the people serving the food, the handlers who make sure the drivers are always where they are supposed to be and it’s the coordination of physical therapists and dieticians. It all comes together for this one event that’s a harbinger of spring.”

As the Ganassi crew prepares the cars for the most grueling event in motorsports, just as much time is spent preparing the drivers and crew for what is hoped to be a twice-around-the-clock marathon that allows only a few breaks over a 36-hour span. Crew members go through extensive training with team trainer Chris Sndyer to raise their endurance levels and focus on the muscle groups to hasten critical pit stops throughout the event. Snyder also serves as the team’s dietician, sending out questionnaires to each of the drivers in advance for specially prepared menus for the race for both the drivers and the crew that will provide crucial elements for each to make it through the rigorous event at a high-level of efficiency.

In terms of the race car maintenance, pre-planning determines when the car will make its scheduled stops and what maintenance will occur at each scheduled interlude.

“We try to stay proactive more than reactive, if you’re reactive, you’re not doing your job,” says Tim Keane, Ganassi Rolex Series team manager. “If you have no major on-track situations or mechanical failures, the only thing that really will change during the race is the drivers schedule in terms of how long you plan on them being in the car. We’ll draw from our history in previous races here in planning. We have schedules for when we’re going to change oil, when we do break changes, when we check the hubs, lubing the hubs, etc. You really try to plan out the entire race if possible – at least as much you can in terms of pit stops. If you don’t schedule for it and then rehearse it, you’ll end up where a pit stop will come up and you have a situation that can take the crew by surprise and that’s when you lose valuable time in the pits. This way, the crew has a schedule and they’ll know an hour ahead of time what we’re planning to do.”

As the race begins, the team’s well-thought plan goes into effect with 32 team members (not including drivers) all having specific duties to carry-out during the event.

With a tank of fuel lasting approximately an hour, the team will need to conduct a minimum of 24 pit stops throughout the event. Each team receives 30 sets of tires for the weekend – with 26 or 27 sets used during the race itself. For teams that make it through the entire event, teams will spend up to $70,000 on tires alone.

Each car’s crew will be in the pits for the entire race. If there are no unforeseen problems on the track, the team will settle into its routine. Light meals are served at pre-determined intervals, but food is always available in the team’s pit area with a variety of energy and protein bars, shakes and drinks. Not only will the team make decisions in terms of what types of foods to serve, but also what time of day to provide certain types of foods.

“We try to remove as many variables as we can,” said Tim Keane, Chip Ganassi Racing Rolex Series team manager. “The crew’s focus needs to be on the car basically non-stop for 24 hours without any other concerns. With that in mind, our trainer sets up a menu and schedule to make sure the crew gets the right things to eat at the right times. There are certain times they need pastas or carbohydrates, and certain times when you need sugars – and all of that needs to come in the right quantities. You never really eat a full meal as heavier meals will make you drowsy and you need to avoid the full or bloated feeling that slows you down in pit stops and in your reaction times.”

In addition to meals and snacks catered in the pit area, crew members are provided lawn chairs to relax. As the race progresses into the evening hours, after a pit stop they’ll generally get an hour of down time to catch a cat nap. In addition, a massage therapist is on-hand to provide massages for not only the drivers, but the crew as well, just inside the team’s transporter approximately 100 feet away.

As the pit stops begin, driver changes play a crucial role in the race. Driver handlers make sure to get the drivers everywhere they need to be. On a scheduled stop with normal maintenance for the team’s #01 and #02 Lexus entries, the Ganassi team can make a complete stop with driver change in less than 17 seconds.

With each pit stop, the team’s driver handlers begin their all-important roles. They’ll have just one duty during the race – to insure that the drivers are always where they need to be at the scheduled time. As the driver exits the cars, the team allows them just a brief moment to consult with team engineers and then the driver handlers are instructed to take the drivers away from the timing stand as quickly as possible. After a two-hour stint in the car, drivers will have about four hours before they re-enter the car.

The drivers are then pushed to eat within minutes of climbing out of the car with specially prepared menus featuring carbohydrates – pastas, etc., along with fish or chicken and green vegetables – preferably steamed – no heavy dressings or sauces. Just as important as what you eat is what you don’t eat, because you don’t want to incur setbacks during the race.

The first time out of the car is crucial in maintaining a driver’s ability to perform at a high-level for 24 hours. At that point, they’ll be given their largest meal of the day. The most important factors are carbohydrate replacement for energy and replenishing fluids to keep well-hydrated.

“It’s crucial to try to replenish as many calories as you can early on, particularly after the first stint in the car,” says Snyder. “By doing that early, you not only replenish, but you help avoid a calorie deficit later in the race which results in a slowing of the reflexes and the body wearing down. Yet, as much as we have certain things we’d like both the drivers and crew to consume, you still have to remember that the key still lies in the taste. If it doesn’t taste good, they aren’t going to eat it regardless of how healthy it may be.”

The drivers are then escorted back to the motor coach to get some rest and down time. The general assumption is that they’d immediately try to get some sleep, but that’s no easy task with the adrenaline running immediately after getting out of the car. Even if they do get the opportunity to sleep, it’s just for an hour or so.

As the race progresses into the evening and early morning hours and temperatures drop, the menus will adapt to the changing conditions. The team brings out soups, a lot of coffee and plenty of energy drinks.

A burst of adrenaline generally accompanies the morning sun, but by the 20-hour mark, the signs start to become apparent on whether all the planning has paid off as both the cars on the track and the crew in the pits attempt to weather on. The last four hours are inevitably the toughest, regardless of how well prepared the team may be.

“The key for every 24-hour race is always going to be reliability – from both the car and the team,” said team manager Keane. “We go into the race with one goal in mind – it’s our job to make sure we leave the race in the drivers hands. If we do our job and the driver stays out of trouble, we’re going to be there at the end.”