Eating well to place well should be your goal. However, the reality of the situation is that long hours of travel, being gone from home, the pangs of hunger in a strange place and in different time zones all take their toll after months and years on the race circuit. After all, you have to stop to fuel up, right? And that Hostess cupcake would go real well with the 7-Up, wouldn’t it? Multiply that by each gas stop, times each race and compound that with each race season and you begin to get the picture. It won’t be long till you might resemble Bibendum the jolly Michelin mascot. Don’t feel bad though, many a sleek, cutting edge race person has fallen prey to the disconnected lifestyle that we all know and love. In defining where we have gone wrong, the next step is to fix the problem.

Your best plan is to structure your at-home diet first with lean meats, rice, pasta, fruits and vegetables and vitamin and stamina supplements. You have a workout program and regular practice strategy; extend this to your nutrition as well. Many of the meals you have at home can be adapted to accompany you while you travel.

COOLERS: Most every race team has as least one; but the cooler is usually the most overlooked piece of equipment in your race effort. The venerable, ubiquitous cooler is the worst transmitter of bacteria at the track. And don’t forget, bacteria, in extreme cases, can kill. But most often it will simply make you so ill that you’ll wish you were deceased. Science projects look best in the classroom, not in your drink and sandwich cooler. The best method of cleaning them is a strong scrubbing agent such as Ajax or Bon Ami; then after it has been scoured pure, pour in a stalwart mixture of liquid bleach and tap water and allow it to sit in sunlight for at least half an hour. Finally, rinse thoroughly with plenty of water and dry well with paper towels. Always use fresh, clean ice to chill your drinks and foodstuffs. This might seem like common knowledge to many, but I have seen some astonishing, frightening things growing and lurking in the interior of the coolers of many major teams. The bottom line is most crews have much, much more to do than swab out coolers, but the wrong time to learn about bacteria is on the starting grid on a 104 degree day just as the green flag drops. Don’t think of it as a clean cooler, think of it as a fast cooler.

WATER: Now that your cooler is clean and ready to go, what to put in it? Distilled water will always be your most stable moisture platform. It lacks any minerals, metals or bacteria. I’m certain someone out there in Racerland will whine, “I don’t like the taste of distilled water,” “it doesn’t have any taste,” or “it tastes dead”. C’mon group, this isn’t Beany and Cecil, we are trying to hone ourselves into a better, healthier racer. It doesn’t have any taste because it lacks primarily minerals that give normal tap water its taste and bacteria that will give you an upset stomach or bowel on race day. Available in nearly every grocery store near the jug style drinking water or in the laundry section (some people use it in their irons) distilled water should be a relied upon staple in your cooler and in your race hauler. It can also come in mighty handy should your vehicle overheat en route. Who knows, you might even get used to the taste, or lack of it.

FRUITS: Serious racers love fruit and the evidence of it can be seen throughout the paddock at any given race. Bananas ripening on a workbench in the sun, crew members idly munching white seedless grapes, a team manager sitting on the paddock wall with a stop watch in one hand and an apple in another, a wasp-waisted female racer peeling an orange with her tan fingertips. Fruit is widely recognized as the favorite snack food of those who are determined and committed about their competition savvy. Personal taste will usually dictate which fruits go along with your travels, but feel confident that nearly all fruit is healthy, nutritious and a good companion on your journey. You might consider some of the more firm fruits on the basis that they will be more durable on an extended drive, but most all travel well. Always remember that fruit purchased in transit should be washed thoroughly to remove any residual toxins or pesticides. This is especially true of roadside stand produce where often it comes straight from the field without benefit of any rinsing except for rainfall or heavy dew.

Most fruits are loaded with Vitamin C. Bananas are fortified with Vitamin B6 and potassium. Oranges are filled with folate, necessary to produce all new cells such as white cells that are essential to your immune system.

VEGETABLES: Vegetables should be an important part of your at-home diet, but they have the distinct disadvantage of not traveling well. Most every spiffy veggie that you may enjoy whilst at the ranch, will probably be an interesting mass of mush and flies by the time you arrive at the track. Corn is an exception if left in the husk: easily prepared (some folks even eat corn al fresco), corn can be an appetizing addition to your on-site cookouts. Chayote squash is also a tough veg that can be fixed in a variety of ways. Justin Wilson refers to this cute little green squash relative as a mirliton. Chayotes can be sautéed in olive oil and a little butter (my favorite), cut into slices and deep fried or baked in water with a pat of butter in each half.

Mushrooms (while not technically a vegetable) can be a handy snack while traveling. They can be readily popped into the mouth when driving. Shiitakes and portobellos are the tastiest and the most beneficial, healthwise, but the garden variety snow caps work just fine.

Tomatoes to a real tomato fan like myself can be eaten like an apple providing you’re not dealing with an overripe example.

Carrots make a wonderful appetizer, especially the handy gourmet baby carrot type. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene. Tupperware style vinyl snap lock containers can keep your snack vegetables cool and fresh when tossed in your cooler.

Green peppers cut into manageable little strips can add some crisp diversity to your vegetable enjoyment. They too can be kept happy in the cooler.

Small broccoli “trees” are always fun and interesting to munch. Most everyone likes the miniature “foliage” they represent. A good ice breaker in the pits. Who cares if George Bush doesn’t like ’em?

Vegetables are an important part of any athlete’s regimen, but take care to supplement them with plenty of dry, crisp carbohydrates for balance.

RICE: Nutritionally, brown rice is better for you than standard white rice, most any rice is good for your exercise program. Rice is obviously not available at fast food chains, but its ease of preparation makes it an excellent traveling companion. Cooking before you embark on your journey, you can carry it in a rubber snap-lock container or rolled into golf ball sized spheres and wrapped in plastic wrap. Vietnamese soldiers carried rice in congealed balls like this for a satisfying light meal for quick energy. While this might not seem like the most palatable snack you could conjure up, it will be much more beneficial for you than a double cheeseburger and fries to go.

I recently lunched at an upscale, trendy bistro that boasted a dine-out patio. While I chose finger sandwiches, pasta and a thistle glass of Chardonnay, the pony-tailed chap next to me ordered a veggie burger. In between hurried snatches of his food, he alternately huffed and hacked away on English cigarettes. What good was the veggie burger doing him if he was going to wreck his system with unfiltered Player’s? The point of all this is to minimize the bad things you do to yourself and to capitalize on the good things you do for yourself. Plain yogurt doesn’t really taste all that great, but in the long view, it’s much better for you than the yogurt with half a jar of strawberry preserves in the bottom. Rice might not be your first choice for a stable diet, but it is incredibly nutritious for you, helps regulate your body’s water content and won’t tear up your upper or lower intestines on race day. Think carbo loading.

SUPPLEMENTS: Bear in mind that the absolute best way to acquire certain vitamins is by ingesting foods high in vitamins and minerals, but low in caloric or fatty content. However, in reality it is difficult to consume all the foods all the time that you need to maintain a good balance. This is where vitamins, minerals, herbals, and tonics can bridge the gap.

Vitamin E - Vitamin E may very well be one of the most beneficial to a racer during the active racing season, as well as the autumn and winter months. It has been found in studies to assist in repairing exercise-related injuries. Translate that to racing and the many crash-related injuries that racers sustain and we find that Vitamin E can cut down on the time that wounds and muscle trauma take to heal. This is good for the racer’s psyche as well; the less time one takes to bounce back after an accident, the more resilient and confident you feel as a whole. This is the bridge and girder principle; the stronger the structure, the better it weathers life’s storms and gales, yet it must flex.

Vitamin C - Everyone knows Vitamin C is a popular cold remedy. But besides boosting your immune system, it protects against many types of cancers such a lung, stomach, and pancreatic cancer. It is found naturally in oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruit, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, watermelon and broccoli. Many health food stores sell convenient Vitamin C drinks such as Emergen-C which will jump start you faster than caffeine and without the jitters or let-down that follows a couple of cups of coffee. Mixed into about 6 ounces of cool water (distilled) and taken slowly, it packs a hearty punch you can actually feel. It can be used to banish jet lag, truck lag, and just plain old fatigue. No race bag should be without this.

Vitamins For The Brain - OK, so you know that vitamins are necessary for a healthy body; but the B Vitamins are necessary for a healthy brain and the accompanying mental functions you need to be competitive. Vitamin B12 is the most critical to prevent insomnia, short attention span, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritability, and restlessness. Folate fights the blues. The other B Vitamins, B6, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamin combat depression, fatigue, confusion and short term memory loss. Get these naturally if possible (you can overdose on B6, stick with 50 milligrams or less per day). Your best source are clams, tuna, oysters, baked potato, bananas, sunflower seeds, whole grains, yogurt, peanuts and skim milk. Keep your brain alert, focused and fine-tuned with B Vitamins.

HERBALS: Herbal preparations and tonics have been used for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. While their effectiveness is often debated, many cultures have used them as a maintenance system to create good health rather than as only a remedy for disease. Don’t expect a superhuman transition if you party all week and then whip out a bag of herbal tonics and vitamins the day before the race. Used as a maintenance plan, herbals can supplement your exercise and nutrition programs.

Often dismissed as an aphrodisiac, ginseng is actually an all over body tonic that aids stamina and endurance. It can give you that little edge needed to finish the race. Ginseng can be taken in capsules, as a tea, in health/nutrition bars or in small vials mixed in a honey base. (Note: Female racers who are taking mega doses of Vitamin C should use ginseng sparingly; not as an everyday supplement.) Astragalus is exceptionally good for flu type illnesses or colds that have gone into the chest. It allows you to breathe a little easier with less phlegm. You will also feel perkier than you would with many over the counter treatments (examine the fine print: causes drowsiness, do not operate machinery . . . etc.). Like ginseng, it comes in quite a few different forms, from small vials of liquid to modern softgels.

Goldenseal is another root type herb that is considered a good cold and flu remedy. Take at the onset of the illness and discontinue when your symptoms are relieved.

Royal jelly is the substance that is fed to the queen bee of a hive. The only difference between a worker bee and a queen is that the queen is fed royal jelly. The queen will live up to forty times longer than a worker and within that span will lay literally millions of eggs. Royal jelly is considered nature’s most perfect food. It is rich in amino acids (the basic structure of protein), vitamins (especially Vitamin B5), as well as live enzymes. It can be used for quick energy, stamina and has a unique ability, when taken fresh, to “clear your head”. This is available in a variety of modes, the best being fresh, refrigerated Royal jelly.

Those of you who remember Marty Smith’s Motocross Nutrition Supplements may also recall that Bee Pollen was a major ingredient in his vitamins. Marty Smith was one of the first racers to incorporate this with important food into his supplements. The important aspects of bee pollen include endurance, strength and avoiding the stressed, whacked-out feeling after an especially grueling moto or heat. Usually in the from of a tablet, they are available commercially at health food stores and drug stores.

NOT ALL TRACK FOOD IS CREATED EQUAL: “How lucky do ya feel, punk?’ Many track concession companies will have you asking yourself that same question after several ill-fated trips to the snack bar. Some people have the widely bandied-about cast iron stomach and can eat anything, but the majority of folk in the paddock fall victim to the dreaded mystery meat sandwich while at the event. The more isolated facilities are the absolute worst; don’t even buy a toothpick at those tracks if you intend to race. Giving credit where credit is due, the church groups of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and nearby Johnsonville probably have the best food of any facility with quality, variety and a good price.

GASTROINTESTINAL ENNUI: While many things that you might ingest while racing and residing in a camping or motel scenario will digest satisfactorily, others will, in hind sight, seem like gastronomic suicide. Oftentimes there are other factors involved such as basic cleanliness or the availability, or lack of proper facilities. I’ve been to some racetrack showers/restrooms that resemble condemned shacks; still more sport concrete latrines and showers with an abundance of flies, no water and no soap. Racing is a dignified sport; many race facilities need better, cleaner places to clean up and refresh, especially with more and more women participating in racing. Most paddock restrooms are found wanting so that the source of intestinal distress is often the sad state of hygiene at the facility. For this reason it is a good idea to carry your own towels, soap, and bathroom tissue. That way you are not reliant on a dilatory management or a sticky-fingered custodian for something as fundamental as clean hands. Some race fans are also at fault here as many of the ceramics in the men’s rooms appear to have been recently damaged through the use of minor explosives. There is always a juvenile mind lurking locally at the race course that thrills to the spectacle of an exploding urinal. The situation of water at racetrack restrooms is sporadic at best. Holding tanks and wells stagnate quickly when the track is not in use, so washing water is perjured, with drinking water being totally out of the question. Always assume that every racetrack restroom facility has absolutely NO provisions of toilet paper or paper towels with which to dry your hands. Many don’t. If you bring your own along with a bar of soap, at least your hygiene won’t be compromised. Sure, it looks a little strange to assault the restrooms with toilet paper, soap and paper towels, but eventually people in the know (PITK) will respect you as an extremely savvy person because you had the foresight to carry your own.

EPILOGS: It is important to remember that there are many delicious looking, enticing, delectable foods in and around racetracks; however, the pressure, pace and the sometimes frantic attitude prevailing can do its worst to many a team member or rider. By adhering to what works best and is good for you, you can focus and concentrate on the job at hand. Whether you are a mechanic or champion, your immediate task will demand your total attention. Other than tension or raceday butterflies, nutrition is the single biggest variable for a racer within the person. For your machine, tires will always be your greatest variable; but given the human system, nutrition, or lack of it, can determine how well you place.

Quiere usted comer conmigo manana? Vaya con Dios.