Motion sickness

[schomosport]

I am suffering from motion sickness at the wheel - so much so that I am having to abort test sessions because I feel too ill to continue. This was never a problem with saloon cars but since switching to single seaters a few years ago it has become a recurring problem. Very light breakfast, nothing else during the day other than water and coffee but still problems.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so how did you cure it, if at all? Unfortunately most over the counter or prescription anti-nausea medicines have possible side effects (drowsiness, blurred vision) totally incompatible with circuit driving.

[1200Datto27]

I'd get your inner ears checked out, it might be that you have something wrong that is being made obvisous by the extra loads generated by an OW over a saloon car.

[CombeMarshal]

I'd agree with the inner Ear check out, Plus I find it best to not read or play games whilst driving, makes me sick every time!

[Rockmunky]

Shouldn't you be driving, isntead of reading/playing games?
i'd hate to travel in your car...

Yeah go get your ears checked out, could be the balancing whatnots in there.

[R59]

I'd go with the 'earoles' and get it checked out.

Do you suffer with any sinus problems? I find that racing in an full face hat compared to an open face left my sinuses bunged up, and sinus problems can sometime lead to nausea, and with that vision problems, and other nasties.

Sometimes practice leads to some sort of immunity, in that you just get used to it.

But as said before, get your quack to refer you to have your inner ear checked out.

Rob.

[ss_collins]

Used to get it on road rallies - so I pushed a little harder and scared myself. Would keep the chunks in.

[StephenRae]

I saw the end of a 'Mythbusters' episode on Sky...they concluded that 'ginger' pills, whatever they are had a beneficial effect.

[Trott]

My dad Richard Trott used to get motion sickness especially when racing at hilly circuits like Snetterton and Castle Combe. He eventually grew out of it, but it was so bad at one stage that he vomited inside his helmet!!!! hope that has never happened to you! He just pushed himself harder and trained his body to throw up only after a race had finished!!! Try that! Also get your ears checked out though! Best of luck.

[Anuauto]

If he found hills on the track at Castle Combe and Snetterton, I'd have thought being sick was the least of his worries!

[Mark Mitchell]

Could possibly be Vertigo - which ISN'T a phobia of heights!
Upsets your balance, thus making you feel nauseous.
You can get tablets but only from a Dr!

[Alan Raine]

I got it a couple of times at Cadwell Park, but there again I was never good on roller coasters! I found that keeping my visor open slightly and getting a bit of air helped.

[Lola]

Maybe it has something to do with being out of the car for a while. I find as i only drive once every 6 months (at the momment) that the first few laps make me feel at bit funny. The acceleration, g forces at the whole thing of process of all the input data to your brain etc...
A few miles under my belt and i get over it.
It does sound like you may have an inner ear thing or picked up a virus you didnt know about. See you around this season..... i hope

[jonbryant]

You'll spot the car. It'll be the one with a washing up bowl tank-taped to the side...

[schomosport]

Thanks for all the input. Good to see I'm not the only one that suffers from what seems such a ridiculous problem. Yes, Cadwell bedding in new pads/discs was the first time it kicked in - all that brake/accelerate/brake and it comes back from time to time to haunt me ever since. Kept it out of the helmet on Friday but only just - God knows what race control made of this guy undoing his helmet and fumbling for the harness whilst still driving up the pit lane. Remined me of my banger racing spectating days - radiator behind the driver and when the inevitably dubious plumbing let go as it was wont to do driver goit soaked in scalding water. Got out of boiler suit PDQ!

Ginger pills purchased, earholes being looked at.

Lola, yes hope to see you out again in Mono soon.

Cheers one and all

Schomosport

[Eric Falce]

I seem to remember when they(F1) first started using slicks they had problems with some of the drivers suffering a form of motion sickness ,this was way back in the seventy's, don't know if this has any bearing on you problems!

[Red Dog]

Cadwell (full circuit) affects a lot of drivers. I felt ghastly after a 10 lapper and several of the others admitted it was a problem. Some do take a type of anti sickness tablet but I don't know what.

James Hunt used to throw up regularly (usually before the race but occasionally during) but that was fear - according to him.

Didn't Jeremy Clarkson have problem in a fighter jet once? Maybe there was reflective dashboard.....

[GordonG]

I used to sail and got really badly seasick. First weekend of the season I would be sick no matter how calm the weather. By the end of the season so long as I didnt spend too long below (downstairs!) cooking corned beef hash or porridge in a gale I was OK.

I get queasy first time out at Cadwell, and sometimes at Brands, but after the first session it goes away. I'd suggest that as long as it's not dangerous (ie you;re not passing out or throwing up in your visor) you take the first session easy and it'll probably go away in time.

If you have a severe case, or it doesnt go away, it's got to be worth a trip to the doc to see if he can prescribe something that will not make you drowsy. I used to use Stugeron (over the counter) when I sailed, but gave up as it made it too hard to stay awake on watch. Puking kept me awake nicely.

G

[Al Weyman]

Paul Hawkins as I recollect was known to stop his GT40 halfway around a warm up lap and in his Aussie language 'Shoot a Tiger' but I think it may have been more to do with the partying the night before :-)

[schomosport]

Silverstone test weather was pants and I was off all over the place which may well have contributed. Popped some ginger pills for yesterday's Silverstone National and no problems whatsoever. Besides I was having far too much fun to worry about feeling poorly......but then that circuit is pretty benign compared with Cadwell.

[Austinspace75]

This might be a bit of a silly suggestion, but its possible that you aren't looking far enough up the road to allow your brain to properly assimilate where the horizon is. I get motion sickness when in the back of car or on a bus and find that the cure is to be looking forward at the horizon. Having driven a single seater, I can imagine that if I didn't look far enough up the road, I'd get sick too. I'm no doctor but I do know that for some of us, our sense of balance is much more sensitive to dissoreinting situations than others and needs the maximum amount of information to relax into the situation it is being faced with managing. Problems of this nature all relate to the brains ability to match what its seeing to what its sensing.
Sometimes when on a cross channel ferry in roughish weather, I've felt sick for a while but overcome it simply by forcing my brain to accept whats happening and therefore giving it the confidence to be cool with it!
This fits with those who say that they have just driven through the problem. Also, its quite natural for you now to expect to get sick when you get in the car, therefore you usually do!
I assume that you are a perfectly competent driver, but sometimes that means that you use instinctive techniques to judge your position on the track and see whats coming up. However, the change of perspective (a much lower one) may have thrown that out a little. Try cocking your head at differing angles as you corner in the car and always look as far up the road as you can. Sorry if I'm telling you something you already know!

Best of luck, you'll sort it out one way or another.

Cheers,
Tom.

[RAY DACKOMBE]

hi scho, how about a wooden wobble board,glad you had fun sunday.