Rednal driver Tobias Owen is gearing up for his first-ever season in motorsport. He writes for The Standard three weeks before his racing debut.
I WAS at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk last week, giving the car its final shakedown run before the start of the racing season on March 23.
We have put a new race engine in the car since I last drove it, so I was looking forward to finding out what it could do.
The morning went really well. The car felt great and every time we changed the set-up, I went faster.
Unfortunately, we were blighted by the Great British weather in the afternoon as it rained steadily, meaning I couldn’t improve my times further.
On the positive side, I got some wet weather practice in. After all, living in England we’re bound to be racing in the rain at some point!
Overall it was a good day of testing which gives me confidence going into the first races of the season in three weeks’ time.
I haven’t had as much time in the car as I would have liked due to various factors so it was a relief to get a full day of trouble-free running under my belt.
As well as getting the car ready, I’ve also got to make sure I get myself prepared.
Racing drivers need to be fit, so I’ll have to do plenty of cardio work. I’ll be doing some weights training too, but it’s got to be the right kind of exercise.
For racing, muscular endurance is more important than definition, which means lots of repetitions on low weights rather than lifting the heavy stuff.
There’s a great series of short video workouts by Les Mills that I can do at home, which is really important to me because I want to balance family time with my racing career.
My wife is doing the programme with me, which is great, as it’s a way of doing the preparation I need without sacrificing time with her.
As any dad knows, chasing around after an active toddler is as good as any workout, and with the great weather we’ve had over the last week or two it’s been an opportunity to get outside and get some exercise with the little one too.
l Should anyone wish to follow me as I embark upon my racing journey, I am on Facebook (@TobyOwenRacing), Twitter (@RacingdadUK) and Instagram (@RacingDadUK).
I will also be starting a series of video diaries on YouTube over the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled…
