Professional rally driver Cody Crocker, 36, is the winner of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship 2007. He tells Elaine Young about mental and physical fitness, and being a bad back-seat driver.
Most kids aren't allowed behind the wheel of a car until they are 17. So how did you start at the age of 12?
I come from a motorsport-oriented family and my father, Barrie Crocker, runs an automotive engineering business. He buys and sells cars, and has been involved in rally driving since the early 1970s.
My father bought me my first car when I was 12 - a Honda Z. It cost A$150 and I spent nights driving it up and down the long gravel driveway of our house in Melbourne, Australia.
And how did this early boy-racer get into competitive motorsport?
I got my first rally car when I was 14 when my father bought one - for himself, actually. That fuelled my interest in rallying and I started competing in autocross circuits, which are time trials on gravel-covered rally circuits.
I won my first autocross competition when I was 16 and continued to race in autocross until I turned 18, when I got my driving licence. I started rallying in 1988 and was approached by Subaru Australia in 1998 to be a part of its team driving a Group N (modified sedan) car - my first big break in my rallying career.
I went on to compete in several Australian Rally Championships, winning consecutive titles from 1998 to 2001.
I continued my winning streak by bagging the Australian Rally Champion title consecutively from 2003 to 2005, and started competing in the FIA Asia Pacific Championships in 2006 where I clinched the title.
This year, I started rallying with Singapore's Motor Image Rally Team.
Has keeping fit always been important to you?
It is important to maintain fitness in order to cope with the mental and physical stress of rallying. Being physically fit also helps with concentration, which is absolutely essential during a rally.
What's your fitness regime?
For general fitness, I run and swim regularly. I also train with free weights.
This helps with my hand reflexes as during a rally, I often have to manoeuvre the steering wheel sharply and quickly in order to whisk around sudden and acute corners of the rally circuit.
I keep my mind fit by playing driving simulation games on my computer and PS2 (PlayStation 2). I find that they help with concentration as a session of these games can be as long as an actual rally.
What level of physical fitness does rally driving require?
Being physically and mentally fit also helps a driver to cope with the heat, which can be searing on certain legs of a rally competition. At the Malaysian Rally in August, it was absolutely scorching with temperatures rising to almost 40 degrees C.
How do you kick-start your day?
I'm not good at waking up. But when I'm at home, I usually wake up and feed the pets. I have a dog, a cat, a pet budgie and a tank of fish. By the time I'm done with feeding them, I'm wide awake! It's a nice way to wake up.
And how do you typically end a day?
I like to kick back and relax by sitting down to watch some television after dinner with my wife and my pets.
How do you nourish your body - any foods a must and any off limits?
During a rally, it does help when I drink plenty of water. I also consume a supplement called Nuun, which is an active hydration tablet that I drop into water. It contains a complex mix of electrolytes which helps me to rehydrate.
It is possible for a rally driver to lose up to 3kg in weight during a rally, especially when it is hot. The inner conditions of a rally car can be scorching as it is about 20 degrees hotter than the temperature outside.
What do you do to relax when you aren't working?
I've just moved into a new house that I built back in Melbourne, so when I am not rallying, I spend most of my time working on it. I'm in the midst of building a driveway, and I'm in charge of the landscaping as well.
I also love water sports like jet-skiing and waterskiing. Of course, I also relax by playing games on my computer or PS2.
If you had three wishes to improve your health/wellness, what would they be?
My first wish would be to win the lottery! That should take away the mental stress from having to spend money.
For my second wish, I would like to be 10 years younger as I'll have more chances in getting into the World Rally Championship.
For my third wish, if I could choose, I'd like to be Superman!
What kind of car do you drive when you are off-duty, and how bad a back-seat driver are you if someone else is driving?
I drive a 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi when I'm not rallying. I'm a very bad back-seat driver because I am always tempted to give the person driving advice, but I bite my tongue!
What's the best piece of advice you have been given that you have actually followed?
A sports psychologist said to me: "Control the controllables." There's no point worrying about things you can't control, which is applicable in any situation in life.
How do you achieve work-life balance?
I'm fortunate to be able to get away a lot during a rally championship. The Asia Pacific Rally Championship runs yearly from April till November. On the average, we get about one to two months between each rally leg, so I do get to go back home to Melbourne and spend quality time with my wife and the pets.
