Influence of circadian rhythm on performance and physical capacities of crack auto model pilots

Abstract

Introduction: It is known that the circadian rhythm influences physical performance, and the daily oscillations of human performance in different sports are relatively well defined. However, there are no studies regarding the influence of the biological clock on the performance of slot car modelers. Objective: To verify and compare the performance, reaction time and handgrip strength of Model Slot Car pilots during different times of the day. Materials and Methods: Seven volunteers were evaluated, using specific tests to quantify the performance during the practice of Slot Car Racing, the reaction time test and handgrip strength. The tests were carried out at 09:00 and 17:00.. Results: Descriptively, it was found that at 17:00 the pilots presented superior performance at 09:00. That is, they covered an 8% greater distance and the best lap was 2.5% faster. On the other hand, reaction time was 20% better in the afternoon. However, in relation to handgrip strength, there was no change between times of day. The correlation between distance covered and best lap was r = -0.98 at 9 am and r = -0.93 at 5 pm. As for distance and strength r = 0.51 and r = 0.71 and between strength and best lap r = -0.75 and r = -0.99 at 9 am and 5 pm respectively. Bottom line: The performance and reaction time of the Rift Motorsport drivers were descriptively better at 17:00. On the other hand, regardless of the time of day, there was a strong correlation between the distance covered and the best lap in the tests, as well as between the handgrip strength and the performance in Slot Racing.