PETER DUMBRECK, 46, IS A RACE CAR DRIVER FOR FALKEN TYRES
Peter Dumbreck lives just outside Banbury, Oxfordshire, with his wife, Claire and their children, Laurie, 14 and Edgar, 12
I’ve been racing cars professionally since 1993 and I am now the oldest in my team by 15 years. When I hit 40, I realised I needed a high level of fitness to prolong my career. A lot of it is down to mental fitness, and not losing your focus when racing.
But car racing also requires physical fitness. I race at Nürburgring, in western Germany, which is one of the longest tracks in the world with races that can last four to six hours. It’s like driving the most windy public roads in Wales or Scotland but you’re doing corners at 240km an hour (149mph). If you make a mistake, you have about 6ft of grass and then you’re in the barrier. It’s dangerous and some large crashes happen at Nürburgring.
I used to run in school and have used the gym on and off for years. But in 2013 I was racing for
Aston Martin and my team-mates wanted to do the Land’s
End to John O’groats cycle ride. I was a hobby cyclist, mountain biking at the time, but I fell in love with road cycling and kept at it. I started to cycle near my home and met a pro rider, who lives locally, and joined his team in training. They are all riders at international level – and in their 20s – and I have to push myself to my limits to keep up.
My workout week
During the winter when it’s cold, I train in the gym. But when lockdown hit, the weather got nice and I am now doing about 300km (186 miles) a week of road cycling, which I do over five days, with perhaps a 100km long ride and shorter trips on the other days. I would cycle typically for two hours at an average of about 32km an hour. I can push a maximum heart rate of 196, which isn’t bad for 46! I also play golf three times a week. I am definitely fitter now at 46 than I have ever been.
My dieting principles
I sometimes think about going vegan because I can see the science behind how it could give me a competitive edge. But as a meat eater, I hate the idea – though I have started to buy local meat produce so I know where it comes from, and that tastes better too.
Now I eat fairly healthily overall, but with a bit of everything, including the odd beer and curry. Life’s too short for having a strict diet.
What I eat in a day:
Breakfast: Sourdough toast with mashed tomato pulp, avocado and olive oil, along with a cup of black coffee.
Lunch: A tin of Tesco’s Tuscan bean soup and a tuna sandwich.
Dinner: Curry with friends, saag chicken tikka madras, two beers.