How do you go from Taunton to working with motorsport’s elite in California?

Simon Hayes, whose family are from Taunton, has a company based in Los Angeles which works with some of the world’s top racing drivers to help them get the most out of their physical training.

Up until 2001 Simon worked as human performance director for McLaren Formula 1 racing team with Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard.

Simon’s current clients include up and coming young open wheel professional race drivers Annie Hayden and Toyo Tires F1600 driver Amy Castell, and his company has NASCAR, Formula E and Indy racing drivers on its books.

So how does one get into the world of motorsport training?

With a successful military career and a degree in sports medicine under his belt, Simon took the opportunity to manage a health club.

“While at the health club I was introduced to one of the shareholders who happened to be Frank Williams (owner of Williams Formula 1 team) who said he needed a trainer for his new young driver David Coulthard,” Simon said.

When Coulthard moved to McLaren in 1998, Simon went with him and within a year he was promoted to be the team director of human performance.

“When I was still human performance manager at McLaren F1 team, I envisaged that there would need to be some kind of provision for racing drivers as athletes,” he added.

Simon set up his company Performance Physixx to provide an education platform where we can give them the training information so they can access all their data, heart rate and nutrition information wherever they are in the world.

Simon emphasised that not only do racing drivers need different training to other athletes, they also need different training depending on the type of racing they are taking part in.

“Formula 1 drivers require a lot of cardiovascular training as well as doing exercises to strengthen their neck muscles so they can cope with the G force they experience on the track.”

Simon has always enjoyed coming back to visit his strong family links in Somerset.

“My grandfather was in the British Army in Taunton and was a member of the River Tome Choir, and it always good to come and see my father here.”