BBC Learning English People and Places David Coulthard bbclearningenglish.com
Jackie: Hello, welcome to the programme, with me Jackie Dalton. I don’t know if this sound means anything to you, but to me it conjures up images of my dad dropping off to sleep in front of the television on a Sunday afternoon, and can only mean one thing: Formula One motor racing. Also known as, if you say it with a very English accent, the Grand Prix. Today we meet one of the world's top Formula One drivers – David Coulthard. And the first question you'd have to ask any F1 driver: what’s it like driving round a track in Monaco at 280 kilometres an hour? David That takes precision, it takes full concentration and it's a beautiful feeling to be so focused on one task and have no other distractions. Jackie: David says you need precision – precision. This means being exact or accurate, you have to do everything exactly right. He also says it takes full concentration – you have to be completely focused on what you're doing and not think about anything else. He says this is a beautiful feeling. Next he'll use an informal expression to describe a state where he is very focused. Try and listen out for what it is. David The great thing about being in a racing car when you're really in the zone, you are 100 per cent on the thought process of driving that car. Jackie: Did you get the expression? It was 'in the zone'. We say someone is 'in the zone' when they're so focused on what they're doing that nothing else matters, and this improves their performance. It's often used in the context of sport. Let's hear David again, listen out for those terms: 'precision', 'concentration' and to be 'in the zone'. David That takes precision, it takes full concentration and it's a beautiful feeling to be so focused on one task and have no other distractions. The great thing about being in a racing car when you're really in the zone, you are 100 per cent on the thought process of driving that car. Jackie: But what does it feel like physically to be in a racing car? Is it comfortable? Listen to find out. David The physical aspect of driving a Grand Prix car is less comfortable than people may imagine because you're in a very cramped cockpit, temperatures are very high and the car is millimetres from the ground and very often banging the ground so it's quite harsh, a lot of drivers have lower back problems and neck problems because of the g-forces. Jackie: No, it's not comfortable. David says you're in a cramped cockpit. 'Cramped' means there's not much space, the 'cockpit' is the part of the car he sits in. He also says it gets hot and you're very close to the ground. Listen again. This time, try to answer this question: what kinds of health problems do Formula One drivers often have? David The physical aspect of driving a Grand Prix car is less comfortable than people may imagine because you're in a very cramped cockpit, temperatures are very high and the car is millimetres from the ground and very often banging the ground so it's quite harsh, a lot of drivers have lower back problems and neck problems because of the g-forces. Jackie: Did you get the answer? They often have lower back and neck problems. But David Coulthard used to struggle with another health problem: bulimia. This is an eating disorder where people make themselves vomit to get rid of the food they've eaten to lose weight. It's something that's not often talked about in his world. David It's probably more common to hear it in relation to ladies and it's not something that within the macho world of motor sport would be spoken about. Jackie: David uses the word 'macho' to describe the world of motor sport. 'Macho' means to try to seem tough and show no em