How the Shell V-Power Racing Team Stay Race-Ready with Rygg Heate™ & Rygg Khule™

This article was written in collaboration with Dr. Steve Andrews, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Founder of Rygg.

Peer-reviewed research increasingly recognises racing drivers as endurance athletes operating under uniquely physical conditions:

• Drivers operate at 65–85% of maximal heart rate for the duration of a race, with cardiovascular responses comparable to those seen in rugby and football athletes (Potkanowicz & Mendel, 2013).
• Sustained G-loads during braking, cornering, and acceleration place extreme demand on the cervical spine and neck musculature, which must stabilise a helmeted head under forces several times its own weight (Potkanowicz & Mendel, 2013).
• Upper-body fatigue, especially in the shoulders, is the most commonly reported form of post-race muscle soreness, with back and torso complaints the most common musculoskeletal issues (Ebben et al., 2012).
• Protective innovations such as the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device have dramatically reduced catastrophic cervical injury, but do not remove the sustained isometric loading that drivers experience every session (Kaul et al., 2016).
• In-cockpit heat, extended isometric contraction, and compressed turnaround times between qualifying and races compound fatigue across a race weekend.

These loads don’t ease across a weekend. A typical Supercars round stacks practice, qualifying, and multiple race sessions across three days, with championship rounds often only a fortnight apart and endurance events like the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 pushing stint lengths far beyond sprint format.

Heat applied before exercise is one of the oldest tools in sports medicine, and research continues to explore how pre-activity warming influences tissue readiness and neuromuscular preparation (Petrofsky et al., 2013). In motorsport, the first corner of a race will load a driver’s neck sideways under multiple G, which is why the pre-session window matters.

Rygg Heate™ Thermo Performance Cream is formulated to improve muscle performance, endurance, and stamina, and to help reduce mild joint aches and pains delivered through a controlled warming sensation that works in the garage, the transporter, or the driver’s room.

Benefits for drivers

• Formulated to improve muscle performance, endurance, and stamina.
• Helps reduce mild joint aches and pains.
• Informed Sport Certified for certainty and peace of mind under motorsport anti-doping frameworks.
• Delivers a controlled warming sensation as helmet, balaclava, and HANS are fitted.

Typical use of Rygg Heate™

• Cervical spine and trapezius before qualifying and race sessions.
• Shoulders and forearms before extended stints behind the wheel.
• Lumbar region before strapping into the seat.
• Calves and glutes before and during endurance events such as the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

Dr Andrews:

“The five minutes before a driver clips in the HANS and lowers the visor is when warmth earns its keep. You want the neck, traps, and forearms already prepared and not catching up on lap three.”

Cold applied after exertion is a well-studied recovery modality, with peer-reviewed research supporting its role in post-exercise recovery protocols (Bleakley & Davison, 2010; Dupuy et al., 2018). For motorsport athletes, the recovery window matters and drivers often have to back up for a second race the same afternoon, and for co-drivers in endurance events the turnaround between stints is counted in minutes.

Rygg Khule™ Cryo Active Gel is formulated to aid post-exercise recovery, help reduce mild joint inflammation and swelling, and help reduce symptoms of muscle sprain and strain by delivered in a fast-absorbing, non-greasy cooling gel that works anywhere from the garage to the motorhome to the flight home.

Why drivers and crew use it

• Aids post-exercise recovery.
• Helps reduce mild joint inflammation and swelling.
• Helps reduce symptoms of muscle sprain and strain.
• Informed Sport Certified for certainty and peace of mind.
• Delivers an immediate cooling sensation as part of the post-session ritual.

Application zones

• Neck, traps, and shoulders after every session.
• Forearms and grip musculature after qualifying and races.
• Lumbar region after extended cockpit time.
• Any area flagged by trackside physio or team medical staff.

Dr Andrews:

“Cooling after a race isn’t a luxury, it’s how you give yourself the best chance of being ready for the next session. In a sprint round that next session often happens faster than most people realise.”

Motorsport sits under the umbrella of the FIA and, domestically, Sport Integrity Australia, with Supercars drivers subject to in- and out-of-competition testing under the World Anti-Doping Code. Every batch of Rygg Heate™ and Rygg Khule™ undergoes independent screening by Informed Sport, verifying freedom from WADA-prohibited substances.

Why it matters

• Meets WADA, FIA, and Sport Integrity Australia testing standards.
• Allows team doctors and performance staff to validate batch codes for compliance.
• Provides consistency across international rounds and for drivers competing in multiple categories.

Dr Andrews:

“Drivers are tested the same as any Olympic athlete. They deserve products that can be tested the same way too.”

Unlike cosmetic balms, Rygg formulations were designed from a sports-medicine perspective, balancing efficacy with regulatory and real-world practicality.

Dr Andrews:

“I built Rygg with a very clear focus on what I wanted to achieve. Whether it’s a footballer at full-time or a driver on the cool-down lap, every ingredient had to meet both medical scrutiny and real-world practicality.”

This dual focus of science and simplicity makes Rygg a natural fit for motorsport. A discipline where there is no margin for ambiguity on what goes on, in, or near an athlete’s body.

• Rygg Heate™ Thermo Performance Cream: formulated to improve muscle performance, endurance, and stamina, and help reduce mild joint aches and pains.
• Rygg Khule™ Cryo Active Gel: aids post-exercise recovery, helps reduce mild joint inflammation and swelling, and helps reduce symptoms of muscle sprain and strain.
• Informed Sport Certified: tested, trusted, compliant with WADA, FIA, and Sport Integrity Australia standards.
• Scientifically grounded: pre-session heat and post-session cold therapy backed by peer-reviewed research.
• Adopted by elite teams across motorsport, football, rugby, and baseball.

Dr Andrews:

“The best motorsport programs treat recovery as part of the lap. Rygg is built for that mindset.”

1. Bleakley CM, Davison GW. (2010). What is the biochemical and physiological rationale for using cryotherapy in sports injury management? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(3): 179–187.
2. Dupuy O et al. (2018). An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques. Frontiers in Physiology, 9: 403.
3. Ebben WP et al. (2012). Physical demands, injuries, and conditioning practices of stock car drivers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(5): 1196–1201.
4. Kaul A, Abbas A, Smith G, Manjila S, Pace J, Steinmetz M. (2016). A revolution in preventing fatal craniovertebral junction injuries: lessons learned from the Head and Neck Support device in professional auto racing. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 25(6): 756–761.
5. Petrofsky JS et al. (2013). Comparison of different heat modalities on muscle flexibility and skin temperature. Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology, 37(4): 357–362.
6. Potkanowicz ES, Mendel RW. (2013). The case for driver science in motorsport: a review and recommendations. Sports Medicine, 43(7): 565–574.

This article was written in collaboration with Dr. Steve Andrews, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Founder of Rygg Health & Performance — Rygg — Surgeon-formulated. Informed Sport certified. More than movement.