Diabetic racer Kimball has 'bionic' drive to win

As a racecar driver, Charlie Kimball must constantly monitor the control panel mounted on his steering wheel.

Ignoring the car's speed, oil pressure, or even the air in each tire can invite deadly consequences for Kimball and his fellow Firestone Indy Lights series racers.

But there's one critical control on Kimball's dash that no other driver needs: a continuous blood glucose monitor. As the only licensed racer living with Type 1 diabetes, the 25-year-old driver must keep his body balanced throughout races, including next weekend's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Though not as high-tech as his racing engine, Kimball equipped his car with a few innovative tools to maintain healthy insulin levels before and during the Indy Light races, which last about an hour. Cars routinely reach speeds up to 170 miles an hour in this developmental league.

His wireless monitor display attaches to his dash, and if the number drops below a comfortable level, or if Kimball feels lightheaded, he sips orange juice connected to his helmet via a plastic tube. Given there's no wiggle room in the open wheel car's cockpit, these contraptions intertwine his body to the car.

"I feel a little like a bionic man," says Kimball, who starts his second Indy Lights season at St. Petersburg. "It gives me the confidence to compete safely."

Although many people with Type 1 diabetes are diagnosed as children, Kimball didn't find out until 2007, when he was an aspiring driver in the European World Series by Renault. He visited a doctor for an annoying skin rash and mentioned to the doctor his constant thirst, a major red flag for diabetics whose bodies fail to produce any insulin.

Now, Kimball acknowledges there were plenty of warning signs, such as lethargy and a drastic weight loss from his 5-foot-11 frame. He dropped out of racing for a few months to regroup with his family, and nutritionists and endocrinologists who specialized in treating professional athletes. His diet and medical maintenance are as regulated as his car.

"Even now, I know the schedule for St. Pete, and I'm timing my meals," says Kimball, a member of the AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport team.

On race days, Kimball will check his blood sugars up to a dozen times, up from the normal four to six tests daily. He self-injects himself with insulin immediately before being strapped into the racecar because there's no room for an automated insulin pump in the cramped cockpit.

And, following in the grand tradition of auto sport marketing, Kimball has capitalized on his condition with sponsorships from both the glucose monitor company Dexcom and insulin supplier Novo Nordisk, which sponsors his No. 26 Levemir FlexPen car.

Last year was Kimball's first in the Indy Lights series, and he placed seventh at St. Petersburg. He's aiming higher this year, and hopes to graduate soon to the premiere Izod Indy Car series featured at the local Grand Prix.

Those races, which include the world famous Indianapolis 500, often require drivers to be behind the wheel for up to three hours. And Kimball says establishing good driving diabetes maintenance now will only make his transition to the main stage smoother.

"I'm trying to put protocols in place for the future," he says. "When I step up to Indy Car, and cars are far more competitive and the races are longer, I'll be comfortable."