What unsettles a person more: the Champions League final, or driving a Nissan GT-R at speed?

Nissan has carried out a study comparing the vital signs of several subjects watching a Champions League match and riding as co-driver in a Nissan GT-R.

Nissan is one of the official sponsors of the UEFA Champions League. Every year it invests a considerable amount of money in promoting its brand through the European competition, and this year the Japanese firm has used a rather curious and appealing approach to showcase its vehicles: comparing the excitement that the Champions League generates with one of the most thrilling sports cars in the world: the Nissan GT-R.

To obtain conclusive data, the Japanese carmaker carried out a study together with several experts from the University of Loughborough (United Kingdom), in which the heart and respiratory rates were measured of several participants in two different situations. First, the volunteers attended in person several important Champions League matches, where changes in their vital signs were assessed across the different phases of the game, and second, the participants did the same on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit (Belgium) as co-drivers on board a Nissan GT-R.

After carrying out the relevant tests, Dr. Dale Eslinger, one of the sports science experts at the British university, concluded that the heart rate of football fans and of the co-drivers of a car are quite similar, above all because of the heart rate spikes that occurred during a goal or when taking a tight bend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g39iDkHCg-0

“The main differences we found were the physiological responses of the passengers and football supporters in terms of breathing. During the football matches we identified several increases in breathing rate followed by a drop in respiratory rhythm; the reason is that the fans hold their breath at certain key moments of anticipation, which shows that the 90 minutes of a football match are a rollercoaster of emotions for the spectator. Whereas for the GT-R passengers the breathing rate rises steadily, which suggests a much more sustained sense of excitement,” says Dale Eslinger.

We’ll see what happens this Saturday between Real Madrid and Juventus, but either way, you know that if things don’t go well, you can always turn to the Nissan GT-R option.