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The anatomy of performance: can Oxford find a way to measure the thrill of driving?

The same car, on the same road, can feel very different depending on who’s driving. Which makes this a little more complicated than checking a stopwatch. Together with researchers from the SDG Impact Lab at the University of Oxford, we set out to better understand the thrill of driving and explore whether it can be measured. The anatomy of performance follows that work across four episodes.

Episode 1: can we put a number on the thrill of driving?

Before we head to the track, our host Babak takes us through what we mean by the thrill of driving and how we can study it. Over the series, he’ll take us from Gotland Ring to Portimão and Oxford, as we carry out tests, explore how drivers’ brains and bodies respond, and hear what the researchers find.

“We have to build a framework to do the measuring that can account for what's going on, not just in the body, not just in the brain, but in the mind as well.”

Maxwell Klapow, MPhil scholar, Oxford SDG Impact Lab

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Change without compromise: how Kyle Chalmers is balancing life outside the pool

Life at the elite sporting level demands dedication and focus. For Kyle Chalmers, Olympic champion and one of Australia’s most decorated swimmers, that focus has always been on performance, pushing his body and mind to their limits in the relentless pursuit of victory. But outside the pool, Kyle is navigating a series of life-defining changes: marriage, a baby on the way, a move to the country – all while navigating a shift toward a more sustainable lifestyle.