Motorsport aces put through their paces
LEADING athletes from across the world of motorsport have been put through their paces at Loughborough University – all in the name of gaining an advantage over their competitors, both on and off the track.
Over the past 15 years, Loughborough experts have supported elite-level riders and drivers from the world of motorsport, including those competing in World Superbike, Formula 3, British Touring Car and World Rally Championships.
Now, Loughborough Sport is offering bespoke packages to teams and athletes across a whole host of disciplines including labbased physiology fitness testing, nutrition advice, physio screening, strength testing, preparation for racing in the heat, sleep and travel strategies, and psychological and cognitive function.
Drawing upon extensive experience and expertise across the University, the support service on offer allows athletes to integrate testing into their own schedules for optimal impact.
Steve Harris, Performance Physiologist, explained: “Athletes have the opportunity to benefit from all of our performance support services, working together to produce one plan for the athlete.
“This is something that really allows someone to be pushed forward to their maximum and improve their performance across the board.
“We believe that the full breadth of support and experts in each one of those fields is almost an unrivalled offer.”
One athlete who has benefited from the service is Sylvain Guintoli, Team Suzuki Ecstar rider and the 2014 FIM World Superbike Champion.
He said: “I first met with the Loughborough Performance Centre team back in 2007, looking for guidance for my training, conditioning, and nutrition programmes. Over the years, multiple tests, studies and meetings have significantly improved my understanding of my needs for the sport and how to improve my racing performance.”
Petronas Sprinta SRT Moto 2 team’s Jake Dixon is another rider who has called on Loughborough to give him a competitive edge:
He said: “I wanted to improve my training and performance overall, so I chose to come to Loughborough and have some fitness testing. I did several sessions including strength and conditioning, physio screening nutrition and then heat training and a Vo2 max test.
“The whole experience has been great. It’s such a great team of people here and I can’t wait to have a long working relationship with them.
“For anyone thinking about coming, I would say come with an open mind - it’s going to improve you as an athlete as you’ve only got the best here and the best people on the job.”