Motorcycling Australia press release:

Motorcycling Australia Elite Performance Academy Exercise Physiologist Tim Cole believes this year’s camps have created a successful base for the program’s future.

Speaking at the conclusion of the second camp for 2015 on the Gold Coast, Cole said the EPA had gone a long way to achieving its early objectives after a revamp of Motorcycling Australia’s high performance development programs this year.

“This camp is different to anything that has ever been done in Australia,” Cole said. “We had our first sports science camp (in June) and this one was designed to assess and build motorcycle riders; not just a motocross rider, not just a speedway rider, not just an enduro rider or a road racer, but a guy that is good fundamentally and has a base that can be developed.

“That is essentially what we have done here. We’ve stripped back all the specifics from each motorcycle discipline and actually tried to assess the ability of the riders on a bike that is standard – there is no difference between the bikes. They’re all on the same surface, so we’re trying to see who can step up, adjust to the conditions and find a way to make the bike go fast.”

Cole said as a result of the weekend’s testing, the eight riders in the program would be provided feedback as to where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

“We’ve done assessments and been able to record the way that they have ridden,” Cole said. “Whether that is corner entry, mid corner or exit, we’ve actually started to quantify and objectively score how they’re performing and based on that we’ve been able to build a step-by-step curriculum to give a complete package of a rider.”

The step-by-step curriculum will continue to build into next year, with the current eight EPA squad members returning for the first camp in 2016. They will also be joined at that camp by a new crop of eight riders, with two riders to be selected from each of the motorcross, enduro, speedway/dirt track and road racing disciplines. At the conclusion of the first 2016 camp, the squad of 16 will again be cut to eight to continue in the EPA program for the year.

“This is a three-year program and the aim is to have funding to get these kids to Europe. The first and last goal of this program has to be to get kids ready to win world championships,” Cole said.

“Some of our squad members (from the 2015 program) will be back – hopefully a lot of our squad members will be back – but some might get replaced, that’s how an elite squad works. From there we will keep having this turn over and our best riders will rise to the top.”

Cole thanked the sponsors of the EPA –Yamaha Motor Australia, SenseCore and Shotz Sports Nutrition – for playing a key role in the high performance aspect of the program.

“First of all Yamaha, who have supplied us with the TTR 125s. They are an entry-level bike, but we’re using them as an advanced training tool and they’re perfect as a supplementary modality that no one is really utilising,” Cole said.

“SenseCore’s tracking systems have been great; their tracking systems have allowed us to quantify heart rate, respiration, skin temperature and g-forces the guys have got on the bike. “And then finally we have Shotz, who have supplied us with products to ensure the boys are recovered and they are pulling up well between sessions.”