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The old adage ‘you are what you eat’ holds true for Suzuki’s Grand Prix motorcycle racers Kenny Roberts and Nobuatsu Aoki.
Under the guidance of team physiotherapist Dean Miller, a highly qualified sports therapist from California, both Roberts and Aoki have been eating for speed during 1999. And as the season wears on, both riders believe they are feeling the benefits of the special diet and supplement regime.
Indeed, after initial scepticism from the rest of the team, the mechanics and even the team manager are now on a similar diet!
The athletic side of motorcycle racing is often not appreciated, but riders must be at least as fit as any professional sportsmen – something a New Zealander was one of the first to appreciate.
In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Hugh Anderson raced to four World Motorcycle Championships for Suzuki and bases much of his success on being careful with his diet as well as maintaining a high level of physical fitness.
But unlike Dean Miller, Anderson did not have access to some of the world’s leading sports medicine specialists or dieticians.
The Team Suzuki sports therapist has been working closely with a specialist American company, giving each Suzuki rider a carefully tailored intake of vitamin and other supplements, aimed directly at optimising not only physical performance, but even the rider’s state of mind.
The Team Suzuki rider’s vitamins and food supplements have been supplied by Dallas, Texas company Advocare, using a range of state-of-the-art vitamin supplements and performance products, particularly from a new range named Performance Optimizer System (POS).
“I’m particularly impressed with a new product that we started using during the season, which improves mental alertness and aggression. Both our riders have had a very positive mental approach to recent races, have made good starts, and ridden aggressively in the early laps. I think it’s because of the latest supplement, POS4,” says Miller.
“They are made from natural products, and designed to target specific needs directly, but in a way that is completely friendly to the natural metabolism,” the Team Suzuki therapist says.
“We are targeting performance, recovery and overall health – working on optimising each rider’s action potential as well as their rest and sleep patterns and to reduce stress levels”.
“One thing that has been noticeable this year is that both riders have been very healthy – no influenza, colds or minor ailments; while Nobuatsu made a remarkable recovery after suffering four fractures in his wrist, and undergoing surgery. He was back racing within six weeks,” says Miller.
The Advocare POS-1, -2, -3 and –4 supplements come either as drinks or tablets, and Miller combines their application with careful control of diet, with each regime individually tailored to take into account the rider’s body weight and metabolism, and their eating preferences.
“For instance, Kenny has a more US-based diet, but he eats a lot of fish; Nobuatsu prefers Japanese food, so he already eats a lot of rice, which is a very good carbohydrate. However in his case it’s important to push the protein.”
At the track, Team Suzuki’s caterers, Cator, prepare special meals for each rider.
“We ask them what they want, then I’ll work out with the cooks how to make that meal fit in to the pattern – perhaps by mixing some spinach with the fish and rice, for example,” Miller explained.
The Advocare system takes the art of eating for success beyond the simple notion of ingesting large quantities of pasta or rice – known as “carb-loading”.
Instead, the POS2 drink, given to the riders after each practice and race, comprises a complex carbohydrate that restores energy. The latest supplement, POS4, administered 30 minutes before the race or before a meal, is an amino-acid that directly stimulates brain and muscle activity.
Online Suzuki Dealers:
Ingram & Worsley
Phil Turnbull Motorcycles
Red Baron
ARTICLE SUPPLIED COURTESY OF:
Tom Peck, Motorcycle Marketing Manager
Suzuki New Zealand Limited
Private Bag 3008
WANGANUI
Tel: 06-345 8544
Fax: 06-345 4352
