Riders Getting Leaner And Leaner - Aleix Espargaro On Weight, Strength and Training
Categories: MotoGP
Physical fitness and nutrition play an increasingly important role in MotoGP. The current riders are trained all-round athletes. Why strength with not too much weight is crucial.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, current championship ruinner-up Aleix Espargaro explains: “It’s brutal! All the riders are athletes today. The bikes are physically demanding.”
Espargaro himself loves road cycling and rides his road bike with some of the biggest road cycling stars in the world on the regular.
Being accurate in what and when to eat and training hard in his freetime is a crucial part in the success for the Spaniard.
Otro dia largo y rapido de entreno, que lujo poder sumar horas al lado de este crac! @NairoQuinCo al final me haces ir rapido y todo parce...!! 🥵🔥👑 pic.twitter.com/xdULbSYRn4
— Aleix Espargaró (@AleixEspargaro) August 29, 2022
Due to the high performance engines and a super-balanced grid, there is no room for errors. “You have to be physically at a very high level, also because everything is so balanced.”
Espargaro explains: “We use all the power, but our arms are like they used to be when we only rode with 220 to 225 hp.”
Aleix Espargaro on the 2010 Pramac Ducatin – Image provided by Motorsport Images
The current engines equip the bikes with an output of around 300 hp. Paired with a minimum weight in MotoGP of 157 kg, the result is an unreal performance package.
But since MotoGP is getting closer and closer, a “war” on weight is inevitable. The fact is, three kilos of rider weight added, results in the loss of approximately 1 hp. Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro gives an example:
“When Maverick [Vinales] joined us, he was four or five kilograms heavier than me. In Malaysia, he lost a tenth of a second on the straight because of that. He also changed his preparation to lose a few kilograms and become stronger.”
