2011 MotoGP Prep
With the opening round of the 2011 MotoGP Championship at Qatar two months away (March 20), LCR Honda rider Toni Elias is focused on an intense winter training program.
The Spaniard, who took the debut Moto2 championship last year, has a rigorous training schedule so he can adapt to the Honda RC212V this coming MotoGP season; the training includes skiing, snowboarding, karting, the gym and motocross.
Elias has also participated in the Gseries BPA in Andorra, where he raced a Mini Cooper on the ice with Andorran driver Alex Bercianos in a Mini Cooper.
Elias says he needs to be in top physical form before the three winter test sessions begin, the first set for Feb. 1 at Sepang.
Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP) says: "In preparation for the start of the season I started my new training program on Jan. 1. Together with my friend Iván Cervantes (Spanish Enduro Champion) I am concentrating on winter sports.
"I live near the mountains and like them a lot, but climbing them is not easy and the first week was very hard. However, I soon found my rhythm," explained the Spanish rider.
"In my opinion it’s very important to enjoy what you’re doing and sport must be fun. I practice several sports: running, cycling (both road and mountain), cross country skiing, walking in snow boots, gym and karting, but my favorite is motocross training with my dad.
"We have a track next to our house and my father is a former motocross champion, and he’s still very fast! I think I’m doing a good job to be fit for the first round in Qatar."
Lucio Cechinello (LCR Honda Team Manager) says: "Toni Elias’s already tasted the MotoGP bike and is aware of the effort needed for this machine. The weight of a Moto2 and MotoGP bike is similar but the weight/power proportion is more important on the 800cc bike.
"A premier class rider needs good upper body strength due to the strain on the forearm and triceps during braking and acceleration. The right training involves muscle as well as aerobic work, because endurance is very important too. The best way to be fit id to keep training on the bike and Elias rides motocross weekly."
