How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races

By:

Germán Garcia Casanova

Dec 9, 2022, 2:27 PM

With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.

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The physical demands on MotoGP riders have increased exponentially in recent years. There are more and more races and the bikes require more strength to handle them, a circumstance that is transforming the riders into real athletes.

This increase in energy requirements will be drastically increased next year, when two disruptive factors will converge: on the one hand, the longest calendar in history will be faced, initially consisting of 21 events. And on the other hand, a sprint race will be introduced every weekend. These 21 'mini' races, which will be held on Saturdays and with half the laps of the full-length grands prix, will add 1,285.56km to the total number of races run in 2022. To compensate for the effort, the fourth free practice has been eliminated, but it must be kept in mind that the physical and mental strain of a practice session is much less than that of a race, in which all the meat is put on the grill from start to finish.