Before the lights go out in Qatar, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) sat down with motogp.com to go through a different kind of Q&A, delving into the some of the physical intricacies of riding a MotoGP™ machine over 300km/h. And whilst a few MotoGP™ fans may find themselves holding their breath during some of MM93’s on-track battles, it seems the five-time World Champion doesn’t…
Beginning at the beginning, do you have doctors or special trainers?
MM93: “I have a personal trainer to train physical aspects, and I follow a healthy diet, but besides that, I don’t do anything special! With the diet, it’s just important to eat carbohydrates, meat and fruit.”
How do you manage your breathing during each session?
MM93: “If you are fit, it’s always easier to manage your breath. Besides that, the most important is just to try to be as calm as possible.”
It seems some riders only breathe between corners?
MM93: “I also breathe during corners, for me it’s necessary to keep breathing so it helps me maintain calm and concentration. In my case, I only stop breathing when I have a fright! The most important thing is to stay calm. And sometimes, when I’m nervous, I breathe deeply 3 or 4 times and this helps me to recover the calm.”
Do you monitor your heart rate? What are the numbers like?
MM93: “Normally, I don’t monitor my heart rate during races - but in 2012 I did it in a Moto2 race. Right before the start, just because of the tension, I was at 150-160 beats per minute and during the race I was between 165 and 175. My maximum is around 200bpm.”
As well as nutrition, training and breathing, hydration is another important aspect - especially when racing at places like Sepang. How do you stay hydrated?
MM93: “Hydration is very important - especially before the race - because once it has started it’s hard to drink from the camelback and I don’t do it a lot. I think it would be possible to finish the race without drinking anything. I don’t know exactly how much you lose but in a hot race it’s around 1 kg or 1.5 kg. But when you drink after the race, you gain it back quickly!”