Motorcycling Australia PR:

As the 2009 Australian Motocross Championship prepares to head west, first to Murray Bridge in South Australia on 14 June, then on to Wanneroo in Western Australia on 21 June, teams are knuckling down to get everything ready for their annual trek across the Nullarbor.

Following his solid victory at Mackay at round four, CDR Rockstar Yamaha’s Cheyne Boyd said that while he was looking forward to racing again at Murray Bridge, he wasn’t so keen on the infamous ‘Cold Pool’ currently being used by the team to aid rider recovery.

“I really like the Murray Bridge track, I did well there last year but I’m not really liking the cold pool,” Boyd said.

“I’m not really a cold water person at all, the water is around 12 degrees, and the first time each day is the hardest to get in it, but I guess it’s what is best for you!

“As uncomfortable as it is, it’s just what you have to do at this level – it helps recovery, gets the core temperature down, and it is good for your muscles and makes it that little be easier on race day, especially in hot weather but it still chills you to the bone.”

The icy temperatures haven’t been lost on Boyd and his teammate, and Series leader, Jay Marmont, laying down the challenge to their Team Manager, Craig Dack.

“It’s already been agreed to that if we win the Championship, whether it’s me or Jay, Dacka is in it!” Boyd said.

“He comes in and sits with us while we’re in there to talk about the race that’s just happened, and the water is that cold the first few times you get in that it takes your breath away.

“He sees us panting and huffing and puffing as we try to get in and he calls us pansies, so he’s said that if we win he’ll do it.

“I personally don’t think he’ll do it but if he does he’s going to cry like a baby!”

While the riders may try to make light of a rather uncomfortable experience, cold pool therapy is not without its merits, credited with aiding the removal of Lactic Acid from the muscles after strenuous exercise allowing the athlete to perform at a higher level sooner.

Motorcycling Australia’s National Director of Coaching, Stephen Gall, said that the recovery technique of hot and cold therapy has been used for a while among elite athletes and can make a big difference to rider recovery.

“The theory on the hot-cold contrast therapy recovery aspect is that it’s all about blood circulation,” Gall said.

“If you can rid the body quickly of bad ingredients like Lactic Acid resulting from the physiological demand on the body – for example riding a motorcycle very hard – you can bring the athlete back to perform better in the next moto.

“At the last two Olympic Games the Australian team have been using this therapy and I’m just trying to bring the latest and greatest sports science techniques, through the Yamaha Racing Team, into our sport.”

The fifth round of the 2009 Australian Motocross Championship will be held at the Murray Bridge Sporting Car and Motorcycle Club on Sunday 14 June.

Sign posted from the Monarto exit, South Eastern Freeway, about 45 minutes south east of Adelaide.

Admission:

Sunday (on-track action from 8:30am):

Gates open from 7am
Adult $30
Family (Two adults, two kids) $70
Kids (5-15 years) $15

Stay tuned to www.ozmotox.com.au for all the latest news and results.