The season started early this year in February and to say the riders went into the 1st Motocross National of the year little behind on testing and riding time would be correct due to the fact that we only received bikes late January 2 weeks prior to the National. Not to be outdone the team rode to good solid results from then on out and never looked back on anything and also left nothing on the table. More than that I could not ask for.

This year I ran things alittle different, I had the Official Pelotrain Honda team which included Michael Kok, Anthony Raynard, Maria Pulinckx, Zane Farquharson, Wayne Smith and Matthew Beers.

In addition to that I had Calvin Vlaanderan and Justin Mittens riding 125cc 2-Strokes in the Highschool class under the Pelotrain banner only.

The year was split up mainly on motocross but Wayne Smith and Michael Kok cross road and also competed in the National Motard Championship.

Motocross:

The year of motocross went well for the Pelotrain Honda team, each rider being totally committed to the job at hand for the season made work and the environment easy to be in for the year. The professionalism each rider brought was something I thoroughly enjoyed and made the team easy to work with.

Below are the individual riders results for the year.

Zane Farquharson:
1st AMU Pro Mini Champion
2nd South African Pro Mini National Championship
Represented South Africa in Belgium Coupe De’Laviner in Pro Mini class.

Zane left nothing on the table this year at any of his races and with some bad luck throughout the season, not to his own doing, didn’t help complete a clean run that the title. With that being said, Zane last year would of found a top 10 placing an achievement in the class and he put in huge time and effort to make the strides he has this year in order to make a healthy run at the National Championship.

Maria Pulinckx:
5th Pro Mini National Championship.

Maria is like wine, she gets better with age and Maria often ruins many youngsters day when she repeatedly beats them at their own game in motocross. Maria is a real talent and moving out of the Pro Mini class for 2012 will only help her due to her size and I see many big things in the future for Maria in both Motocross and Supermotard as she raced 3 National Supermotard events this year gaining a heat win in the last round.

Matthew Beers:Breaking his neck in the offseason Matthew had a long road to recovery. He came back to race after missing 3 rounds of the Nationals and our goals were to get a top 10 by the end of the season. Matthew accomplished that and went onto improve every National.

Matthew has left to go and stay in America at the Millsaps Training Facility for 2012 and with Matthews work ethic I see him doing well and reaching goals he has set out for himself. I wish him well and found it a pleasure to work with Matthew the last 2yrs.

Wayne Smith:
2nd MX3

Well there isn’t much to be said about Wayne that hasn’t been said. Wayne has been around forever and when I say forever I mean FOREVER! He has multiple SA titles under his name and they keep on counting up. Wayne was leading the National Championship in MX3 until a big off in East London in both heats de-railed his chase alittle coming into the last round. Never to be outdone, Wayne still gave it all he had but came up alittle short to fall into 2nd position.

Anthony Raynard:
3rd MX2
5th MX1
Chosen to represent and Captain the South African Coupe De’Laviner Team in Belgium

Anthony had a good year again in 2011 and got to experience some International racing in Belgium where he captained the SA team. A flat tyre in MX1 at the 1st National of the year left Anthony playing catch up all year in the class but managed to come from 9th to 5th by the last round which in all respects was a solid result.

MX2 was alittle different being on his Fourstroke250 against the mighty 2 Stroke 250 but not to be outdone and Honda supplying us with unreal machinery he managed to finish 3rd overall and the 1st fourstroke home. Next year the class will be fourstroke only which will even the playing field alot going into next season.

Michael Kok:
6th MX1

A full year back after a broken femur and shoulder in 2009 Michael showed the talent he is capable of in Motocross.
His 6th overall is not a true reflection of what Mike is capable of and a DNF in round 1 also derailed his overall result for the year but now Mike has his confidence back heading into the 2012 season and everyone knows a confident Mike is dangerous.

In Addition the Pelotrain Motocross team season was also great:

Calvin Vlaanderan:
1st Highschool Championship
10th 125 World Championship, Cingoli, Italy
Top 10 results in European 125 events
Represented South Africa at Coupe De’Laviner

Calvin has had a fantastic year since coming off mini’s last year where he also won the Championship Nationally. His outing to the World Championships and selected European 125 races were very successful and he has opened some eyes to team over there that will be looking at his services for 2012. I wish Calvin all the luck and well wishes in the world in making his dream of racing professionally a reality.

Justin Mittens:
3rd Highschool Championship
Competed World Championship, Cingoli, Italy

After only coming back to race the Nationals after the 1st round due to a off season Knee operation, Justin made no time of showing that he is a contender for the title. The only rider all year to take a moto win off Calvin.

Justin also attended the World Championships in Italy but with solid laptimes, even in qualifiers bad luck dogged Justin and he was unable to qualify for the main event which was heart breaking to say the least.
Justin is a very hard worker and with a full year now under his belt I see good things ahead for Justin in 2012 and beyond.

Supermotard:
The Supermotard Championship went in solid directions with Michael Kok being crowned the S1 National Champion and Wayne Smith being crowned the Masters National Champion.This is also the 1st time in 9yrs that Honda have won a National Motard Championship and I feel honoured to of worked with Honda, Wayne and Michael in order to achieve this.

All in all, the year was a brilliant one for me, the team and the riders I believe. Each one setting out individual goals and achieving them and that is what the sport and everyone involved is about and I would personally like to thank all the following sponsors for the unreal support throughout 2011. Without them none of the above would have been possible:

Pelotrain Athlete Excellence, Race Nation Honda,Honda South Africa, Venture Sport, Scott Kit, Scott goggles, Scott Helmets, Airoh Helmets, TCX Boots, Wetherd Clothing, Pulse Racing Products, Concept2 Rowers, Tim Bosson Engineering, Leatt Brace, Paul’s Specialized Products, GO Chain Wax, GO Dirt bike Detergent.

Once again, thanks to everyone involved in supporting this team of athletes and riders and coming to show your support at races. Without you guys, we have nothing.

Yours in Sport,

John Wakefield

The event this year was held in Zimbabwe at the Donny Brooke circuit and Zimbabwe, as usual put on a fantastic event for the participating countries and riders alike.

Zane carrying great form into the event posted the fastest lap times during Saturdays practice sessions which gave him much needed confidence going into Sundays racing. A solid night’s sleep on Saturday and a early morning wakeup call Sunday, Zane headed to the track.

On the track it was all business for Zane who went 1-1-6 for 1st overall for the day on his Honda CRF150 and the title as FIM AFRICA/AMU CUP OF NATIONS Pro Mini Champion. It wasn’t without some drama thou. IN the last heat while leading Zane went down in a huge heap as he dropped out the sky and landed far from his machine in a fence on a huge step up jump.
Many thought he want getting up to finish the moto and if you saw the crash you would also think so but he untangled his bike and got going again, although, in alot of pain.

Overall, the points added up to the win and his pain for the last few laps were well worth the reward.

Zane’s next event will be the last round of the South African National Championship in Johannesburg at the Dirt Bronco circuit on the 24 September and then Zane will be off to represent South Africa again with fellow team mates Anthony Raynard and Calvin Vlaanderan in Belgium at the Coupe de Laviner.

The team would like to thanks all its sponsors for making this happen for Zane.

Pelotrain Athlete Excellence
Race Nation Honda
Honda South Africa
Venture Sport
Scott Kit
Scott goggles
Scott Helmets
TCX Boots
Wetherd Clothing
Pulse Racing Products
Concept2 Rowers
Tim Bosson Engineering
Leatt Brace
Paul’s Specialized Products
GO Chain Wax
GO Dirt bike Detergent

Calvin raced Loket this past weekend and for his 1st event he came away with stellar results.

Qualifying on Friday placed Calvin in 11th place and a place for the main event.

Moto 1:

A good start put Calvin in 5th place but with nerves and a few mistakes being made Calvin got moved to 9th place but halfway into the moto he found his groove again and started making some ground up on the front runners and moved into 7th by the end of the moto. Great result for Calvin and confidence heading into moto 2.

Moto 2:

Another great jump off the gate saw Calvin unfortunately be pushed wide into the 1st corner and round the 1st lap in 14th position. He worked his way into 13th position and that’s when the rain started to come into play and make the circuit very slippery. He managed to make up another position and end off the moto in 12th which gave him 9th overall for the day.

An excellent result for the 15yr old against some serious competition and older riders in the class.

Calvin now races the World Championships in Italy this coming weekend

3 riders from Pelotrain Athlete Excellence will be competing at the Junior World Motocross Championships in Italy on the 14th August 2011 in Italy at the Cingoli circuit.

The event is just that, The Junior World Championships with countries top riders from all over the word coming to compete with 1 goal in mind – to become the World Champion in their respected class they entered into and have bragging rights for the rest of the year while hopefully opening the eyes and impressing talent scouts from the bigger Manufacturers and teams for sponsorship and team placing.

The riders going over to compete are:

15yr old Calvin Vlaanderan from Cape Town, will be competing in the 125cc class aboard a KTM125SX Motocrcycle. Calvin is a multiple South African Champion in the Junior ranks and is on his 1st year of Senior Motocross and has shown alot of dominance in the South African National Championship and is leading the 125 High-school Championship for riders between 14-17yrs old. Calvin will also be in Europe for 6 weeks competing in selected European races for the next 6 weeks and will be gaining valuable experience and speed for the future.

16yr old Justin Mittens, also aboard a KTM125SX, from Port Elizabeth will be competing in the 125cc class alongside Calvin. Justin has been working exceptionally hard in order to come back from a serious knee injury towards the end of last year and has shown excellent progress and speed by being the only rider this year to take a moto win off Calvin at this year Nationals. Justin will also be competing in 2 selected European 125cc events after the World Championships where he will be looking to gain more confidence and speed before heading home to the last National of the year in South Africa.

The youngest rider to be going over to compete is 10yr old Keegan Mahoney who also hails from Port Elizabeth. Keegan will be competing in the 65cc Championship aboard a KT65SX. Keegan possesses alot of raw speed for a youngster and has alot of drive for a young rider. With the Italian circuit being a hard-pack track and with Keegan’s home track being a sand track he has made alot of progress and effort to change his riding style in order to accommodate the upcoming conditions. Keegan is lying 2nd overall in the South African 65cc National Championship and with some extra speed and experience gained from the World Championship event hopes to return to South Africa confident and with something extra in the back pocket for the last event.
I wish all 3 riders the best of luck and to take in the event and all the experience that goes with it and that South Africa is behind you all.

The exercises are all bodyweight specific and as noted above can be performed anywhere being it at a recreational park, along the beach, on the beach, in the mountains or even in your office at work, the options are endless. Benefits included in this type of training is that it is totally functional as your body does not work in isolation so to only train your body and muscle groups in isolation is not incorrect but it is not beneficial and to isolate muscle groups for motocross or offroad is also not ideal because in these sports you are not isolating any muscle groups. For example you are not just doing a bicep curl or a leg press for example you are using a range of motions and muscle groups simultaneously. In a gym on treadmills or general cardio machines we are stressing our bodies in a repetitive way where as training outdoors with bodyweight exercises on a unique or different terrain will incorporate large muscle groups and the important and crucial smaller muscle groups that support the larger muscle groups all in 1 which will help develop total body strength.

You will also need limited equipment when doing these types of routines and that is the beauty of body strength training.  You will also become more aware of your body and its workings and you will realise that sometimes old-school training can also be beneficial to you a athlete instead of the scientific based training that many athletes of today follow. Your body was built and designed to its own body weight and therefore from a safety side to injure yourself while performing these types of routines is alot harder than lifting weights in the gym while doing resistance training. Without the weights being used a person is also able to focus solely on the correct form and technique for each exercise one does.

Health wise, many of us are stuck in offices and behind desks all day so to go into a gym holds nothing new in the view many see all day, going outside will break your daily cycle while benefitting you health wise you will boost your immune system by training outdoors and studies have shown it will also decrease ones stress levels while improving your concentration and memory skills while increasing a person’s self esteem and mood. Let’s be honest after spending 80-90% of your day indoors, you are screaming to get out so why go back indoors and train?

With strength and fitness being the main benefiting factor here, once you are become stronger and fitter you will be able to increase the repetitions and intensity along with coming up with different routines as you go. Dependant on where you are and what sources are available to you, you are able to add many more exercises into your routines. Part of keeping this type of training is fun is always looking for new locations to train that may have different obstacles available to you. I often while driving around look for locations to train in outdoors for my athletes, this way it keeps things fun and interesting for my athletes so they do not get stale with the same repetitive training day in and day out and they find it stimulating and fresh.

Here are some exercises that one can do:

Pull ups:
Find a bar, doorway, ledge or anything strong enough to handle your own body weight. Stand under the bar and grab the bar with both hands with either a under or over hand grip. From that position pull yourself up to the bar with your chin over the top of the bar. If need be use a slight jump to get your momentum going:

Tricep Dips:

Find a set of steps, a knee height ledge or similar and place your arms behind you on the ledge/step, you can either place your feet on the floor or balanced on something higher (as shown) from that position lower yourself down keeping your back close to the ledge as possible to a 90’ angle then push yourself back up.

Squat Jumps:

Using a ledge, stairs etc bend down into a full squat, from that position while keeping your core tight and knee stable jump up onto the ledge/stairs landing strong with no movement from your knees left and right.

Stomach leg raises:

Holding onto a ledge, doorway or branch of a tree start with your legs straight and just hanging. From that position using your stomach muscle lift your knees up as high as possible whle keeping the rest of your body stable with no movement.

Push-ups with core stability:

These can be done on a flat surface or at an angle as shown. The angle is harder to do so maybe to start off with use a flat surface. Get into a push up position and do 2 x push-ups and stop in the start position. From that position while engaging your hips and stomach muscles and once secure move 1 arm around and place on back-hold for 3secs then alternate arms.  When performing exercise athletes hips must remain stable when placing arm on lower back. No rocking from the hips is allowed. Once that is completed, go into the push up again and repeat.

Pro Mini:

Moto 1 saw Zane get a good start rounding the top 3 and proceeded to put in solid consistent laps. While running in 3^rd the 2 front runners got into each other near the mechanics area with Championship leader Tristan Purdon go down and handing 2^nd to Zane. Putting in the fastest lap of the moto Zane focused on 1^st place rider when disaster struck for the leader with binding front brakes and Zane inherited the lead and taking the win for the day.

Moto 2 saw Zane get another good start and rounding out the 1^st lap in 3^rd. He moved into 2^nd halfway through the moto and then dumped it in a left hander falling back to 3^rd. With points needed for the Championship to gain up on the 9 points Zane is behind, he settled into a solid ride and came out with 3^rd for the moto.

Zane took the overall for the day with 1-3 moto scores for the day and moves within 3 points of the leader in the Championship with 2 rounds to go.

Maria rode 2 solid motos going 8-8 for 9^th overall while still maintaining 5^th in the Championship. Maria found the track challenging with the big jumps but showed, once again, many of the boys the way around the track while fighting for her overall position in each moto. With 2 rounds to go, Maria will find herself on 2 of her favourite tracks where she has always performed well and looks forward to repeating her success and her best year to date in the Nationals.

125 Highschool Class:

Calvin totally dominated both motos again this National going *1-1 and 1st overall for the day* with lap times being 5sec faster than his competition. Never faulting at any point during the race Calvin was flawless.

Calvin is off to Europe in 3 weeks to compete in some events and finishing off with the World jnr Championships before returning after a 6 week trip.

*Note: A competitors parent has lodged a protest against Calvin and we have acted on it and the overall results for the class were with held until the matter is sorted out*

Justin Mittens is a new rider to the 125 team, Justin rode 2 solid races with some bad luck that hampered him in the lines of silly mistakes and crashes. Not to be outdone Justin charged hard during both motos and came away with a 4^th overall for the day.

Justin will also be travelling to Europe to compete in 2 events prior to the jnr World Championships.

MX2:

Ever the hard charging professional Anthony had his work cut out for him on this fast circuit on his 250F against the 2 Strokes.

Moto 1 saw Anthony get a good jump off the gate and round the 1^st lap in 7^th, he made his way up to 4^th by the end of the moto only to have the top 2-4 riders penalised 30sec for not showing enough caution on a yellow flag which resulted in Anthony being relegated to 5^th.

Moto 2 saw Anthony move from 8^th to 5^th by the end of the moto which gave him 5^th overall for the day while holding onto a strong 3^rd in the Championship.

MX1:

Michael Kok has been getting better and better every National and was set out to do well at this event. Having lost a whopping 10kg Mike is getting back to his best and it showed when he went 3-5 for 3^rd overall for the day while gaining his confidence back and race fitness at each round.

Anthony again rode 2 solid motos gaining points for the Championship in each moto to make up for the flat tyre and minimal points he scored in the 1^st round. Anthony walked away with 5-6 score for 5^th overall for the day and moved up to 4^th in the Championship with 2 rounds to go.

MX3:

Wayne Smith rode a solid day while walking away with the top honours in 1^st overall for the day. Being consistent is what earned Wayne his 1^st overall for the year and earned good points in the Championship hunt.
Team rider Matthew Beers crashed on the Tuesday prior to the event and knocked himself out cold. He is out for 6 weeks and will return for the next National in East London in August.

Overall, another good result from the team all round with personal goals being met and points for the Championships being banked in the bag.
I would like to personally thank the following sponsors for all their help and support, without them none of this would be achievable.

Pelotrain Athlete Excellence

Race Nation Honda

Honda South Africa

Venture Sport

Scott Kit

Scott goggles

Scott Helmets

TCX Boots

Wetherd Clothing

Concept2 Rowers

Tim Bosson Engineering

Leatt Brace

Paul’s Specialized Products

Pulse Racing Products

GO Chain Wax

GO Dirt bike Detergent 

Easter morning started off rather bright and sunny with the nip of winter in the air and Michael in a relaxed mood ready for the day ahead. Just after riders briefing Mike made a spur of the moment decision to ride the Open Tar class which this year is a championship title class.  He usually only participates in the top gun 450cc S1 Class.

OpenTar

Mike is known as the dirt king…and tar is most definitely not his forte but the Kokstar is always up for a challenge!  Qualify saw Michael in a very unfamiliar 12^th place position on the grid. Heat 1 was completed by Michael finishing in a more comfortable 3^rd place position. The second and final heat of the Open Tar class saw the Kokstar throwing caution to the wind on the tar and taking the win with a very unexpected 1^st place overall position for the day in the Open Tar Class.

S1

Michael’s focus is most definitely the premium S1 class. The competitors in this particular class form the cream of the crop when it comes to Supermoto Racing in SA.

Practice saw Michael in a good confident mood and failing to remember that winter had seemed to set in early, his tyres were not warm yet and he took a turn a little fast and ended up high siding, luckily unhurt but with a bit of a bruised confidence.

By the time qualify had arrived the weather had turned a little and it was rather cold with heavy skies and the threat of rain. Having not had an ideal practice Michael made a mature decision to take it very easy during qualify, warm his tyres up well, scrub them in and work out his race lines for the day. At the end of qualifying he was placed 7^th on the grid for the start of heat 1. 

Heat 1 saw Michael up into 3^rd place by the first turn of the dirt section and definitely a man on a mission… then came the rain!!!! A whole lot of fast bikes with slicks on in wet conditions…not the best situation!!! However Michael rode smart and pushed where he could in the dirt section making sure he was right on the rear wheel of fellow rival and competitor Brian Capper for a couple of laps before moving up into 2^nd place and on hot pursuit of 1^st place rider Kyle Smythe. This was not to be and the race came to an end with Michael finishing heat 1 in 2^nd place.

The rain did not cease but came down harder leaving the officials with no choice but to declare the heats to follow wet weather races meaning the riders could now put their wets on. By the start of heat 2 there were numerous ominous puddles on the track. Not ideal race conditions for the riders or spectators but proving to be a lot of fun for both parties. The start of heat 2 saw Michael in 2^nd place hot on the heels of Brian Capper for a lap or two before Brian went down in the dirt allowing Michael to snatch the 1^st place position. Once in the lead the Kokstar was in a league of his own and seamlessly taking the track in his own stride and challenging himself at every opportunity. Finishing heat 2 in 1^st place position.

With the rain still pouring and a very wet circuit heat 3 saw a fired up Kok with the whole shot and a 1^st place position leading the race from start to finish with the adoring fans on the side lines egging him on to perform in the usual Kokstar fashion…. no other normal human would have ridden like that and whipped the bike the way Mike did in the very wet conditions. But for the love of fans…Mikey will do anything!!!! On his last parade lap he gave the spectators at various sections of a circuit a bit of a show and urged them to cheer him on for a Kokstar souvenir or two in the form of his Von Zipper race winning goggles and his custom made sponsor race vest. His overall 1^st place position and outstanding performance in far from ideal conditions earned him the name “Rain Master”.

Michael: “They say that things that do not start off well usually end well…. and for me today that was exactly it. The day did not begin well for me, high siding in practice and qualifying in 7^th position, but it only got better from there on and I ended up taking the overall win for the day in both S1 and Open Tar. What more could I ask for!!! I am very blessed to have a great team behind me Pelotrain/Race Nation Honda and then all my other sponsors who make this all possible, Scott, Monster, Von Zipper, Castrol, Wetherd , Pulse Racing Products, Concept2Rowers, Rocktech, Airoh, Alpinestars, Dashblack, Mkulu Plant and 2 Brothers. Thank you all for you support it is much appreciated.”

Michael now leads the National S1 Championship and plans on keeping it for the rest of the year!

With it being many of the team member home National they were eager to impress their home crowd. The days racing went as follows:

Pro Mini:

Zane:

Zane’s day didn’t go according to plan, although he walked away with tied 2^nd for the day but got 3^rd due to his 2^nd Moto score, Zane was still disappointed. In Moto 1 Zane got into 2^nd and made a brilliant pass on Tristan Purdon and start to open up a gap and with 2 laps to go slid out in the back section of the track and go down. He quickly remounted but had lost the lead finishing 2^nd.

Moto 2 saw Zane round the 1^st lap in 3^rd of which was lead by a girl but more on that later, Zane then hit a downed rider again with 2 laps to go and struggled to start the bike which relegated him to 3^rd for the moto and as mentioned finished 3^rd overall for the day.

Zane still lies 2^nd overall in Championship with 3 rounds to go and is still able to take the Championship.

Maria:

Maria had a great weekend once again against the boys and this time really handing it to her. Moto 1 saw Maria round the 1^st turn in 11^th position. She put her head down and charge up to 6^th by just over the midway point only to go down at the back part of the track relegating her to 11^th.  Still with some fight in her she came back to a solid 8^th position.

Moto 2 saw Maria holeshot and lead the race for a lap, it was so awesome to watch her lead a race, never mind a National. She did however get passed by the 3 main contenders in the class but managed to hang onto 4^th which left her with 6^th overall for the day.

Fantastic result for her.

125 Highschool Class:

Calvin had a brilliant day, although he went 2-1 for the overall the way he rode the 1^st moto was incredible by never giving up and charging to the end.

Moto 1 Saw fellow Pelotrain Athlete Justin Mittens get the holeshot with Calvin in 2^nd, Calvin went down and put his head down and charge hard like a man possessed to catch up to Justin where they battled hard only with Calvin again dropping it in a tight right hander with 2 laps to go. This gave Justin the gap he needed to take the win and Calvin come in 2^nd.

Moto 2 saw Calvin get the holeshot and keep the lead to the end which gave him the overall for the day.

MX2:

Anthony:

Moto 1 saw Anthony round the 1^st lap in 3^rd behind RedBull KTM rider Kerim Fitzgerald and Red Yamaha/FullThrottle rider Richard van der Westhuizen The pace upfront was serious with Kerim and Richard going at each other with Anthony watching the action. About halfway into the moto Richard Yamaha unfortunately started to splutter and cough leaving Keri and Anthony make the pass. The race ended with Anthony taking 2^nd behind Kerim.

Moto 2 saw Pro Action KTM rider Ryan Angilly get the holeshot with Richard and Anthony in tow, Richard made the pass on Ryan early with Anthony making the pass soon after and the 2 pulled a good lead on the others. Disaster struck again for Richard after the step up and he went down. Anthony took the lead and checked out for the remaining 10min of the moto. Kerim got into 2^nd by the end of the moto.

Kerim and Anthony tied on points with their 2-1 and 2-1 results but with Anthony’s 2^nd moto win he took overall honors for the day

Matthew:

The boy works so hard and after coming back from a broken neck Matthew was so excited to race again. The goal was a top 10 for Matt for the day and his day went like this:

Moto 1 saw Matt get a mid pack start and he started to put his head down and charge, he came back up the field well only to hit a tyre on the side of the track and go down. Never despondent he got back to 12^th by the end of the moto.

Moto 2 saw a better start and work his way to 10^th by the end of the moto with his fastest lap at the end of the moto showing that his rehab and hard work is no paying off. Ending off 10^th overall for the day Matt achieved what we set out to do. 

.

MX1:

Pelotrain has 2 riders in this class for 2011 namely Anthony Reynard and Michael Kok.

Anthony Reynard:

After setting the fastest time in practice Anthony was happy with his new motor from Tim Bosson but we all know that winning practice or qualifiers means little when the gate drops.

Moto 1 saw Anthony get a decent jump out the gate and round the corner in 3rd only to go down hard on lap 4. Remounting and putting on a hard charge Anthony came back to 4^th for the moto.

Moto 2 saw Anthony get a 3^rd place start and hold behind Red Yamaha/FullThrottle Richard van der Westhuizen and Rockstar KTM rider Darrel Fitzgerald who got the holeshot and was hanging serious cable!! Richard got passed Darrel after a ding-dong battle only for then Anthony and Darrel to go at it so hard for the remainder of the race which was unreal to see the 1 rider trying to pass and another doing everything to stop him.

In the end Anthony got passed Darrel and got 2^nd for the moto and also giving him 2^nd overall for the day.

Michael:

Moto1 saw Mike get the Holeshot and proceed to check out in a hurry, at the 10min mark Mike unfortunately dropped it in the rough right hander, battling to start his bike Mike got going again and ended off 9^th in the moto. Visibly upset over it Mike vowed to come out and make amends in moto 2.

Moto2 saw Mike have the bit between his teeth but go down in a pile of sand with another 4-5 riders on the 1^st lap. Remounting and putting on a hard charge, Mike worked his way up the field into the top 10 while proceeding to have a cracker battle with PortableShade Honda rider Sascha Naude.

Mike ended up 8^th overall for the day, disappointing result overall  but showed he has the speed to run upfront but needs to stay out of some bad luck!

MX3

Wayne Smith:

Wayne rode 2 solid motos in MX3, In Moto 1 Wayne rounded the 1^st lap in 3^rd and held onto the position all the way to the end without being challenged. In Moto 2 Wayne was again 3^rd only to drop it in the back section of the track and relegating himself to 5^th by the time he got going again. With ¾ of the race done, Wayne charged back to 3^rd for the moto while achieving 3^rd overall for the day.

Great result and good charging in moto 2 from Wayne.

Overall a solid result for the team and the team spirit is also god within the team and that plays a important role in the team dynamics.

The teams next National will be at the Bloemfontein track in the FreeState in June

I would like to personally thank the following sponsors for all their help and support, without them none of this would be achievable.

Pelotrain Athlete Excellence

Race Nation Honda

Honda South Africa

Venture Sport

Scott Kit

Scott goggles

Scott Helmets

TCX Boots

Wetherd Clothing

Concept2 Rowers

Pulse Racing Products

Tim Bosson Engineering

Leatt Brace

Paul’s Specialized Products

GO Chain Wax

GO Dirt bike Detergent

Introduction

Motivation is an internal energy force that determines all aspects of our behaviour; it also impacts on how we think, feel and interact with others. In sport, high motivation is widely accepted as an essential prerequisite in getting athletes to fulfil their potential. However, given its inherently abstract nature, it is a force that is often difficult to exploit fully. Some coaches, like Portugal manager Luiz Felipe ‘Big Phil’ Scolari, appear to have a ‘magic touch’, being able to get a great deal more out of a team than the sum of its individual parts; others find motivation to be an elusive concept they are forever struggling to master.

What is it that makes individuals like the 45-year-old sprinter Merlene Ottey, who competed in her seventh Olympics in Athens 2004, churn out outstanding performances year in, year out? Elite athletes such as Ottey have developed an ability to channel their energies extremely effectively. Indeed, motivation is essentially about the direction of effort over a prolonged period of time.

There are numerous approaches to the study of motivation. Some are based on schedules of positive and negative reinforcement (eg BF Skinner’s and Ivan Pavlov’s behaviourism) while others focus on an individual’s sense of mastery over a set of circumstances (eg Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory). This article explores the constituents of motivation using a contemporary approach, popularised by Americans Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, known as self-determination theory, which emphasises the role of individual choice.

The article will also outline some of the key findings from recent literature and provide four evidence-based techniques relating to the enhancement of motivation. You will be able to tailor the motivational techniques to enhance your participation in sport or the performance of others. You will learn that motivation is a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon that can be manipulated, to some degree at least, in the pursuit of superior sporting performance.

Different types of motivation

One of the most popular and widely tested approaches to motivation in sport and other achievement domains is self-determination theory(1-3). This theory is based on a number of motives or regulations, which vary in terms of the degree of self-determination they reflect. Self-determination has to do with the degree to which your behaviours are chosen and self-initiated. The behavioural regulations can be placed on a self-determination continuum (see Figure 1 below). From the least to the most self-determined they are amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation.

Amotivation represents a lack of intention to engage in a behaviour. It is accompanied by feelings of incompetence and a lack of connection between one’s behaviour and the expected outcome. For example, an amotivated athlete might be heard saying, ‘I can’t see the point in training any more – it just tires me out’ or ‘I just don’t get any buzz out of competition whatsoever’. Such athletes exhibit a sense of helplessness and often require counselling, as they are highly prone to dropping out.

External and introjected regulations represent non-self-determined or controlling types of extrinsic motivation because athletes do not sense that their behaviour is choiceful and, as a consequence, they experience psychological pressure. Participating in sport to receive prize money, win a trophy or a gold medal typifies external regulation. Participating to avoid punishment or negative evaluation is also external. Introjection is an internal pressure under which athletes might participate out of feelings of guilt or to achieve recognition.

Identified and integrated regulations represent self-determined types of extrinsic motivation because behaviour is initiated out of choice, although it is not necessarily perceived to be enjoyable. These types of regulation account for why some athletes devote hundreds of hours to repeating mundane drills; they realise that such activity will ultimately help them to improve. Identified regulation represents engagement in a behaviour because it is highly valued, whereas when a behaviour becomes integrated it is in harmony with one’s sense of self and almost entirely self-determined. Completing daily flexibility exercises because you realise they are part of an overarching goal of enhanced performance might be an example of integrated regulation.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within, is fully self-determined and characterised by interest in, and enjoyment derived from, sports participation. There are three types of intrinsic motivation, namely intrinsic motivation to know, intrinsic motivation to accomplish and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation. Intrinsic motivation is considered to be the healthiest type of motivation and reflects an athlete’s motivation to perform an activity simply for the reward inherent in their participation.

Flow: the ultimate motivational state

According to Hungarian psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, the highest level of intrinsic motivation is flow state (4,5). Flow is characterised by complete immersion in an activity, to the degree that nothing else matters. Central to the attainment of flow is a situation in which there is a perfect match between the perceived demands of an activity and an athlete’s perceived ability or skills (see Figure 2 above right). During flow, self-consciousness is lost and athletes become one with the activity. For example, a World champion canoeist I work with often describes how the paddle feels like an extension of her arms while she is in flow.

An overbearing or unrealistic challenge can cause excess anxiety, which means that coaches need to ensure that athletes set realistic goals. Conversely, if athletes bring a high level of skill to an activity and the challenge that it provides is relatively low, such as Barcelona and Brazil’s Ronaldinho playing in a minor football league, this can result in boredom. The final quadrant in Figure 2 shows apathy, which transpires when both challenge and skill are low. To promote flow, it is important to find challenges that are going to stretch athletes just a touch further than they have been stretched before.

Recent motivation research based on SDT

A study examining the relationship between athletes’ goal orientations and their levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation indicated that British collegiate athletes with task-related or personal mastery goals were far more likely to report high self-determination than athletes with ego-orientated or social comparison-type goals(6).

The study provided tentative support for the proposition that focusing on personal mastery and self-referenced goals promotes intrinsic motivation to a greater degree than focusing on winning and demonstrating superiority over others. This has important implications for practitioners who work with children, given the wealth of evidence that suggests that a focus on personal mastery and intrinsic motivation (enjoyment) brings the most positive motivation outcomes(7,8).

A very recent study showed that during competition deemed to be important, intrinsically motivated athletes developed task-oriented (positive) coping strategies(9). Conversely, extrinsically motivated athletes tended to avoid dealing with key issues and were far less likely to achieve their goals. In another study, researchers adopted a qualitative approach to answer the question ‘why does the “fire” of elite athletes burn so brightly?’(10). They sought to demystify the differences between high achievers and also-rans in the world of sport. Their interviews with 10 elite Australian track and field athletes revealed three overarching themes:

• Elite athletes set personal goals that were based on both self-determined and extrinsic motives;
• They had a high self-belief in their ability to succeed;
• Track and field was central to their lives – everything rotated around their involvement in the sport.

Using a statistical procedure known as ‘cluster analysis’, colleagues and I have identified two types of ‘motivation profile’ (11). The first was characterised by high levels of both controlling and self-determined types of behavioural regulations and the second by high self-determined and low controlling motivation. A comparison of the two profiles on the motivation outcomes of enjoyment, effort, positive and negative affect, attitude towards sport, strength and the quality of behavioural intentions, satisfaction, and frequency of attendance showed that participants in the first profile reported higher levels on all eight positive consequences when compared to those in the second profile.

This finding suggests that the simultaneous presence of high extrinsic and high intrinsic motivation is likely to yield the most positive benefits for adult athletes. However, it is critical that extrinsic motives are nurtured on a firm foundation of high intrinsic motivation. Without high intrinsic motivation, athletes are likely to drop out when they encounter problems such as injury, non-selection or demotion.

We conducted a follow-up study confirming the profiles identified in 2000 and came up with a similar solution (see Figure 3 above) using a new sample of adult athletes(12). Importantly, we found that participants in cluster 1 also reported better concentration on the task at hand.

Motivational techniques for coaches and athletes

1. Goal setting

• Athletes should be encouraged to set a few ambitious but achievable long-term goals; perhaps to represent their country in a major championship in three or four years. Through empowering athletes to set their own goals, they are more likely to accept the challenges that lie ahead and pursue the goals with enthusiasm(13);
• To keep athletes on track with their long-term goals, they should also set appropriate medium-term goals. For example, following a bronze medal-winning performance at the 2004 Athens Olympics, UK heptathlete Kelly Sotherton set herself the medium-term goal of winning the 2006 Commonwealth title in Melbourne (which she achieved) en route to pursuing her long-term goal to be crowned Olympic champion at the 2008 Beijing Games;
• By far the most important goals in practical terms are those for the short-term, as it is these that keep athletes focused on the checkmarks which are seminal to achieving superior performance. Therefore, short-term goals should be predominantly process-oriented. For example, when Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney injured a metatarsal six weeks before the start of the soccer World Cup, he set a series of process goals in his race to regain full fitness. These included daily physiotherapy sessions, remedial exercises in an oxygen chamber, non weight-bearing aerobic activities, monitoring of nutritional intake and so on;
• Goals need to be monitored and revised on a regular basis. One of the biggest mistakes that coaches make in setting goals is that they are often too rigid in their approach. The goal setting process works best when there is some flexibility and the individual athlete or team take ownership of each goal. Thus, coaches and managers are better off exercising some democracy when setting goals, particularly if working with more experienced athletes.

2. Using extrinsic rewards

According to SDT(1), the key aspect in using extrinsic rewards effectively is that they reinforce an athlete’s sense of competence and self-worth. Thus, a reward should be informational in nature rather than controlling. If a reward comes to be controlling, it can significantly undermine intrinsic motivation. For a reward to be informational, it is advisable that it has relatively little monetary worth (ie it is a token reward), such as a ‘woman of the match’ or ‘athlete of the tour’ title. Also, the reward should be presented to an athlete in front of all potential recipients with some emphasis placed on the prestige associated with it. Other popular ways of using token rewards include etching athletes’ names on annual honours boards for their contributions, or awarding a special item of clothing.

3. Motivational music

A particularly good way to motivate athletes in training and prior to competition is through the use of music they perceive to be inspirational. Sydney Olympics rowing gold medallist, Tim Foster, now a respected coach, uses music to punctuate all of the indoor training sessions that he leads. Specifically, during circuit training or rowing ergometer intervals, he puts on loud/fast music, while during recovery periods he plays soft/slow music. Therefore, work and recovery times are regulated by music. Research from Brunel University indicates that this approach increases work output, reduces perceived exertion and improves in-task affect – the pleasure experienced during the activity(14,15).

4. Positive self-talk
Positive self-talk is a technique that can be used to enhance motivation across a wide range of achievement domains. It makes use of an athlete’s powerful inner voice to reinforce their self-esteem or important aspects of their performance. With appropriate repetition, self-talk can positively alter an athlete’s belief system. I use three types of self-talk in my work with athletes and will illustrate each with an example to assist you in coming up with your own.

The first type is known as task-relevant self-talk, which serves to focus an athlete’s attention on the task at hand. A karateka I worked with used the mantra ‘pillar of power’ to reinforce his strong posture. The second type is known as mood-related self-talk, which impacts on how athletes feel. An international water skier came up with ‘butterflies in formation’ to represent how the butterflies in her tummy would work for her rather than against her. The third type is known as a positive self-affirmation statement and the most famous exponent of these was the legendary boxer Mohammed Ali who repeated the claim, ‘I am the greatest’ so many times that even his opponents believed it.

‘I figured that, if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.’
Mohammed Ali

Summary

Each and every one of us has an untapped energy source that can be drawn upon to bring about superior results. Enhancing motivation is fundamentally about a change of attitude, developing a positive ‘can do’ mindset and engaging in systematic behaviours – the short-term process goals – that facilitate improvement. If you have a leadership role in sport you will have considerable influence on how motivated your athletes or team might feel. You can instil a good work ethic, recognise individual effort and instigate transparent reward structures that reinforce people’s sense of competence. To work best, the techniques mentioned in this article need to be moulded around specific circumstances and the needs of individual athletes. Always strive to be original and innovative in the application of motivational techniques.

References
1. Deci E, Ryan R (1985) Intrinsic Motivation and Self-determination in Human Behavior, New York: Plenum
2. J Personality Social Psych 1987; 53:1024-1037
3. AmPsych 2000; 55:68-78
4. Csikszentmihalyi M (1975) Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass
5. Csikszentmihalyi M (1990) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, New York: Harper and Row
6. J Sports Sci 2001; 19:397-409
7. Brit J Educ Psych 1994; 64:253-261
8. Proceedings of the 2001 World Congress on Sport Psychology, Skiathos, Greece 2001; 3:321-323
9. J Sport Exerc Psych 2004; 26:396-411
10. Psych Sport Exerc 2004; 5:183-200
11. Res Quart Exerc Sport 2000; 71:387-397
12. Vlachopoulos S and Karageorghis C (under review)
13. Advances in Sport Psychology (2nd ed), Champaign IL: Human Kinetics, 2002: 459-499
14. J Sport Behav 1997;20:54-68
15. Aus J Psych; in press

Many athletes 9 out of 10 times do not do this due to many factors which will lead to consequences should they not go out there and give it their all, for example there is failure, loss of contract and in most cases defeat as the competition will most times dominate and end up winning the competition or game.

With Top level athletes when they are competing they are in the ”zone” for that period of time or “in the moment” and all other outside influences are blocked out and there is a serious concentration level and intensity and often when that full circle or concentration level is disturbed the athlete often lets alot of things slip from his/her fingers and things seem to go downhill from there on out unless they can correct the issues quickly and make the necessary changes. Many athletes can’t make these corrections and adapt to the moment cause they are in unfamiliar territory and don’t know who to handle it. This and is when commentators or spectators say that have “cracked” as the moment or competition was so serious and focused that if something goes wrong they often don’t know how to correct it.

Competing in competitions/games or races means putting everything out of your mind for that particular time and focusing on the job at hand when you train you need to focus on your weak points in order to make them stronger and your stronger points better while leaving nothing uncovered in you preparation and making sure everything is in place for you to go out and do your best job possible and this will give you the best chance and put you in the right place to win or achieve your personal best both physically and mentally.

This means that when you train it is not play sessions or un focused training, it is a serious effort and you have to approach training with even more seriousness, intensity and purpose than when you go to compete as that is when all the hard work and homework is done and the end product is actually going out and having fun when you compete and hopefully win or achieve that personal best. If you do not approach your training seriously, how will you learn to turn your mindset when it comes to competition time as it is not a familiar circumstance you are used to and when you do focus heavily on training sessions then you will go into competitions knowing the intensity or mindset required to perform at your best in that situation and placing yourself in that winning position and mindset.

I personally believe that if you focus your mindset on taking your training and prep work seriously you will actually enjoy competing while going out and having fun and therefore being more relaxed will result in better results all round.

Give it a try, you have nothing to lose.