From a press release issued by Chris Vermeulen’s publicist: “The results are very impressive.” That was the feedback from Meegan Walker, Lab Coordinator at the University of the Sunshine Coast, when MotoGP pilot Chris Vermeulen subjected himself to the ultimate pre-season work out. Walker added, “We work closely with the Australian Institute of Sport and have access to a lot of high level athlete results, but we’ve never been sure where a motorcyclist fits in and Chris has now shown us that he is on par with and elite rower when it comes to fitness.” The 25 year old has just completed his most impressive and dedicated off season ever. To find out just how hard he’d worked, the Rizla Suzuki rider was invited to the University to undergo a Vo2 Max test. “Basically we just wanted to see if what we are doing is working and the treadmill test was perfect to check his Vo2 Max just to see how efficiently his body is working and it all worked out very well.” Said Chris’s personal trainer for some 12 years, Rob Crick. “We get about 8 weeks off a year when we are not riding the bike. That’s when we can get our base right to attack the season. It’s a perfect chance at the Sunshine Coast University to see how I am going.” Chris commented. “I’m working pretty hard on that bike. You get a lot of G Forces. It’s very hot inside the suit and we’re on the bike for 45-50 minutes at a time, so it’s quiet hard work and it’s very important to be fit.” The test is gut busting! The athlete is forced to run at an increasing pace and incline until the body simply can’t take anymore. “We ran a Vo2 Max test today, so Chris was breathing in room air and we were catching all the air he was expelling so we could measure how efficiently he uses oxygen to make energy to do exercise, so we were looking at muscle efficiency. “Chris is a fit looking guy but we were unsure what the demands of motorcycle riding were. So the results tell us the demands are very high.” Walker said. In a first for places like the University of the Sunshine Coast and the Australian Institute of Sport, now sports scientists have a base reading for professional motorcyclists. “It gives us a base for where motorcyclists sit with other elite athletes.” Crick added, “It is very physically demanding and it’s fairly stressful and the G-Forces. Going from over 300kmh to about 60 in the space of one and half seconds it’s very demanding.” The test and the stunning results, which put Vermeulen on par with some of the world’s fittest Olympic athletes, just confirming how important physical fitness has become to the rising Aussie star. “In the first few years when he was a young fella he struggled a bit. He’s now a very motivated athlete and very keen to do everything he possibly can to get better. He’s a joy to work with and I had a gut feeling over this off season that he’s the fittest and healthiest he’s been for a number of years and this test confirms this.” said a proud Crick. “Every off season when I come home I try and work as hard as I can to get a good base. I’ve got to be fit and I can’t afford to get sick. I feel very fit right now. The season is about to start and the attention turns from getting me right to getting the bike right.” Chris Vermeulen will begin his bid to win the 2008 World MotoGP Championship on March 9 when the series kicks off in Qatar.