For the second consecutive year, the Honda Racing Endurance World Championship and road racing stars kicked off the season by joining a whole host of other elite Honda riders for an Assessment Day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics.
 
EWC riders Freddy Foray and Julien da Costa and Isle of Man TT stars John McGuinness and Conor Cummins were put through their paces in a series of physio and isometric tests, strength and conditioning assessments and fitness analyses. The data collected from each rider will be collated, compared to previous year’s results and used to form the basis of their training and fitness programmes for the 2015 racing season.
 
The two-day event was organised by Honda Motor Europe, in conjunction with the EIS, as part of its ongoing commitment to maximising rider performance across all disciplines. Pata Honda World Superbike Championship stars Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark, 2014 European Junior Cup winner Augusto Fernandez, 2014 Honda 150 Champion Albie Wilkie and former World Enduro Champion Alex Salvini were also in attendance.
 
“It’s been very good to return to the EIS and look at our performances compared to last year and see where we have got better or worse,” explained EWC rider Da Costa. “We can use this to see how we can train throughout the year to prepare for the races and make sure our bodies are fit and healthy. It’s also good to meet the other riders from all the other disciplines and see how we all approach things differently. There is definitely a bit of competition between us all to see who is the best!”
 
Road racer Conor Cummins was equally as positive: “I really enjoy coming to the EIS and this year has been even better as we’re able to see any improvement and changes compared to last year. I have my own trainer and usually train with him alone, so it’s nice to get together with the other riders and compare notes. I’ll definitely be taking all the data back to my coach so we can use it to figure out my fitness programme for the year ahead.”

The 2015 Endurance World Championship season will begin with the return of the Le Mans 24 Heures Moto to its traditional slot on 18/19 April. The road racing season will begin with the Northwest 200 in May. For all the latest news from both teams follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter.