Christian Iddon: BSB column

The BSB season is only a few weeks away. Iddon tells us how he’s been prepping for it…

How everyone approaches their winter training programme varies wildly, and that has also been the case for myself over the last few years too. A quick scroll through my Instagram feed at this time of year is proof of that, and reveals just how varied these preparations are. My feed is literally full of racers getting in their pre-season ride time and this ranges from trials to dirt track and motocross, to car park cone-style tarmac technical work, as well as kart tracks all the way up to full blown big circuit action.

I suppose what each rider gets up to is dependent on a number of factors, but cost and availability are the main two. There is obviously plenty of other variables but another couple of important ones include what each individual rider is actually wanting to work on, and what is the ‘cool’ thing to be doing at the time.

A few years back it was flat track that was the latest craze, but at the moment there’s a big trend of riding go-kart-size circuits on supersport size machinery, which is being utilised by no less than the Marquez brothers and by the likes of Vinales and Rins, etc. Another scroll through Insta also shows a lot of the technical based ‘car park’ style cone work that has been popularised by the rise of super talents like Pedro Acosta and David Alonso, amongst others.

Now, I’m really torn on the effectiveness of this type of riding. My genuine belief is that all riding is beneficial, but I’m not convinced how much these skills can be transferred from the small, slow circuits or doing 1st gear, 20mph technique work, to being out on a proper circuit. As much as there are examples of riders using these techniques to be at the top, there are countless more examples that are the opposite. I see so many videos and pictures of riders doing absolutely obscene, incredible things on a kart track or on a patch of tarmac, but then come a race weekend, they are simply unable to put these (incredible) skills to work and get them to translate into a lap time, so for me the jury is still out.

I suppose taking it one step further and doing their own thing are the Turks under the tutelage of Kenan Sofuoglu. They are doing the small bike kart track thing but using it in a race environment. Five or six of them going at it making a Mini-GP-style event, which adds the element of race craft to their training.

I would say a combination of all of the above is best, but ultimately, I guess there is no wrong or right as it depends entirely on each rider and what it is they are looking to achieve, and as much, as some guys need to ride loads throughout winter, you also get others that can go from the last round to the first test without even throwing a leg over a bike, and on their return it’s like they never ever went away.

Over the years I have structured my pre-season preparations really differently. It was way back in my TAS BMW days when I first really got introduced to the concept of how important pre-season preparation was, and I got introduced to it by my then team-mate Michael Laverty. I packed a van with a bicycle and motocross bike and headed to Spain/Portugal with him for warmer climates and the chance to ride and train in better weather… and that is a format I stuck with for a number of years.

It wasn’t until 2020 that I really went down the route of riding on tarmac before jumping on the race bike. That year, PBM had lent me a V4S and I went all in, spending nearly 2 months out in Spain, just turning laps on the stocker getting in as many track days as I could, but as much as it had its benefits, it wasn’t all good.

When the team arrived at the circuit with the superbike, I absolutely hated it. I had done too much and got too used to how the V4S felt underneath me, and it took me two whole days just to match my time on the race bike that I had done on the road bike. I’d gotten too used to the feel and way of riding of the road bike and then wasn’t able to get the most out of the superbike.

2021 was a Covid year so not a lot happened, but when 2022 came around and after overdoing it in 2020, I decided the circuit stuff had, on a whole, probably been net detrimental and I went full motocross mode instead. Twice a week, I would be down to the indoor venue (as I was staying in the UK), and bust out motos. And this was great – my bike fitness was on point but this also had a downside. My body was ready and I was sharp, but my brain just wasn’t trained to the precision and processing speed required to ride a superbike.

It wasn’t until the start of 2024 when I think I got it just right. I was again racing a Ducati and decided I would buy a V2. It meant I was riding a bike with the same ‘DNA’ of my race bike, but it was different enough that when I finally got to ride the real thing I wouldn’t be trying to ride it in a certain way or expect a given sensation. I also did all of this on hard tyres, so I could just churn out consistent laps and work on myself, not just physically but also mentally, to keep the concentration and get the most out of the package even when the grip was down. Coupled with a mix of motocross and a really good training plan, it was the best I had ever prepared.

With that, I think I have finally nailed what works best for me, so this year I’m going down that route again. I’m really lucky that the team has a spare R6 or two, and also have a base out in Spain, so I’ve been out in the sun churning laps.

Just like with the V2, I’ve been really enjoying trying to get the most out of a smaller bike and this time I’ve had my teammates, in the shape of Lee Johnston, Freddie and Charlie Barnes, out chasing me too, and keeping me honest.

The season is still a fair way off but this is the time of year where the days seem to go warp speed, and before I know it, I’ll be reunited with my R1 and, when that time comes, I hope to be as ready as ever.