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Original scientific article                                         doi: https://doi.org/10.35469/ak.2020.225
received: 2020-05-27                                          UDC: 796.72:612.015

LACTACIDEMIA DURING TRACK DAY MOTORCYCLE 
RACING COMPETITIONS

Marcelo CONTE1,2,3, João Vitor de SOUZA ANDRADE1, Gustavo AZEVEDO1, 
Victor Augusto RAMOS FERNANDES1,4,5

1Group of Studies in Motor Sports and Physical Performance - School of Physical Education of 
Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil

2Conte Fit Sports Science, Brazil
3Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil

4Jundiaí Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
5 Nossa Senhora do Patrocínio University - Cruzeiro do Sul University, Itu, São Paulo, Brazil

Corresponding author:
Victor Augusto RAMOS FERNANDES, Ph.D.

Group of Studies in Motor Sports and Physical Performance - School of Physical Education of 
Jundiaí, Rua Dr. Rodrigo Soares de Oliveira s/nº

Anhangabaú – Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil
Phone: +55 11 4805-7955

e-mail: dr.victoraugustofernandes@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Motorbike racing is one of the most dangerous sports due to high 
speeds, and it is highly demanding on racers both mentally and physically. Objec-
tive: To verify the lactacidemia in motorbike racers before and after the Track Day 
race. Method: Nine non-professional male riders (33 + 10.39 years) who practiced 
Track Day race were studied. Plasma lactate was obtained twice: 30 minutes before 
and 5 minutes immediately after the Track Day race. Results: There was a significant 
increase in lactacidemia (87.5%) after the 30-minute race (3.77 + 1.38 vs. 7.07 + 
1.85 mmol). Conclusion: Lactacidemia in amateur motorbike racers increased signifi-
cantly after the Track Day race. These data reinforce the results of other studies, which 
consider motorcycling as a sport high in terms of anaerobic metabolism. Thus, physi-
cal trainers and motorcycle racers should adopt strategies to stimulate this metabolic 
pathway in specific training.

Keywords: motorcycle, lactate, anaerobic threshold, exercise. 



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ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 11 • 2020 • 1

LAKTACIDEMIJA NA MOTOCIKLISTIČNI DIRKI 
NA ODPRT DIRKAŠKI DAN

IZVLEČEK 

Uvod: Motociklistične dirke so zaradi visokih hitrosti ena od najnevarnejših 
športnih disciplin, za tekmovalce pa so tudi fizično in psihično zelo obremenjujoče. 
Cilj: Preveriti raven laktacidemije pri udeležencih motociklistične dirke na odprt dir-
kaški dan (t. i. ‚track day‘) pred tekmovanjem in po njem. Metoda: Preučevali smo 
devet nepoklicnih dirkačev (starih 33 + 10.39 let), ki so se udeležili motociklističnega 
tekmovanja na dirkališču. Plazemski laktat smo jim odvzeli dvakrat: 30 minut pred dir-
ko in 5 minut po njej. Rezultati: Zabeležili smo znatno povečanje laktacidemije (87.5%) 
po 30-minutni dirki (3,77 + 1,38 mmol oz. 7,07 + 1,85 mmol). Zaključek: Laktacide-
mija pri amaterskih motociklističnih dirkačih je po tekmi na dirkališču močno narasla. 
Ti podatki potrjujejo rezultate drugih študij, ki motociklizem uvrščajo med športe z 
visokim deležem anaerobnega metabolizma. Trenerji in motociklistični dirkači bi tako 
morali izdelati strategije za spodbujanje te metabolične poti z namensko zasnovanimi 
treningi.

Ključne besede: motocikli, laktat, anaerobni prag, trening.



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INTRODUCTION

Motorcycling, also known as motorbiking, is a very popular sport worldwide. In-
trinsic factors of the category, such as the high speeds of motorcycles, the imminent risk 
of fatal accidents, and a very high level of competitiveness among riders, characterize 
the sport as imposing great physical and psychological demands on the participants. 
The verification of the physical and psychological conditions of practitioners of this 
modality is made necessary as a result of the understanding established in the prescrip-
tion of training that can mitigate the risk of accidents and improve the performance of 
this population (D’Artibale, Laursen & Cronin, 2018). In this sense, the use of easily 
obtained markers, such as glucose, lactacidemia, heart rate, and temperature can help 
the trainers adapt the training cycles to the needs of each athlete (Potkanowicz & Men-
del, 2013; Conte, 2018; Barthel et al., 2020).

Lactacidemia (concentration of lactate in the bloodstream) is one of the most com-
monly used parameters to quantify physical effort and the predominant metabolism 
characteristic for energy supply during exercise (Manchado, Gobatto, Contarteza, Pa-
poti, & Mello, 2006). Lactate is a metabolite, a final product of anaerobic metabolism 
that results from glycolysis. The lactate production/clearance ratio is directly related 
to the type and intensity of physical exercise. Associated with this, lactate is part of a 
series of physiological mechanisms that protect the intracellular environment against 
changes in pH and consequently fatigue (Cathcart et al., 2008). 

The method of measuring lactate concentration after sports car races has been used 
to compare the physiological responses between professional and amateur drivers, 
identifying direct relationships between competitiveness and the physical condition of 
the practitioner, which reinforces the need for specific training for that population (Bar-
thel et al., 2020). 

 D’Artibale, Tessitore, Tiberi, Capranica (2007), investigated 26 female drivers 
during free practice, qualifying sessions, and official races and observed a significant 
increase in lactacidemia 2.2 + 0.5 mmol/l vs. 4.8 + 2.6 mmol/l, regardless of the com-
petition phase. On the other hand, Sperlich, Osman-Reinkens, Zinner, Krueger, and 
Holmberg (2014) followed 10 kart drivers and observed a significant increase in lac-
tate concentrations immediately after the 30-minute race. However, the physiological 
changes occurring during the practice of motorsports are still little known, especially 
in motorcycling. Studies to observe changes in lactacidemia in motorbike racers with 
the aim to improve the training strategies of the respective sport are required. Thus, the 
objective of the present study is to verify the lactacidemia of riders before and after a 
motorbike race.



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ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 11 • 2020 • 1

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Sample characteristics

The nine amateur motorbike racers participating in this study and constituting a 
sample for accessibility, with an average age of 33 + 10.4 years, were participants of the 
Track Day race, an event open to professional racers and/or amateurs and held in a pro-
fessional race track. Five of the riders (aged 25.8 + 7.88 years) participated in the race 
with current “speed” motorcycles, namely, Kawasaki ninja 250cc, Kawasaki zx6 600 
(manufactured between 2000 and 2009), Suzuki GSX-R750 (manufactured between 
2000 and 2008), while the remaining four riders (aged 42 + 3.2 years) with classic mo-
torcycles (all Thruxton 900cc manufactured in the year 1965). The research followed 
the ethical recommendations, obtaining the Free and Informed Consent Forms signed 
by the volunteers and the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Escola Superior de 
Educação Física de Jundiaí (Protocol Number: 2,848,416). The starting grid of the race 
was composed of 22 drivers; our sample was 9 drivers. In this sense, adopting a 95% 
confidence level, we obtain a 25.7% confidence interval for the sample of this study.

Inclusion criteria

Motorbike riders participating in the Track Day race. Male. Age over 18 years. Sig-
nature of the Free and Informed Consent Form (ICF). Exclusion criteria: presence of 
any injury limiting the performance of movements during the tests; refusal of consent 
to participate in the research.

Experimental Procedures

Plasma lactate was obtained on two occasions: A) 30 minutes before and B) 5 min-
utes after the Motorbike Track Day race, which consisted of 30 minutes of racing at the 
Haras Tuiuti Circuit, a 2,000-meter paved track circuit (Figure 1). Blood was collected 
from the digital pulp, using disposable lancets (Accu-Chek Softclix® Pro); a drop of 
blood was applied to a specific area of the BM-lactate reactive strip and the samples 
were measured on the Accutrend® Lactate Lactometer.



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Marcelo CONTE, João Vitor de SOUZA ANDRADE, Gustavo AZEVEDO, Victor Augusto RAMOS FERNANDES: LACTACIDEMIA DURING ..., 17–27

Figure 1: Main Circuit - Haras Tuiuti

Data analysis

For comparison between moments, a Student’s t-test paired with variables with nor-
mal distribution was used, with a Bonferroni’s post-test, adopting a 5% significance 
level, for all analyses.

RESULTS

Results are shown in Table 1 and Graphs 1 to 3. You can see that there was a signifi-
cant increase in the lactacidemia of the motorcyclists, in the age and categories, after 
the Track Day races.



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ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 11 • 2020 • 1

Table 1: Comparison of the mean and standard deviation of lactacidemia before and 
after racing between riders of vintage and current motorcycles.

Category
Time

before (mmol/l) after (mmol/l)
Current bikes 3.36 + 0.67 6.06 + 1.95*
Vintage bikes 4.30 + 1.95 7.67 + 1.78*
               Total 3.77 + 1.38 7.07 + 1.85*

*p < 0,05

Graph 1: Comparison of blood lactate levels before and after motorcycle racing.

The significant increase in lactate concentrations after Track Day suggests that mo-
torbiking is a sport of high anaerobic demand (Graph 1).

Descriptively, it is observed that the blood lactate concentration of vintage motor-
cycle riders, both before and after the race, was higher than that of the newer motor-
cycle riders (Graph 2).

It can be seen that there was a statistically significant difference concerning the 
average age of the motorbike racers (p = 0.0066). The riders of the newer motorcycles 
were younger than those of the vintage ones (Graph 3).



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Marcelo CONTE, João Vitor de SOUZA ANDRADE, Gustavo AZEVEDO, Victor Augusto RAMOS FERNANDES: LACTACIDEMIA DURING ..., 17–27

Graph 2: Comparison of blood lactate levels before and after racing with vintage and 
current motorcycles.

Graph 3: Comparison of motorbike racers’ age (average) in relation to the categories 
evaluated.



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ANNALES KINESIOLOGIAE • 11 • 2020 • 1

DISCUSSION

We observed in the present study that the motorcycle racers’ lactacidemia increased 
significantly (87.77%) after the Track Day race. At the same time, in different catego-
ries of motor sports, there is an increase in lactate concentrations after competitions 
and/or training. We can cite as an example, the studies of Del Rosso, Abreu, Webb, 
Zouhal, & Boullosa (2016), reporting an increase of 395% in rally drivers; a case study 
of Gobatto, Mendonça, & Matsushigue (2000), with 950% in kart, and 53% in F-Corsa 
racers, as well as Simões, Crisp, Verlengia, & Pellegrinotti (2016) with a 209% increase 
in motocross riders.

In the present study, a significant increase in lactacidemia was also observed right 
after the race on the Track Day, average of 7.07 + 1.87 mmol/l, similar to the average 
found by D’Artibale et al. (2018) in a study with 34 riders of the European Motorbike 
Championship categories 125 GP, 250 GP and 600 ccs, where the lactate concentrations 
after the respective runs were 6.0 + 2.1 mmol/l. And similar to Filaire, Filaire, & Le 
Scanff (2007), that observed a significant increase in lactacidemia after the motorbike 
race (5.6 + 2.1 mmol/l); on the other hand, Gobbi, Francisco, Tuy, and Kvitne (2005) 
observed that Motocross riders recorded lactacidemia of 5.3 + 2.1 mmol at the end of 
the race. However, in racing drivers, Schwaberger (1987) also observed a significant 
increase in lactacidemia after racing and pointed out that lactate is an important meta-
bolic marker of physical stress.

It is suggested that motorcycle racers have a high demand for static muscle contrac-
tion, this means that the muscles, mainly in the abdominopelvic region, lower limbs 
and forearms of the riders, presented important isometric activation as well as possible 
reduction of peripheral blood flow during riding, conditions that exacerbate the require-
ment for lactic anaerobic metabolism.

Both current and vintage motorcycle racers showed an increase in lactacidemia, 
although descriptively vintage motorcycle racers showed higher lactate concentrations, 
both at rest and after the race. Two factors may have influenced this result, the age gro-
up (riders in the vintage motorcycle class had a significantly higher average age) and 
the characteristics of the motorcycles.

We recognize that several factors can influence lactacidemia, such as the characteri-
stics of the circuit, power and characteristics of the racing motorcycle, physical fitness 
of the motorcycle racers. However, data from the present study indicate that even ama-
teurs racing on unofficial motorcycles, in events such as Track Day, are subjected to a 
high-performance and physically demanding practice, suggesting the need for special 
attention regarding physical preparation.

Again, all drivers showed an increase in lactate concentrations after the race. Fe-
bbraio et al. (1994) show that during extreme exercise, the individual’s temperature 
causes changes in lactate concentration; the higher the body temperature, the greater 
the use of muscle glycogen, increasing lactate levels, which may be one of the reasons 
for increased lactacidemia after the race. In this sense, the driver’s clothing and the high 
temperature on the track (36º C) on the day of the race, associated with high emotional 



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Marcelo CONTE, João Vitor de SOUZA ANDRADE, Gustavo AZEVEDO, Victor Augusto RAMOS FERNANDES: LACTACIDEMIA DURING ..., 17–27

stress and the great muscular demand, both dynamic and static, for riding (Potkanowicz 
& Mendel, 2013) can explain the elevation of lactate, which is considered an important 
marker of exercise intensity (Goodwin, Harris, Hernández, & Gladden, 2007).

The progressive increase in the intensity of effort promotes the recruitment of motor 
units of the FR (Fatigue Resistance) type and later on those of the FF (Fast Fatigue) 
type. Therefore, the production of lactate by muscle fibers increases in the same order 
as the recruitment pattern. Regardless of the type of contraction, muscle fibers of type 
IIA and IIB are recruited in high-intensity exercises, these same fibers being the most 
likely to produce lactate. However, although the increase in lactacidemia is an indicator 
of increased intensity of effort, protective effects of lactate exposure or acidosis indu-
ced in muscle contractions with potassium depression in isolated rodent muscles are 
reported. Besides, exposure to sodium lactate can alleviate severe muscle fatigue, and 
sodium lactate intake can increase exhaustion time during running in humans. Together, 
these latest findings led to the idea that lactate/H + may have an ergogenic effect during 
exercise (Cairns, 2006).

CONCLUSION

The present study found that lactacidemia increased significantly after the Track 
Day race in amateur motorbike racers. These data reinforce the results of other studi-
es, which consider motorcycling as a sport with elevated anaerobic metabolism. Thus, 
physical trainers and motorcycle racers should adopt strategies to stimulate this meta-
bolic pathway in specific training.

Study limitations

Classificatory training and free training performed during the day of the competi-
tion, as well as physical activities that may have been performed during the 48 hours 
before data collection, may have influenced the lactacidemia values. On the other hand, 
it was not possible to evaluate and know the drivers’ IAT, for a possible comparison 
between the lactate concentration obtained in the anaerobic threshold and the lactaci-
demia after the race.

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