Kazuyuki Hirabuki: KRT's in-house trainer since 1990. He has earned the deep trust of his riders.

In his KRT (Kawasaki Racing Team) staff shirt, Kazuyuki Hirabuki looks like any other member of the team. But rather than bike maintenance, he is in charge of rider performance. A physical therapist by trade and one of the first specialist trainers to work with the All-Japan Motocross series, Hirabuki is well respected amongst his peers.
"I've been a trainer for Kawasaki since 1990, working with both KRT and Team Green. Before that I was in the States, studying under motorsports physical training pioneer Dean Miller. My connection with KRT started when I went to visit KMC (Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.) and met Takashi Yasui (Team Manager for KRT in Japan from 1982-1993), who happened to be in America on a business trip. In 1989, I was working in the road racing world grand prix as Randy Mamola's personal trainer. I had planned to continue the following year, but the offer to work in motocross, which places higher physical demands on its riders, was very appealing, so I made the change from road racing to the All-Japan Motocross series."
Yasui had strongly felt there was a need for trainers for a while. When assigned to the world motocross grand prix in 1979-1980, he had seen Miller work with Brad Lackey (a Kawasaki rider at the time) and thought that Japanese riders too would benefit from having a specialist on hand to manage their training and monitor their physical condition. It would be years before Yasui met Miller's protégé Hirabuki, but inevitably fate connected the three of them.

Atsushi Okabe: Hirabuki claimed he had the perfect body for motocross racer.

"When I left Miller's tutelage and returned to Japan, there were three KRT riders: Atsushi Okabe, Tomoyuki Naganuma and Shigeki Hanada. I had done some motocross racing myself, so Okabe, the newly-crowned champion, especially seemed to be a level above regular mortals. Physically, he was extremely well balanced; and he had no faults whatsoever. In contrast, Naganuma, who was one of those naturally-gifted riders able to ride by feel, was the least physically fit of the three. Hanada, despite running, swimming and cycling, always seemed to come in 2nd. But his build suggested that with some structure he would improve, so I passed on all I knew about training theory. Hanada, and Masanori Enomoto who joined later, both benefited from the training considerably. When Okabe, who as an athlete was almost perfectly developed, turned 30 we devised a programme to build up his physical strength to offset any adverse effects of age. When the human body ages, the first area to become weaker are the muscles. Okabe was able to maintain his position as the top rider for as long as he did because of his keen sense of physical awareness, which helped him avoid injuries."

At the time Hirabuki took on the role of KRT's physical trainer, other sports in Japan were seeing a similar increase in interest in physical fitness and nutritious eating habits. Up until then, awareness had been low: nobody thought it at all strange that, for example, professional baseball players smoked, or went out late drinking the night before a game.
"In motorsports, it's easy to think that bike performance is the most important factor, but the rider's physical fitness plays such a large role – and, among motorsports, motocross places the highest physical demands on a rider. Its requirements are also complex. In sports medicine, physical strength can be classified into three types: explosive (high) power, middle power and stamina. Sprinting, power lifting and other contests that last less than 10 seconds fall into the category of anaerobic exercise, calling for explosive power. Competitions lasting longer than three minutes constitute aerobic exercise, requiring stamina. The 400m dash falls in between the two. Motocross races last more than 30 minutes, so first of all stamina is necessary. But there are also situations, like the start and when landing jumps, where riders hold their breath and rely on explosive power. Finally, when dicing for positions, middle power comes into play. In addition, to see lines and gaps on the track requires kinetic vision, keeping aware of surroundings while riding taxes peripheral vision, and being able to detect riders coming up behind you requires all five senses be used to their maximum extent – all in all, motocross racing places extremely high demands on riders' faculties."

Okabe showing precise control in muddy conditions.
Motocross racing offers many opportunities for remarkable displays of physical strength.

That Kawasaki would increase the physical fitness of its riders was only natural.
"Training can be defined as placing greater loads on the body than it would experience in everyday situations. For riders, being on a bike is the norm, so no matter how much they ride, while they may be improving their riding technique, it does not constitute muscle training. In addition to riding, they need to run, swim or do weight training. To develop the ideal body of an athlete takes at least 2-3 years, so starting once a rider joins KRT is too late. So I started working with Team Green and even with riders at earlier stages (national B-class and A-class), giving them direction. As a part of physical training, I've asked the riders' families to adjust their diets. And to help them develop greater mental strength, I've taken riders to Akashi's shopping district and had them sing out loud, one at a time, on a busy arcade street. Okabe did it… pretty much all of the KRT and Team Green riders went through the same baptism. Only one rider, Takase Tanaka, refused, saying, ‘There's no way I'm doing anything that embarrassing.'"

Hirabuki is dedicated to increasing his riders' potential year-round, whether during the race season or in the off-season. But on race weekends, there's very little for him to do.
"Most of my work is checking on their physical condition, giving massages, taping injuries, preparing drinks… and just being at their side all the time to offer psychological support. Doing tough training together, we develop a bond that lets us understand each other. Riders often say ‘tough practice makes for a fun race.' But in reality, the majority of riders are having fun in practice and are suffering in their races. Japanese riders' lack of physical fitness is readily apparent; mentally, they are weak too. If you look at Western riders, before a race they're always horsing around, but when they change into their gear you can see in their eyes that a switch has been flicked. Japanese riders are the opposite: they're keyed up from early in the morning, and just before the race they're yawning and laughing. Yawning is a sign of lack of oxygen due to too much tension. I think there is a lot we can learn from Western riders about how to increase concentration."
On a racing team, riders and staff come and go, and even change jobs. In KRT, Hirabuki's 20 years in the same position is unparalleled.
"I joined the team the year after Okabe became champion, so if we're talking about the IA1 class, then I have yet to have had a hand in getting a championship. Eddie Warren and Jeff Matiasevich are special cases… I haven't helped build a Japanese champion. So I guess you could say I'm still working hard to make my dream come true."