Prodrive Racing Australia’s stable of drivers have completed an elite testing program at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra as part of their Bathurst build-up.

Poised to claim a third successive Peter Brock Trophy at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 from October 8-11, Prodrive believes the preparation can help its drivers raise their performance.

Championship leader Mark Winterbottom, second-placed Chaz Mostert and third-placed David Reynolds all took part in the AIS program.

Bottle-O Racing driver Reynolds undertook elite testing including the VO2 Max test and full body composition assessments under the supervision of senior sports physiologist Hamilton Lee.

“There’s definitely been a change since I first experienced the drivers from the sport but they were all a bit old school and they just did things the way it’s always been done,” Lee said.

“These young guys seem to take their fitness a lot more seriously than 20 years ago.”

Winterbottom, the 2013 Bathurst 1000 champion, said there is still work to be done to further extend the lead over their rivals.

“We can still improve. Even though we’ve won the race (Bathurst) the last two years there are still things we can do to make ourselves better and not just for Bathurst either,” Winterbottom said.

“These guys at the AIS are at the top of their game and I personally have learnt a lot through working with them.”

The AIS program also included a consultation with AIS head of Sports Nutrition Louise Burke which piqued the interest of paleo diet enthusiast Reynolds.

“It was really good to get Louise’s insight. I got some information that I’ll be taking on board with regards to diet,” Reynolds said.

“The VO2 test was interesting to be a part of but it was great to be able to measure my performance against other professional athletes like football players.

“Fitness is something I really concentrate on so it was really interesting.”

See below video of Prodrive’s visit to the Australian Institute of Sport