Re: Great Riders?? (Stuman)
The mind is a powerful thing! I think all racers of that caliber HAVE TO have a huge level of confidence in their equipment/set-up... period. Guys like these don't think about the "what ifs". I'm not saying they throw caution to the wind either, but in some respect they do.
They just have to ASSUME that the the bike will do what they need it to do. The guys who can make that assumption, while having the skill to compensate for any problems that may arise, go fast. The guys who are more consistent in getting their set-up right have the mental capacity to accept braking later, or getting on the gas sooner. I guess this is why they say that motorcycle racing is roughly 90% mental and 10% the bike.
On a personal note, I can clearly recall the times when I went through a corner and was suprised that I didn't crash... because I was too busy thinking about the wrong things. The races I did that in resulted in lackluster finishes. My best races have been where my mind was focused on simply ATTACKING the track... and not worrying about the "what ifs"... or "oh sh!t, the bike moved a lot there!! Is something wrong??" Confidence in your equipment prevents this, IMO. Unfortunately, finding that zone is easier said than done.
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