P132
CN
III EMPIRE OF DIRT
BY STEVE COX
I
've said it before, and I'll say
it again here: My favorite part
of motocross and supercross
racing is the mental side of the
sport. In terms of on-bike skill,
there are thousands of really
great motocrossers in the U.S.,
but it's not just the on-bike skill
that decides who becomes the
next elite factory racer bat-
tling for championships. And
as motocrossers and pundits
covering the racing, we spend a
ton of time talking about physical
fitness as the other major factor,
but not nearly enough time talk-
ing about mental fitness.
Back when I was racing, with
the benefit of hindsight, I knew
quite a few racers who had all
the skill and fitness they could've
ever wanted, but they never
made it beyond the privateer
level, and most not even that
far. Mental strength, knowledge
and fitness are the difference
between being a top local racer,
GOING MENTAL
Aaron Plessinger
is learning that just
going fast is not
necessarily the only
ingredient in winning
championships.
