Ricky Carmichael gave us some great insight into what made him so bulletproof as a rider and a winning machine in his decade in the sport.
At the MXoN at Matterley Basin, Ricky spoke to us about how he beat McGrath, not feeling pressure and the key aspect it takes to be a champion, “think long, think wrong!”
While you may believe Ricky thought about everything to make sure he had every base covered, the reality was the opposite, he trusted his program and just focused on execution – putting his faith in his instinct and his subconscious. It sounds simple, but the reality is mastering it is hard, that’s why guys like Carmichael go down as the greatest ever to ride a bike. They don’t overthink, they keep it simple, feel and trust in the moment.
Ricky on…
McGrath: “I knew that if I was able to ride that edge, I knew that MC was… I had an idea that MC was going to stay within his comfort zone and weigh on the side of thinking that I would lay it down. And, yeah, luckily it worked out and I was able to keep it on two wheels.”
Pressure: “No, I didn’t feel the pressure. I didn’t feel the pressure. It was more, yeah, just go out and win. You know, like, each single race, you go out, each single season, you go out, you win, you try to defend your championship. And that’s on the forefront of your mind, at least it was on the forefront of my mind.”
Analyzing other riders: “You analyze riders and see where they’re better than you at and try to improve in those areas. But at the end of the day, I knew that if I prepared the best that I could, I would have just as good a shot of winning as anyone else. So I really raced my race and how the chips would fall was how they would fall.“
Not overthinking: “Think less and just ride. So basically, you think long and you think wrong. Everything has to be instinct, instant instinct, so that it can come natural. That’s how it was. I think you look at all great champions, and everything just comes natural. They don’t think a whole lot. I think it’s something that you’re born with.”
