You hear this all the time. Is it true? I have been working in motocross for about 5 years; I have trained competitive athletes for twelve years; I have been personally involved in competitive sports almost all of my life. In my opinion this cliche statement is at least partially true in most competitive sports. You have to carry a certain amount of aggression, cockiness and selfishness to the line if you are actually racing for the win. I am not saying you have to raise the aggression level to the point of taking riders out on purpose but you have to fight for the start, fight for the lines, fight for every position out there and sometimes you can’t be nice about it. The traits that a rider must have out on the track to be successful are not necessarily the traits that make that rider a desirable member of society or a good friend. Aggressiveness, extreme self confidence to the point of cockiness, self centered focus and selfishness are all traits that are required to be a winner in racing. Take those traits outside of the track and you can end up a lonely cowboy. Think about it; do you want to be friends with someone that acts those traits out in your presence? Those traits pretty much describe a person that most people would not want to hang out with. It also is a list of traits that a sponsor would not appreciate.

Racers must live a dual life. You must be aggressive, cocky and self centered on the track but then be passive, humble and generous off the track to be not only successful but also to co-exist with everyone else and have friends. I have seen younger racers that are anywhere near each other in their respective classes unable to be genuine friends outside of the racing scene. As these riders grow older they must develop the ability to turn off the traits of the winning racer not only to attract and keep sponsors but more importantly have a high quality of life.

Some of today’s motocross stars have it all: They line up at the gate knowing they are going to win and tell you so; they launch into the first turn with aggression and they take lines with selfish abandon. Within minutes of winning they are smiling at the top of the podium, surrounded by their abundant friends. They give a pleasant and courteous interview and genuinely thank their sponsors. They wave to their thousands of fans as they exit the arena. They successfully exercise their dual personality and not only won the race but their sponsors are happy, the fans are ecstatic and they lead a high quality life full of friends and family. So nice guys can finish first!