Does it help or hurt to race ...

It's a good way to get the aggression out, that's for sure.

Better to be as cool as the other side of the pillow. Focused and deliberate. Plenty of time to be pissed after the Moto!!

Better to be pissed off than pissed on

Depends on the individual I'd say.... For me yeah I'd probably kick ass for a a bit riding in rage boost mode lol but I think for me it would probably result in a costly mistake/injury sooner or later during the race. Better to be in the zone, focused and deliberate like stated above^

I ride/ race better when I"m pissed off.....much more focused......I think most contact sports are better served with anger...

I would have to think, at the elite level, it would be a bad thing to ride pissed off. How often do we see two guys block passing, running into each other on the track, getting pissed off and they both end up getting passed by the guy behind them.

Not talking moto, but I always found it fascinating watching fighters like Anderson Silva or the Diaz brothers who would mock and antagonize their opponents during a fight to try to purposely make them lose their temper so they would make a mistake and get caught in a submission or knocked out.

One of my best ever motos came very shortly after having a full blown argument with my Dad. I was way more aggressive and felt more "in the zone" than I've ever been able to get myself intentionally. I'm generally very laid back and calm so it takes a lot to piss me off meaning when i am, its in a pretty big way.. i see "red mist" so to speak. I was definitely riding faster than i would normally but obviously taking more risks at the same time. My Dad actually started trying to find things to piss me off before races after that as the difference was so noticeable, but it never had the same effect when i knew it was coming.

In answer to the OP i'd say it definitely depends on the person, but for me it helps a lot. Effective but probably dangerous. (When isn't riding dangerous though?)

Didn't Adam Cianciarulo say something about riding pissed off a while back. I think it was him saying his dad would jump his shit and he'd get mad and ride better.

My son is so calm on the line it strange. He will put his head on his bars and take a nap in staging. I amp myself up. I've tried to piss him off or make him mad. Doesn't ever work.

I used to fall asleep before races. Woke up calm and had my best ever rides. Mad meant crashing for me.