Pros/age losing skill set/Brayton

kawasa84
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kawasa84
Edited Date/Time 1/23/2021 9:56am
So with Brayton turning 37 yrs old in March and getting on the podium at H2, he still looks great out there. He held off past champions, held off Roczen, and was turning laps like the favorites to be champions in 2021.
Reed ( I believe 37 yrs old last season) had lost a considerable amount of his skill set the past couple seasons he raced. Had a lot of finishes outside the top 10. Raced a lot of lcq's to get in the mains.
Stewart was experiencing a loss of speed/skill around something like 29-30 yrs old and retired.
Many other riders typically as well. Considering Brayton was never a podium threat every season, yet still has some of his best racing within the last 4 years (Daytona win/ H2 podium) how is it he has retained what so many (most) other pros can't do? Considering they all train, eat right, and ride/prep the same is it just good genes?
I know Brayton lives around Charlotte, NC now but is it something in the water in Ft Dodge, IA.
Iowa has the population of the Charlotte metro area, yet, some of its best pro racers like Chad Pedersen, Teddy Maier, Gavin Faith and Justin Brayton all hail from Ft. Dodge (population 24,000)
By the way, I live in TX but I was born in Ft Dodge, IA, used to race district 22
Give me your opinions on how Brayton is still this good at 37
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gt80rider
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gt80rider 1/22/2021 11:21am
1/22/2021 11:21am
Brayton has legit speed... and has done a great job of keeping it on two wheels... him simply staying healthy most of his career has helped immensely..... that continuity of racing over all these years has really helped him build his speed......
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Wisco322
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Wisco322 1/22/2021 11:22am
1/22/2021 11:22am
Hard work and motivation, doesn’t matter where you’re from. Some guys just want it a little more than others.
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skeef
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skeef 1/22/2021 11:27am
1/22/2021 11:27am
Pretty much just a flex but yeah what he said ^^^
Forty
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Forty 1/22/2021 11:31am
1/22/2021 11:31am
Brayton still has the fire.
I’ll say Reed hasn’t had the fire for awhile.

At that level it means everything.

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dboivin
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dboivin 1/22/2021 11:35am
1/22/2021 11:35am Edited Date/Time 1/22/2021 11:36am
i would love to see the comparative stats of Concussions per rider breakdown. It seems that riders that took the most hits lost their "talent" faster over the years. would love to see the correlation (validate or un-validate)...but i think there will probably be some interesting data there.

that being said, i'd bet dungey, if he kept racing, woulda been fast for long time as well. didn't big crash much.
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EngIceDave
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EngIceDave 1/22/2021 11:36am
1/22/2021 11:36am
Tedesco is still fast
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Dirty Points 1/22/2021 11:37am
1/22/2021 11:37am Edited Date/Time 1/22/2021 11:41am
I also think a thing that is somewhat Brayton-specific is that he is not a balls-to-the-wall type rider. He is a very consistent, technical rider that rides his own race and makes few mistakes. I think that style may not peak quite as high, but definitely ages better.
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kawasa84
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kawasa84 1/22/2021 11:41am
1/22/2021 11:41am
I tend to agree with you dboivin. An example would be a rider like Canard, who was so fast, yet suffered the broken legs, and I'm sure several concussions. He chose to retire earlier because of this.
I also agree motivation must play a part because Brayton has that. Plus the guy is still having fun racing.
KenBone
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KenBone 1/22/2021 11:44am
1/22/2021 11:44am
Modern day Junk Yard Dog
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prozach 1/22/2021 11:47am
1/22/2021 11:47am
Motivation and lucky to not have soft tissue/joint damage preventing him from still functioning at that level.
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chump6784 1/22/2021 11:57am
1/22/2021 11:57am
dboivin wrote:
i would love to see the comparative stats of Concussions per rider breakdown. It seems that riders that took the most hits lost their "talent" faster...
i would love to see the comparative stats of Concussions per rider breakdown. It seems that riders that took the most hits lost their "talent" faster over the years. would love to see the correlation (validate or un-validate)...but i think there will probably be some interesting data there.

that being said, i'd bet dungey, if he kept racing, woulda been fast for long time as well. didn't big crash much.
I'd go with this too. An injury list for each rider including concussions. Each big injury just seems to take the edge of a little bit and concussions are cumulative
RichieW13
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RichieW13 1/22/2021 12:02pm
1/22/2021 12:02pm Edited Date/Time 1/22/2021 3:05pm
Forty wrote:
Brayton still has the fire.
I’ll say Reed hasn’t had the fire for awhile.

At that level it means everything.

I have no clue how much money Brayton has earned in his career, but I assume it is far less than Reed earned.

So maybe at this stage of their careers, the paychecks are still important for Brayton to build his nest egg, while Reed didn't need the money?

Here's what I have for oldest main event participants since 1990:

Chad Reed (2020) - 38.3 years old
Justin Brayton (2021) - 36.9
John Dowd (2002) - 36.7
Kyle Lewis (2007) - 36.6
Barry Carsten (2003) - 36.3
Guy Cooper (1998) - 36.2
Nicholas Wey (2016) - 35.9
Ryan Sipes (2020) - 35.4
Mike LaRocco (2006) - 35.1
Kevin Windham (2013) - 34.9
Nathan Ramsey (2009) - 34.7
Jeremy McGrath (2006) - 34.3
Ryan Clark (2012) - 34.2
Steve Lamson (2005) - 34.1
Martin Davalos (2021) - 34.0
Tim Ferry (2009) - 34.0
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mx317
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mx317 1/22/2021 12:05pm
1/22/2021 12:05pm
I think a lot of it is you lose your hunger and the willingness to hang it out. Reed loves to race, but he has been champ and didn't have as much to prove as when he was young. Hannah said it best when he said he lost it when he became "domesticated".
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yak651
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yak651 1/22/2021 12:05pm
1/22/2021 12:05pm Edited Date/Time 1/22/2021 12:32pm
Reed talked a good game that he wanted to win but Brayton lives the game of wanting to win

Note - I mean for the last couple years of Reed's career, obviously early in his career he lived to win races
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Ted722
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Ted722 1/22/2021 12:08pm
1/22/2021 12:08pm
Brayton’s always been a hell of a rider and a smart one at that. As he gets older, he’s altered his training regimen (more rest,etc.), no Nationals, he races SX overseas and has great equipment. He’s executing his program perfectly. 👍
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WoodsRacer 1/22/2021 1:26pm
1/22/2021 1:26pm
You don't quit racing when you get old, you get old when you quit racing.
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smee113
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smee113 1/22/2021 2:51pm
1/22/2021 2:51pm
Forty wrote:
Brayton still has the fire.
I’ll say Reed hasn’t had the fire for awhile.

At that level it means everything.

RichieW13 wrote:
I have no clue how much money Brayton has earned in his career, but I assume it is far less than Reed earned. So maybe at...
I have no clue how much money Brayton has earned in his career, but I assume it is far less than Reed earned.

So maybe at this stage of their careers, the paychecks are still important for Brayton to build his nest egg, while Reed didn't need the money?

Here's what I have for oldest main event participants since 1990:

Chad Reed (2020) - 38.3 years old
Justin Brayton (2021) - 36.9
John Dowd (2002) - 36.7
Kyle Lewis (2007) - 36.6
Barry Carsten (2003) - 36.3
Guy Cooper (1998) - 36.2
Nicholas Wey (2016) - 35.9
Ryan Sipes (2020) - 35.4
Mike LaRocco (2006) - 35.1
Kevin Windham (2013) - 34.9
Nathan Ramsey (2009) - 34.7
Jeremy McGrath (2006) - 34.3
Ryan Clark (2012) - 34.2
Steve Lamson (2005) - 34.1
Martin Davalos (2021) - 34.0
Tim Ferry (2009) - 34.0
Wait, Audette was 34 in 2017? Didn't he go pro in 2011?
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murph783
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murph783 1/22/2021 3:03pm
1/22/2021 3:03pm
Forty wrote:
Brayton still has the fire.
I’ll say Reed hasn’t had the fire for awhile.

At that level it means everything.

RichieW13 wrote:
I have no clue how much money Brayton has earned in his career, but I assume it is far less than Reed earned. So maybe at...
I have no clue how much money Brayton has earned in his career, but I assume it is far less than Reed earned.

So maybe at this stage of their careers, the paychecks are still important for Brayton to build his nest egg, while Reed didn't need the money?

Here's what I have for oldest main event participants since 1990:

Chad Reed (2020) - 38.3 years old
Justin Brayton (2021) - 36.9
John Dowd (2002) - 36.7
Kyle Lewis (2007) - 36.6
Barry Carsten (2003) - 36.3
Guy Cooper (1998) - 36.2
Nicholas Wey (2016) - 35.9
Ryan Sipes (2020) - 35.4
Mike LaRocco (2006) - 35.1
Kevin Windham (2013) - 34.9
Nathan Ramsey (2009) - 34.7
Jeremy McGrath (2006) - 34.3
Ryan Clark (2012) - 34.2
Steve Lamson (2005) - 34.1
Martin Davalos (2021) - 34.0
Tim Ferry (2009) - 34.0
smee113 wrote:
Wait, Audette was 34 in 2017? Didn't he go pro in 2011?
Yeah there’s no way that’s right
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RichieW13
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RichieW13 1/22/2021 3:04pm
1/22/2021 3:04pm Edited Date/Time 1/22/2021 3:06pm
smee113 wrote:
Wait, Audette was 34 in 2017? Didn't he go pro in 2011?
I had him being born in 1983. Though that was probably wrong.

According to this old Vital post, it says he was 23 in 2016, which would make him born in 1993.

https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Riders-Ages,1301368

It's not easy to find birthdates for the lesser-known guys.
CPR
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CPR 1/22/2021 6:04pm
1/22/2021 6:04pm
kawasa84 wrote:
So with Brayton turning 37 yrs old in March and getting on the podium at H2, he still looks great out there. He held off past...
So with Brayton turning 37 yrs old in March and getting on the podium at H2, he still looks great out there. He held off past champions, held off Roczen, and was turning laps like the favorites to be champions in 2021.
Reed ( I believe 37 yrs old last season) had lost a considerable amount of his skill set the past couple seasons he raced. Had a lot of finishes outside the top 10. Raced a lot of lcq's to get in the mains.
Stewart was experiencing a loss of speed/skill around something like 29-30 yrs old and retired.
Many other riders typically as well. Considering Brayton was never a podium threat every season, yet still has some of his best racing within the last 4 years (Daytona win/ H2 podium) how is it he has retained what so many (most) other pros can't do? Considering they all train, eat right, and ride/prep the same is it just good genes?
I know Brayton lives around Charlotte, NC now but is it something in the water in Ft Dodge, IA.
Iowa has the population of the Charlotte metro area, yet, some of its best pro racers like Chad Pedersen, Teddy Maier, Gavin Faith and Justin Brayton all hail from Ft. Dodge (population 24,000)
By the way, I live in TX but I was born in Ft Dodge, IA, used to race district 22
Give me your opinions on how Brayton is still this good at 37
Reedy’s last podium was also just a few weeks before his 37th birthday, so not a great deal of difference to Brayton there, but he’d done it all well before that; raced and beat some of the best ever in the sport, won championships, run his own team etc.
However I don’t think it’s the skill level that drops off, it’s more the desire and drive as other guys have mentioned above. The biggest difference I see between him and Brayton is in their careers. Brayton is still striving, Reed was way past that and just racing because he loved racing.
Guys at their age are the exception though, but just maybe that’s slowly changing???
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TXDirt
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TXDirt 1/22/2021 6:16pm
1/22/2021 6:16pm
It’s not really an age thing as much as a mental thing. Once you sorta realize holy shit this is dangerous as hell and one mistake can really fuck me up. I’ve got a hot wife, young kids, whole life in front of me, that’s when you are done. For some that realization hits at 28 and some 39.

This sport doesn’t afford many graceful exits. When you are done it’s like falling off a cliff.

You can still be “fast” but the commitment and risk it takes to be top 10, top 3 just disappears.
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MotoMan12345
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MotoMan12345 1/22/2021 6:20pm
1/22/2021 6:20pm
Forty wrote:
Brayton still has the fire.
I’ll say Reed hasn’t had the fire for awhile.

At that level it means everything.

You lose that fire once you accomplish so much like reed has + the money he’s made.
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zehn
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zehn 1/22/2021 6:39pm
1/22/2021 6:39pm
Yeah the money aspect cannot be overlooked when talking about guys like Stewart, Reed, etc. No offense to Brayton or anything but had he made money like Stewart he may not be out there. Just a thought
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greenmx5
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greenmx5 1/22/2021 6:47pm
1/22/2021 6:47pm Edited Date/Time 1/22/2021 6:51pm
How early you started and how long you were at it hardcore has a lot to do with it. Villopoto, stew, and RC were all over it in their 20s because they just did nothing but eat sleep breath moto from the time they were 4. If you're all in (which is what it took to be as dominant as they were) for 20 years, that's not something you can withstand into your 30s. I'm not saying Brayton doesn't train hard, they all do, but what RV, stew, RC, and Reed did to be head and shoulders above everyone else isn't sustainable over a 15 year pro career. They sprinted the 400m dash while Brayton (and others in their 30s) treated it like a marathon.
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Chains
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Chains 1/22/2021 6:48pm
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Having the pleasure to watch a full day of training for sx at club, After multiple 30 min moto's all the other riders were done. Not JB, he went back out alone and did another. So to answer your question. Hard work!
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Natester551v
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Natester551v 1/22/2021 6:51pm
1/22/2021 6:51pm
I think Reed's fitness has yo-yo'd a lot, whereas Brayton has pretty consistently stayed fit from year to year. That has to play into this...
FIREfish148
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FIREfish148 1/22/2021 7:00pm
1/22/2021 7:00pm
I think once the riders that spend their whole life trying to get titles finally get them they realize it’s not everything and it kind of takes wind out of their sails a little bit.
That’s one reason I think MC was able to stack up so many wins and titles. In the 90s they had more fun and didn’t get burnt out as quickly. Plus he was just silky smooth and never crashed which helped.
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JB 19 1/22/2021 7:01pm
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I think it has a lot to do with how much off season racing he does. He kind of stays the same speed. Doesn't have down time where he has to pick his speed back up. It makes a big difference as you get older.
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SoCalMX70
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SoCalMX70 1/22/2021 7:04pm
1/22/2021 7:04pm
Natester551v wrote:
I think Reed's fitness has yo-yo'd a lot, whereas Brayton has pretty consistently stayed fit from year to year. That has to play into this...
This factor seems oddly less talked about. Reed had various injuries over the past few years and only played around with the idea of "doing the bootcamp" to get himself into fighting shape. He practically spent his last 3-4 years running on talent alone. Brayton is still working hard.

Not a dig at Reed either btw... I've always been a huge Reed fan. Even if he half-assed raced this year and was barely making mains again I'd still be stoked. He earned his way into doing whatever the hell he wants.
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Brent 1/22/2021 7:05pm
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EngIceDave wrote:
Tedesco is still fast
Hell yes he is, I saw him at GH a few weeks back.he has no problem keeping up with factory riders.

I just wonder why he quit so soon?

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