What Riders Have/Had The Strongest Mental Game?

Stantons run from when rj got hurt til he snaked Bradshaw comes to mind. 

Reed..?

AC and sexton

I can’t speak for guys I didn’t see.

Carmichael

Villopoto

Dungey

Reed

Webb

That’s the ones that pop immediately into mind when I think mental strength.

I'd say Reeds mental game is what held him back. 

Dungey is up there, he rode the same exact race every single weekend for years, never wavered in his approach.

Eli didn't get to where he is without a strong mental game. It would be a whole different story if he didn't take the Kawasaki ride. Just ask RC, Villopoto, Bubba, Weimer, Millsaps, Grant, AC, Hahn, etc how miserable it is to ride for that team. Villopoto looked like wanted to off himself everytime the camera was on him when he raced for them. Now that guy is the most outgoing, happiest guy ever. Coincidence? If Eli stayed at Honda or went anywhere but Kawasaki, we would be talking about him passing McGrath right now for Supercross wins.

agree to a point. but you could also argue age & maturity comes into play?

Reeds mental strength is what kept him in the title chases and got him his wins. He would convince himself he was the top guy and could beat Rc and Stew.

I agree on RC4 and JS7's point when they said it was the change from 2 stroke to 4 stroke that held reed back. he didn't adapt as quick as the others.

looking back, it makes sense.

Hannah

Disagree completely. Tomac is amazing at everything else and was able to overcome his weaker mental game. It was only in the last couple years he’s had a great mental game, well past the age most riders have retired.

To be fair to him, that’s the nature of our sport. Most sports, you’re a rookie in your early to mid 20s. In ours, you’re at the end of it. So it’s almost common to have a weak mental game and rare to have a strong one.

Jason Lawrence

Most of the riders that raced against Reed say his mental game was his strongest trait. He just never gave up, even when resoundingly beat.

People like to bring up the 02 outdoors stunt Stew pulled on Reed, yet he never backed down from their rivalry throughout their careers. A killer psych move if there ever was one, but ultimately it never worked.

However Reed said himself that it was Ricky that made him hate the outdoors and why he went SX only for a couple of years. But indoors RC said Reed was the toughest competitor he ever faced. It blows my mind that Reed was able to separate those two contrasting challenges.

Webb   2019, 2020, 2021...and now 2023.     (this of course does not include his 250 years.)

Yes....but Webb was very strong that year too.     Webb may not get the title this year....but he is mentally on point again. 

Webbs not on any point. The tracks just have been shitty

I was thinking Webb too, however when you really look at it, it seems his mental game is only strong when he’s getting wins, or is at least close.
His Yamaha 450 seasons and last year showed his mental strength is vulnerable when he’s not at the top of the game.

Roger DeCoster 

Or when the bikes were shit . I'd say Webb is the toughest out there right now . 

RV2 - he could will anything into existence in his prime

Yet Reed and Musquin managed wins and podiums on the same bikes. Both past their prime.
Even when the bike is shit, strong minded riders find a way to dig deep and stay in it. They may not be at their best, but they don’t give up. Which is why I ruled out Webb.

McGrath, Carmichael, Villopoto, Webb

How about when the body is shit...after an unbelievable gnarly crash..    Yet, he was back again the following week.  

This is one more reason why Webb is at the top of the list in my book.

He had one bad year last year (22)... probably burned out like RV was.        How about 2017/2018 on the YZ-450...he fought like hell on that pig of a bike.    

JMB- American fans gave him shit in 1991. 
 

The Stewart’s… cos of racism. 
 

Tue rest of it, is just a bike race.

Ya but if you listen to their recent interviews it's not that. I remember hearing a Pulp episode where RV and Weimer got tipsy and just let loose on Kawi. I've heard Millsaps and Lusk do the same. Obviously everyone sees how happy Eli is now and how unhappy AC is. Yes ProCircuit is their own entity but they are on Kawi's, they have replacement riders getting hurt now.....and needing replacement riders for their replacement riders. I don't know what it is, bikes, teams, whatever. I just hope Shimoda get's the f off those cheesy looking green death traps. Cough**Star**cough cough. Run Jo!

Yup as fan since 1999, those are the ones I'd pick.