Ryan Hughes is a badass, plain and simple. He rides like a charging rhinoceros (hence the nickname), and his competition simply gets out of the way. Noticing how extremely focused Hughes seems before a race, we just couldn't help but ask him what was going through his head. Here is Ryno's very best advice for mentally preparing yourself to race-and win.
01 Leading up to the race, you should begin by first thinking about what you are going to do, plain and simple. Whether it is supercross or motocross, off-road or enduro, you have to get your mind set for that type of riding. The main thing I like to do is to just clear my mind and focus on the riding. I rid my mind of the fans, of the people, of the other riders, because I have no control over what anyone else says or does, only control over what I do. I try to visualize myself going around the track with precision, hitting every line and making every shift point flawlessly. I imagine everything. All of the stuff that I need to do, I try to visualize myself doing them perfectly before the race starts, which gets me prepared for the real thing.
02 I try not to think about who I am racing against. It doesn't matter, because it's all about how you feel inside and how you feel on the track. It doesn't matter if you are racing Ricky Carmichael or a complete novice; it's the same process. If you aren't riding correctly, you're not going to do well. But if you are riding correctly, you are going to do great. So you just have to concentrate and worry about yourself and nothing else. If you worry about other people and other things, then your mind is full of thoughts that aren't doing anything to get you to your goal. I just try to do whatever I can to reach that main goal of doing my best.