Moto3 rider Miguel Oliveira
© Red Bull KTM Ajo
MotoGP
Inside the Mind of MotoGP
What routines, superstitions, and last-minute rituals do riders go through before race time?
By Joseph Caron Dawe
3 min readPublished on
Brad Binder in action in Qatar© GEPA/Gold & Goose
Race time: Just man and machine on the starting grid. What do MotoGP riders think about as they sit on the grid, watched anxiously by thousands of eyeballs? Moreover, what is the race day routine that allows riders to reach that race-time mindset?
RedBull.com caught up with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 team’s riders Brad Binder, Karel Hanika and Miguel Oliveira to find out how the talented trio approach a race weekend.
Moto3 rider Miguel Oliveira© Red Bull KTM Ajo

1. Race-day routine

Miguel Oliveira: Before the race I talk to the team about the race and what the plan is. Then there’s the process of getting ready with the leathers. At that point it’s all about concentration. There’s not a lot of talking that goes on!
Brad Binder: Between warm-up and the race I’ll go and get some pasta. Then, always 15 minutes before I need to leave the box, I start my physical warm-up. I do a bit of stretching, some push-ups. 10 minutes before a session, go to the toilet!
Karel Hanika: On race day, I always travel to the track with my team, and all my stuff is prepared from the previous evening; my leathers, helmet, they’re all ready for warm up. Before the race I just take it easy with my team and try to make the atmosphere relaxed and not too stressed.
Miguel Oliveira is aiming for Moto3 glory in 2015© Paulo Calisto/Red Bull Content Pool

2. The warm-up lap

BB: I’m always thinking that the next lap I come around here, I’ll be full gas. Before the race I’m always nervous, until the warm-up lap. When I go out for the warm-up lap all my nerves are gone.
KH: I don’t push, I just try to relax and I’m thinking about the next lap being a full-on race lap. I’m thinking about what the best racing lines are, where I can be fast and where I can overtake on the first lap of the race.

3. Final checks on the grid

BB: I always pull the gear lever up a lot of times to make sure I’m in first gear!
MO: I check I’m in first gear, the engine temperature, that launch control is activated, and that’s it. I’m ready!
KH: When the guy with the red flag is leaving the grid, I just try to keep my clutch pulled in and get the right feeling for the moment of release!
Karel Hanika: A serious Moto3 prospect in 2015
Karel Hanika: A serious Moto3 prospect in 2015© Dan Vojtech/Red Bull Content Pool

4. That final moment before the lights go out

KH: Before the lights, I’m ready to go and I don’t have any last things I would say. I’m focused on the lights and when they go out I have my 45 minutes of work to do.
BB: When the lights change, I’m just completely focused on them, and when they go out, it’s just go!

5. Superstitions

MO: I make the sign of the cross every time I head out on track.
BB: For some reason I’m always more relaxed on race days than on practice and qualifying days, I don’t know why.
Stay up to date with Red Bull Motorsports on Twitter and on Facebook throughout the MotoGP season for more exclusive content.
Part of this story

Grand Prix of the Americas 2015

MotoGP heads back to the Lone Star State for a visit to the awesome COTA in Austin, Texas.

United States

Grand Prix of Qatar 2015

Floodlights, the desert, months of anticipation. Round 1 in Qatar is always a spectacular event.

Qatar

Brad Binder

Crowned the Moto3™ world champion in 2016, South African rider Brad Binder continues to chase MotoGP™ glory aboard a factory KTM.

South AfricaSouth Africa

Miguel Oliveira

Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira is making a big impression in MotoGP™ after achieving a series of impressive results in Moto2™.

PortugalPortugal
MotoGP
Red Bull Motorsports
Motorbike Road Racing