The Roar of Silence: Mindfulness, the Calm of the Strong in MotoGP

What do the roar of a racing motorcycle engine and the silence of a mindfulness session have in common?

It may seem strange, but it’s one of the reasons that drew me to motorcycling. In addition to being a journalist and writer, I am also a yoga teacher and Mindfulness instructor. Every time I’m on the starting grid, I can’t help but notice how mindful the riders are.

Have you ever had the chance to observe the riders before the race? They’re surrounded by technicians doing final checks, encircled by journalists and cameras. Sometimes they even have to deal with an eager fan trying to get a selfie before the start. And them? Grounded, aware, present. In a word, mindful.

Mindfulness is presence. It’s not eyes-closed meditation, much less sedation. It is alert, conscious, non-judgmental attention to the present moment.

A mind free from the noise of thoughts reduces reaction times: essential for riders who, in a fraction of a second, make decisions that can define a race—and even their lives. Conscious breathing helps prevent adrenaline from turning into muscle tension.

Being present ultimately allows you to become one with the bike; it means feeling how the tires work, keeping traction, suspension, and the forces that influence the vehicle’s stability under control. It means that every element of the bike becomes an extension of the rider’s body.

The great MotoGP champions know this: victory isn’t just a matter of speed; it’s also about mental presence. Valentino Rossi has always spoken of that special moment when everything aligns and only the perfect lap remains. After his injury and long rehabilitation, Marc Márquez learned to listen to his body’s limits. By working on the mental management of pain, he transformed his initial impatience to return to racing into awareness.

In the end, the real race is a present mind: when we are here and now, the road becomes perfect. As in a motorcycle race, we live through accelerations, braking, crashes, and victories. A calm mind and clear thinking are the steady, stable hands on the handlebars that allow us to face, with greater awareness, the challenges that inevitably await us behind every curve.