Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Motocrosser Mike Brown his first National moto a few weeks later in Mt. Morris and is in contention for the championship. "I've been training and riding more," said Brown of his recent success. '1ust finishing good has helped me. It gives me the confidence that I can win. '1 used to get nervous...well, not nervous, but when I'd get a good start I would worry about who was behind me. That would make me tired. "Plus, I've calmed down and smoothed out," continues the usually quiet Brown. "I'm not as wild. I've done better as I've gotten older. Now I'm approaching this as a job, and it's helped a lot. I only wish I would've done it a lot earlier, when I first started." Mike was exposed to motorcycle racing at' an early age. His father raced the tracks near Gray, Tennessee, in the pro class in the early 70s. He quit when Mike was about five years old, so the racing bug never hit the youngster that hard. '1 still always loved motorcycles, but he would never get me one until I was 13," remembers Mike. '1 got a little trailbike that I rode around the yard." By Nate Rauba ike Brown was waiting out the power failure at the Las Vegas Supercross. He leaned against his CR2S0 in the Honda of Troy pits, intently staring into the darkness. Several mechanics and teammates talked nearby, but Brown didn't seem to notice them. A drunken spectator swayed on an awning pole, sipping another beer and studying the bikes. A mechanic answered a few questions from the tipsy fan. Brown remained oblivious to it all. Until the drunk directed the conversation toward Mike's heat. "Pretty good ride," he slurred, referring to Brown's third-place finish that put him in the main. "But I'm disappointed. You gave up." Brown snapped out of his pre-race trance. A few more words were exchanged before Brown had had enough. Before he could retreat to the confines of the box van, the fan blurted it out again. "You gave up." Brown lunged forward. '1ust get out of here," he barked as teammate Todd DeHoop restrained him. Brown stared the heckler down until the drunk disappeared into the darkness. DeHoop consoled him by rubbing the stubble of Brown's closely cropped hair. . "Not long ago he'd have just decked the guy and not thought another thing about it," said Barbara Williams, a longtime Cycle News contributor who watched Brown's rise through the ranks in the southeast. But these days, Brown is giving a lot of thought to what he's doing. He's far from giving up on the dream to establish himself as one of the top riders, and he's devoting more effort than ever to reach that goal. At age 23, when most riders begin to hit their peak, he knows it's time to make things happen. '1 know I'm getting older, and I have to do something before I. get much older," said the soft-spoken Tennessee native. Brown has done quite a bit in the past year. His rise began last season when he won his first 125cc supercross main in the Pontiac Silverdome. "That gave me a lot of confidence," said Brown. 'There were a lot of good guys there and none of them wrecked. I beat them fair and square. It was the best feeling I've ever had, and that helped a lot for the rest of the year." Although he didn't win another supercross or even a 12Scc National in '94, his results steadily improved. Brown was a regular top-10 finisher in the 125cc Nationals, often starting at the front of the pack only to fade back as the motos wore on. His performances were good enough to attract Honda of Troy's attention, and at the end of the year they lured him away from his long-time sponsor, Jim's Motorcycles of Johnson City, Tennessee. "It was hard to leave the people at Jim's, they had given me everything I ever wanted," Brown said. "But the Honda of Troy ride was a better oppel'" M (Left) Tenn_'s Mike Brown has firmly established himself . . a sarlous thrtNlt for the 125cc National Motocross title. (Below) The Honda Troy team rider rebounded from an earfy..-on Injury to finish second In the recenUy concluded Eastern Reglonal125cc Supercross 58rles. 0' tunity. I think they were happy that I was moving up and doing better." Better indeed, for Brown promptly rewarded his new backers by winning the AMA Fall Oassic Series, unseating defending champ and teammate Todd DeHoop in the process. Brown may have ended '94 on fire, but his flame was flickering at the start of this season. In the early 125cc Eastern Regional Supercross rounds, he seemed to be back to his old habit of starting strong only to fade as the races wore on. Then he bruised four ribs at the Indianapolis Supercross and was out for several weeks. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. "Being off helped me," said Brown. "I didn't ride again until Pontiac, but I was training the whole time." When Brown did return, his results immediately began improving. He won at Charlotte and again in the last round in Oeveland. Mikael Pichon had put the championship out of reach, but Brown's strong second half propelled him to second in the final standings. With his 125cc supercross series over, Brown came out west to ride the remaining rounds in the 250cc class. He finished eighth in San Jose and sixth in Las Vegas. Brown has excelled outdoors, too. He led the 125cc National at Hangtown and finished with a pair of fourths. He won

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