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name:
Mike Larocco
date of birth:
02-12-1971
nationality:
USA
boots models:
SG10
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CAREER
After 16 years of professional racing, Amsoil Chaparral Honda’s
Mike LaRocco – or The Rock, as he’s been called –
has a career any rider could envy. He can boast of two AMA National
titles, a World Supercross championship, and a U.S. Open Supercross
title. He ranks 15th on the AMA’s list of combined wins, with
a total of 27 race victories.
Born in Michigan and now a resident of South Bend, Indiana LaRocco
is also a staunch family man, a rarity in the sport, and when he’s
not training or racing you’ll find him spending time with his
wife Elizabeth, and their 6 –year-old son, Ryder.
There’s an old gypsy proverb, though, that says: “Behind
bad luck comes good luck.” Few people in racing could want that
to be true more so than Mike LaRocco. That’s because the last
two years have been tough for the man who’s one of racing’s
fiercest competitors. In 2002, another rider caused LaRocco to crash
at a Supercross event, dislocating his wrist and tearing ligaments.
The injury cut short LaRocco’s Supercross season – it
was the first time in seven years he had missed a race – and
dogged him throughout the 250 National outdoor series.
Then, in 2003, a crash at the fifth round of the 250 Supercross series
injured LaRocco’s shoulder. Two races later he hurt the shoulder
again, putting paid to his chances for another Supercross title. As
in 2002, the injury hampered him in the outdoor Nationals, although
he did manage a podium position in both 250 series, Supercross and
motocross.
For 2004, his 17th year of pro competition and his seventh year with
the Honda-supported Amsoil Chaparral Honda Team, LaRocco intends to
find better fortune by concentrating on the AMA 250 Supercross series.
“This year, I’m basically doing Supercross only,”
he says, “because I feel more competitive there. So that’s
what I am going to focus on.
CHAMPIONSHIP
250 Supercross
250 Outdoor Nationals |
