Mike Alessi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mike Alessi | ||
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| Personal Information | ||
| Name | Mike Alessi | |
| Nicknames | Mikey, MA | |
| Date of Birth | May 19, 1988 | |
| Country | U.S.  |
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| Team Information | ||
| Current Team | Makita Suzuki | |
| National Number | 800 | |
| Professional Teams | ||
| 2007 - Present | Makita Suzuki | |
| 2004 - 2007 | Red Bull KTM | |
| 2004 | Honda Alloy | |
| Series Finishes | ||
| 2008 AMA Supercross | 17th Place | |
| 2007 AMA Motocross National | 2nd Place | |
| 2007 AMA Supercross Lites East | 8th Place | |
| 2006 AMA Motocross Lites National | 2nd Place | |
| 2006 AMA Supercross Lites West | 4th Place | |
| 2005 AMA Motocross 125 National | 3rd Place | |
| Accomplishments | ||
| Motocross Podiums: | 7 | |
| Motocross Lites Wins: | 3 | |
| Motocross Lites Podiums: | 13 | |
| Supercross Lites Podiums: | 4 | |
| Awards | ||
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Mike Alessi (born May 19, 1988) is a professional Motocross and Supercross racer. He began riding motorcycles at the age of three and became a professional racer at age sixteen. Alessi is widely known for being one of the fastest starters in motocross and is always a threat to get the holeshot in the beginning of the race.
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[edit] Amateur career
Alessi's rise through the amateur ranks began at age six when he won his first National Championship at Loretta Lynn's in Nashville, Tennessee. After ten years, Alessi had tied James Stewart Jr.'s all-time Amateur National championships with eleven. [1]
[edit] Professional Debut
When Alessi first turned pro in 2004, he made an appearance in two races in the 250cc class, currently called the Motocross Class. His first race was at Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minnesota. He failed to score any points and was 30th overall. Critics then began wondering if Alessi made the right choice debuting in the 250cc class. Three weeks later, at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pennsylvania, Alessi proved that he could compete at the professional level when he scored a 3rd overall finish in just his second professional race. [2]
[edit] Lites Class Career
Alessi elected to sit out the 2005 Supercross season in order to prepare himself for his first full season as a professional motocross rider in the 125cc class (currently Lites Class). He had four podium finishes that year, two of which were 1st place overalls. Alessi was in prime position to win the 125cc championship that year, but an on track incident at the final race at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California lead to his disqualification from the event. As a result, Alessi was put on a year long probation by the American Motorcyclist Association and finished 3rd overall in the championship. [3]
The beginning of 2006 brought forth a new challenge for Mike Alessi, Supercross. He struggled the first few rounds of the Supercross Lites West Region series, but began to find his rhythm towards the end of the season. He scored a top five finish in the last five rounds of the series that included two back to back 3rd place finishes at San Francisco and Anaheim. Alessi finished the West Region championship in 4th place. The final Supercross race of the season did not count for the Lites championship, but that did not stop Alessi from finishing a career best 2nd place overall at the Las Vegas Lites East/West Shootout. [3]
Riding the season ending success he experienced in Supercross, Alessi looked poised to win he's first professional championship in the 2006 Motocross Lites National Championship series. Alessi opened the series with a dominate 1st place overall finish at Hangtown in Sacramento, California. He went on to score eight additional podium (top three) finishes. Unfortunately his consistent success was not enough to best his amateur rival, Ryan Villopoto. Alessi finished the season 2nd overall. [3]
In 2007, Alessi moved over to contest the Supercross Lites East Region Championship. After only one top three performance and two DNF's (did not finish), Alessi finished 8th in the championship.[4]
[edit] Motocross Class Career
Alessi had announced early in 2007 that he was stepping up to race in the premier Motocross Class for the 2007 AMA Motocross Championship. Many critics felt that he was abandoning his chance at a championship in the Lites class, but Alessi was confident that he was making the right choice for himself. After finishing the first two races just barely inside the top ten, Alessi recorded six podium finishes and finished second place overall in his rookie season in the Motocross class. [5]
Alessi's debut season in the Supercross Class appeared promising as he was fourth place in the championship after five of seventeen rounds. Unfortunately, his season was cut short in San Diego during the sixth round of the 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. During the second practice session, Alessi crashed in the whoops section of the track resulting in a broken collarbone. After a seven week recovery, Alessi decided to sit out the remainder of the 2008 Supercross season in order to prepare for the upcoming 2008 AMA Motocross Championship. [6]
[edit] Sponsorships
Mike Alessi has raced for Honda, KTM, and currently Suzuki since he became a professional rider in 2004. He and his brother Jeff Alessi are currently the only American riders to have a full gear sponsorship from Alpinestars. Mike's other major sponsors include Makita tools, Rockstar Energy Drink, Shark Helmets, and Smith Optics. [7]
[edit] Personal life
In 2006, Mike Alessi and longtime girlfriend Danielle moved into their current home in Victorville, California where they live with his brother Jeff, also a Motocross and Supercross racer, and father Tony.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ http://home.ama-cycle.org/post/mx/story.asp?id=132 Accessed August 1, 2007
- ^ 2004 AMA Motocross National Results Accessed August 2, 2007
- ^ a b c AMA Supercross/Motocross Top Ranked Rider Career Histories/Mike Alessi Accessed August 2, 2007
- ^ AMA Motocross Archive:News Accessed August 8, 2007
- ^ AMA Motocross.com Accessed September 28, 2007
- ^ AMA Motocross.com Accessed May 2, 2008
- ^ http://www.alessiracing.com/sponsors.html Accessed August 2, 2007
- ^ http://www.alessiracing.com/mike.html Accessed August 2, 2007
