For this edition of Classic Ink, we are going to take a look back at some ads from Mike Brown’s 2001 Cinderella motocross season.
In 2001, Mike Brown returned from Europe to race for Mitch Payton and his Pro Circuit Kawasaki squad. This was Brown’s second stint with Pro Circuit after an up and down season on the Peak Honda team in 1992.
After losing his ride with Mitch in 1992, Brown resurrected his career in the mid-nineties on Phil Alderton’s Honda of Troy squad. While Brown was a solid competitor, he was never much of a threat for a title in his HOT days.
Tennessee’s Mike Brown was never the prototypical California motocross kid and much like Aaron Plessinger today, sponsors were keen to play into his unique country boy charm.
Coming into the 2001 outdoor season much of the hype in the 125 class surrounded returning champ and fan favorite Travis Pastrana. Pastrana had beaten out Yamaha of Troy’s Stephane Roncada in an epic duel for the 2000 125 National Motocross title, and most fans seemed to think that the 2001 season would be a repeat for the Suzuki phenom.
The second-most prominent passenger on the 2001 hype train was South African import and 2000 World Motocross champion Grant Langston. Langston and Pastrana had dueled at the 2000 Motocross des Nations and many fans anticipated the 2001 season being a renewal of the battle between the KTM and Suzuki stars.
While Mike Brown certainly had the talent to win, I don’t think many people had the journeyman pegged as a serious title threat in 2001. As it turned out, however, Brown’s years spent in Europe racing the GPs improved his outdoor speed considerably. If there were any skeptics coming into the season, his 2nd at round one behind Grant Langston showed that the wily veteran had something for the kids after all.
A win at round five at Budds Creek showed Brown had the speed and skill to be a title contender, but a 40th at round two put Brown in a substantial hole to start the 2001 season. By round seven at Unadilla, Brown had clawed his way back to third in the standings, but that was still 59 points off the championship leader Travis Pastrana.
Unfortunately for Suzuki fans, the 2001 season took a dramatic turn when runaway points leader Travis Pastrana crashed himself out of the second Unadilla moto. This reset the field considerably and renewed Mike Brown and many others’ shot at the 2001 title. Pastrana would gut out a return a week later at Troy, but the aftereffects of his Unadilla concussion would continue to haunt the talented rider. More crashes would follow and Pastrana would eventually pull out of the championship, leaving the door open for a new champion in 2001.
With the title now wide open, the championship would come down to an epic battle between former GP rivals Brown and Langston. Coming into the last round at Steel City, Langston held a slim nine point lead over Brown for the title.
Adding drama to the season finale was Ricky Carmicheal’s remarkable decision to drop down to the 125 class to help his friend Brown win the title. At the time, RC had already clinched the 2001 250 crown and a win in Steel City would propel him to the all-time lead in 125 class victories.
Motocross success is often as much about luck as it is skill, and Mike Brown needed a serious dose of both to capture his first AMA 125 National Motocross title at Steel City. Even With RC’s help taking points away from Langston out front, it looked like the South African would hold on to his slim lead to take the title – that is, until is his rear wheel started to come apart late into the second moto. With RC out front, and Brownie in second, Langston only needed to hold on to fifth to capture the title but as his wheel started to wobble and disintegrate that prospect started to look all but impossible. With two laps to go, Langston’s wheel finally let go, forcing him to pull off and effectively handing Mike Brown his first AMA 125 Motocross title.
Mike Brown’s championship was popular at the time even if many felt there was a bit of an asterisk attached to it. While Langston’s heartbreak at the final round colored some fan’s opinion of the title, the truth is a season is made up of thousands of such moments and both riders pushed through many setbacks to take the title to its epic conclusion. If Brown had scored any points at round two, or if Langston did not separate his shoulder at round three, or if Pastrana did not concuss himself out of the series completely, then the outcome would surely have been different. As it was, it was an epic title fight from start to finish and one of the most entertaining series the 125 class has ever seen.
While Mike Brown’s Cinderella season was an epic success, its last chapter ended on a bit of a down note. Mike was tagged to represent the USA in the Motocross des Nations; a fact celebrated in this ad from his gear sponsor Thor. Unfortunately, however, Mike and his teammates Ricky Carmichael and Kevin Windham would not make the trip to Namur in Belgium due to the events of September 11th 2001.
