Mike Larocco
Team AMSOIL/Chaparral/Honda

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There's a couple of things you should know about Mike LaRocco, apart from the fact that he's one of the sport's fiercest competitors, and owns two AMA National titles, a World Supercross championship, and won the 2002 THQ U.S. Open Supercross. First, he's one of only three riders to beat 250 Supercross and 250 National Champion Ricky Carmichael in regular AMA competition in 2002. Second, 31-year-old LaRocco's first race was in 1978, a year before Carmichael was even born.

LaRocket, or The Rock, as he's called, enters 2003 in his 16th year of professional racing, and his sixth year racing Hondas for the the Amsoil/Chaparral/Factory Connection/Honda team. Part of his longevity in the sport stems from his crystal-clear focus on what it takes to get the job done. He's legendary for being one of the most physically fit riders on the circuit, a fanatic for proper training and diet.

"I think the stronger you are, the easier everything is, whether you're racing indoors or outdoors," LaRocco says. "I feel the most prepared if I've put in a good week of training. It's a benefit one way or the other--if you're having a bad day and need some more strength, or if you're having a good day and you feel prepared. It helps me mentally too."

Still, conditioning can't help enough when another rider makes you crash. And that's what happened to LaRocco at the seventh round of the 2002 Supercross series. The crash dislocated a wrist and tore some ligaments, ending his Supercross season prematurely, and delaying his start to the outdoor National season. It was the first time in seven years he had missed a race.

The wrist has healed, though, and LaRocco spent the off season training harder than ever. He has a huge workout room at his home in South Bend, Indiana, with commercial-grade weight machines, and hired a trainer to help with building his strength.

"I've always done everything on my own in the past, but after I got injured I hired a trainer," he says. "And my intensity in training has gone way up just having someone there looking over my shoulder.

"Supercross requires so much more intensity than outdoor racing, so I focus on getting my V02 max [the measure of oxygen that can be sent to the muscles during exercise] up as high as I can, so I can do whatever I want to do rather than holding back to conserve energy."

Apart from his conditioning, LaRocco's riding skills continue to improve as well, especially in Supercross racing. That's remarkable for such a veteran competitor, and the reason why is simply because he's enjoying himself.

"Supercross to me is more technical and involves more thinking," he says, "and I just like that. The fun level for me is higher, and I think that has a lot to do with my improvement. Outdoors, you're either going fast or you're not."

The measure of his improvement was plain to see at one of the last events of the 2002 season, at the THQ U.S. Open Supercross. LaRocco capitalized on a rare mistake by Carmichael, took the win and the $100,000 prize money.

"I went there wanting to remind Ricky that I was going to be there next year in Supercross," LaRocco says.

He'll be there, all right. Fitter and faster than ever.