Thor's Mike Brown Claims Inaugural WORCS Championship
Since 1991, Mike Brown has been a fixture of American Motocross. For 19 years, the Tennessee native has been a familiar face at the front of the field and on the podium. In 1999 and 2000, he made the foray overseas, posting back-to-back championship podium results in the 125cc FIM World Championship. Upon returning to the states the following year, he put together the best season of his career to capture his lone national championship in the 125cc AMA Motocross class.
As a part time motocross competitor the last few years, Brown made the transition into endurance racing as a full-time competitor in the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) for Shock Doctor KTM to the start the next chapter of his career. In 2009, he burst onto the desert scene at the ripe age of 37 years old.
(Courtesy ThorMX.com)
Against his much younger competitors, Brown has compiled one of the most impressive inaugural full seasons in WORCS history by grabbing one victory and six podium finishes. In 10 races, he never failed to finish outside the top five which in the end proved to be the deciding factor as his closest rival Ricky Dietrich had achieved five overall victories, but suffered from a pair of finishes outside the top 25.
Entering last weekend’s final round in Mesquite, Nev., Brown held a 12-point advantage over Dietrich and had to finish fifth to guarantee the title. As the gates dropped, Brown rode comfortably, making it through the first turn cleanly and settling into race pace, keeping tabs on his closest competitor. Fortunately enough, he was ahead of Dietrich throughout the race after the Kawasaki rider went down in turn one. However, the unpredictable nature of racing bit Brown with bad luck and he soon found himself on the ground as well, dropping from sixth to eighth while Dietrich rebounded to run fourth.
(Courtesy ThorMX.com)
As the raced closed in on the grueling two hour mark, Dietrich began to fade, allowing Brown to slip by in the closing stages with an impressive comeback. In the end, a fifth-place finish was all he needed placing himself in the history books as the first rider since Mike Kiedrowski to win an AMA National Motocross Championship and a World Off-Road Championship Series title. Dietrich also put forth an admirable effort to overcome misfortune, but fell short with a sixth-place effort.
(Courtesy VitalMX.com)
Brown has quickly established himself as a jack of all trades in the dirt-bike racing world, achieving success in virtually every discipline from motocross to EnduroCross to off-road and making him one of the most versatile riders in history. He has built a legacy as one of the legends of the sport and shows no signs of slowing down as he closes in on 20 years of competitive racing across three decades.
Thor Motocross and the entire Parts Unlimited family would like to congratulate Mike on an incredible 2009 season and look forward to achieving more success in 2010.
About Parts Unlimited
Parts Unlimited is the world's largest distributor of aftermarket accessories in the powersports industry and is owned by LeMans Corporation headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin. Parts Unlimited sells to over 12,000 dealerships world wide and continues to expand its market penetration with its sister companies, Parts Canada, Parts Europe and Drag Specialties.
Parts Unlimited continues to promote racing through its campaign WE SUPPORT THE SPORT®, helping to drive consumers to dealerships, while entertaining its dealers through hospitalities at the events it sponsors.
About Thor Motocross
Thor is one of the originators of motocross apparel. When Torsten Hallman made his first U.S trip to race and promote motocross in 1966, he inadvertently started to develop Thor riding gear. Thor is a hardcore, grass roots company that understands what it takes to reach the top and more importantly, how to stay there. It is one of a few companies with over 40 years experience in the motocross marketplace.
Thor, a house brand company for Parts Unlimited, combines design and marketing with superior distribution to reach it's thousands of dealers and consumers priding ourselves on key selling features like quality, strength and performance. Thor is more than a brand. It is a lifestyle.
