A Minute with Mike Mason

Oct 01 2006 / Los Angeles, CA

Mike Mason is one of the hottest newcomers to FMX. His background in arenacross amply prepared him to be a major contender in freestyle and he’s wasting no time making a name for himself. Lat34 met up with Mason at the LG FMX World Championships in Pomona, CA at the L.A. County Fair. He was looking deadly serious and intensely focused on the task at hand when we found him. So serious that we could barely tear him away from the game of football he and the other riders were playing in between practice. Man, it’s rough being an FMX superstar.

Lat34: So, tell me about the course the FMX course here at the LG World Championships? 

MM: It’s really hard to trick out here. But, it’s cool at the same time because usually we’ve got easy courses to go out on. So, [this course] is a challenge to figure out. They’ve had to change it a few times already. And there’s still a section in the middle of the course that has three really tight jumps. So, it’s one after another: trick, trick, trick. So, we’re having trouble with that.

Lat34: You’ve had a great year in regards to injuries. No major crashes. That’s got to make you feel confident and increase your chances of podium finishes at the LG Worlds and the last stop of the Dew Tour in Orlando.

MM: Well, this year I’ve been lucky. At the beginning of the year in Europe I broke my collarbone. But, that was kind of nice because it basically just gave me five weeks off the bike. And I’ve had a couple of crashes throughout this year, but nothing major. Just a couple of bumps and bruises. Other than that I’ve been good.

Lat34: Your background was in arenacross, but now you’re focusing on FMX. Are you done with arenacross for good?

MM: Yeah. Pretty much in 2004 I decided I should stay with FMX. I was trying to do the racing thing and it was fun, but I had a shoulder and a knee injury all in the same year and I had to take a whole year off from riding. It just wasn’t worth it. And then my buddy Dustin Miller has got seven acres of freestyle course. And I have no tracks at my house, but I do have a freestyle course. So, it just made sense.

Lat34: What are your thoughts on Travis Pastrana shifting over to rally car racing? Do you think he’s done with FMX?

MM: Yeah. Honestly, I can see where he’s coming from. I mean, he’s done everything and won everything there is to win. He’s done every trick. So, I can see him wanting to do some rally because it’s going to be a challenge for him. His body won’t take the punishment that it has in FMX. But, it’s a bummer. He’s one of those guys who’s done a lot for me. I really look up to Travis. But, it was cool to compete against him… if you want to call it that! It was cool to be on the same course as him.

Lat34: How will Travis’ absence change things for you and the rest of the riders?

MM: Well, now that I’ve been doing good that gives me a chance… You know, Travis is out, so that opens up another spot. So, right now is a good opportunity. Twitch is out, too. I mean, it’s a bummer, but at the same time that helps some of us to try to get into the top three spots.

Lat34: Tell me about your performance this year at the Dew Tour and what’s going through your mind as you prepare for the final leg of the Tour in Orlando.

MM: The Dew Tour has been up and down. I didn’t do good at the first two. I crashed at the second one in Denver. Portland went alright and San Jose I placed second on a really hard course with some pretty bad wind. That gave me, like 90 points. So, all of a sudden I’m going into Orlando third in points overall. Ten points separates me from 5th place, which is Jim McNeil. So, Orlando is going to be all out. And all three of us who are in the chase for 3rd all want it, so there’s going to be some crazy riding.

Lat34: What’s it going to take to beat Nate Adams?

MM: Right now, Nate looks pretty much unbeatable. I hate to say it, but that’s the truth. He can pretty much flip anything, and that’s cool. I give him total respect for the things he’s doing. If it was easy then we’d all be doing it. But, he definitely gets a lot [of points] for flipping. And it’s hard for a lot of us who might be doing tricks that are technically harder and get fewer points. But you know, anything can happen. That’s what’s cool about courses like this.