INTERVIEW
P56
KAWASAKI MECHANIC – MIKE WILLIAMSON
A
huge parking lot at Lucas Oil Stadium
at Indianapolis, Indiana is packed with
Supercross fans. The early March sun-
shine has pushed back, albeit temporarily,
the brutal Midwestern winter and thousands
of fans are soaking it up. It's the weekly Satur-
day afternoon ritual of opening up the pits to
fans so they can see the riders, the rigs and
the race bikes up close. A couple of teenage
gearheads are walking in front of me taking it
all in. These two are a rarity these days, teen-
age boys with mechanical aptitude. They are
checking out the bikes noting the various trick
parts and pieces of the factory machines.
In front of the RCH Racing Suzuki rig taking
a close look at Broc Tickle's No. 20 bike, they
look on admiringly. One of the guys says to
the other, "How'd you like to go all around the
country working on this thing?"
Undoubtedly from this idyllic sunny after-
noon scene - with a shiny transporter and fac-
tory bikes basking in the sun in front of them
with technicians wearing matching gear, at-
tending to the beautifully-prepped machines
- the life of a pro Supercross/Motocross me-
chanic must appear to a pair of teenage boys,
the very vision of utopia.
Of course the reality is very different from the
ROAMING
WRENCH
The Life of a Factory Motocross Mechanic
Ryan Villopoto's
mechanic Mike
Williamson is one
of the winningest
mechanics in the
paddock.
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON