Mike LaRocco’s storied career spanned over 19 years, but one lucky night in Las Vegas would be the biggest payday of those 6935 days he spent racing professionally. Hailing from South Bend, Indiana, LaRocco drummed up 147 top five finishes, 81 career podium finishes, 10 supercross wins and went 17 consecutive seasons on the podium. On October 13, 2001 LaRocco claimed victory in the prestigious U.S. Open that awards the winner of the two-day affair $100,000.

That championship, which was his first since 1994, brought new life to career.

On the opening night of racing he capitalized off of reigning U.S. Open champion Ricky Carmichael’s crash on lap five to score the win. With Carmichael finishing a disappointing fifth place, LaRocco gave himself a legitimate shot at the $100,000.

“I was following Carmichael and he lost his front end in the corner,” said LaRocco. “Carmichael was down for a while because he was having a hard time starting his bike. Once I went into the lead, I rode smooth and kept a consistent pace.”

A conservative plan was designed for LaRocco’s second and final night of racing. Perfectly executed, LaRocco let Carmichael lead the way and finished where he needed to, in third.

“I remember panicking during the race because Chad Reed pushed me into some tuff blox,” remembers LaRocco. “I actually went off the track and knew I had to finish strong.

“This was the biggest single-race payday of my career, so it was a big accomplishment for me, especially with the year I had in supercross. I got hurt that year and was off the pace a little. I always look at the U.S. Open as a preview race for the up-coming season instead of a race that caps off the current season. You get to go into Las Vegas and see where you stand on your new equipment and evaluate the weeks of testing you’ve done.”

Not known for his ability to win holeshots on longer starts, LaRocco says he’s more comfortable with the shorter starts, which is a key component of the course layout inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

After signing a supercross-only contract with Honda in 2004, LaRocco finished the season in third place, including a win at his hometown race at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. In 2005, he scored four podium finishes en route to a fifth place finish overall.

As fate would have it, LaRocco’s final year of racing was cut short due to a practice crash at the RCA Dome in 2006. It was supposed to be a special night for the LaRocco family as Mike and his son, Ryder, would become the first father and son to compete at an AMA Supercross race. Ryder was selected to compete in the KTM Junior Supercross Challenge, which is built into the night’s program that culminates with the premier AMA Supercross class.

“It’s always been a family sport,” said LaRocco. “I grew up traveling with my parents to the races, and now I have a family and Ryder’s traveling with me to the races. It’s something that for me has always been there one way or the other.”

Instead of playing duel roles as father and racer, LaRocco spent the entire night with his son. Donning a cast to support the broken arm sustained in the practice crash, LaRocco walked to the starting line with Ryder before the 50,000-plus Indianapolis race fans.

Ryder finished in seventh place March 4, 2006 while Dad watched on in his first night of retirement.

When asked about a book that would sum up his career, LaRocco said, “Well, it’d be a long book, that’s for sure. At some point I’d like to have it say that I tried hard and I never gave up. I’ve spent years with that attitude, and I think it’s what has taken me this far.”