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AMA MX: Alessi Taking Down Giants
Despite being a member of the privateer MotoConcepts team, Mike Alessi is finding success against his factory-backed counterparts.
Brandon Short  |  Posted July 13, 2012   Millville, MN
MotoConcepts' Mike Alessi (Photo: MotoConcepts)
While Ryan Dungey and James Stewart have garnered the lion's share of the headlines throughout the first half of the 2012 season, they aren’t the only riders deserving of recognition.

Mike Alessi has enjoyed factory support since he first turned pro back in 2004, but after some difficult seasons plagued by injuries, was forced to look at other avenues. Rather than give up, he viewed it as an opportunity to essentially run his own program for 2012. With his father at the helm as Team Manager, Alessi joined the continually-improving MotoConcepts Racing team. Since team owner Mike Genova made his foray into motocross competition back in 2009 -- which incidentally included Mike’s brother Jeff as one of the original members -- his team had blossomed into arguably the most competitive privateer effort in the paddock.

Thanks to that continued growth over the span of three seasons, the Alessi family saw the opportunity as one that was simply too good to pass up. Adding to his confidence, Mike chose to field Suzukis, the same manufacturer with which he earned his greatest success in the 450 Class. With a proven program and a proven bike, the pieces were in place to achieve success despite not having the support of a factory OEM.

Alessi had mixed results during the Supercross season, but thanks to his knack for grabbing holeshots and consistently strong starts, he found himself battling at the front of the field on several occasions. He ended the season ranked sixth in the championship, with a best result of fourth in Houston.

Heading into the Motocross season, Alessi knew the Nationals would be his chance to shine. Widely acknowledged as an exceptional outdoor rider, Alessi wasted little time before demonstrated he would be a contender, finishing third overall behind Stewart and Dungey at Hangtown.
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