We talked to Mike after the Oakland Supercross to ask him how he thought his 2012 season was going and what has changed his approach to racing supercross.

Mike, how is the 2012 Supercross season going for you so far?

The season, so far, is pretty good. It started out good at Anaheim. I was riding really good in the heat race, and the Main Event was going pretty good. Me and Ivan Tedesco had a little collision. That set me back, and I ended up ninth. Phoenix was a pretty good race in the heat race; I got third. Then in the Main Event, I got a really bad start and, then on the second lap, came together with [Justin] Brayton. I was so far back that I was beyond last place. I just tried to charge up, and I could only get back to sixteenth. That wasn’t very good. It was whatever. Then at Dodger Stadium, I had another good race. I got second in the heat race, and then in the Main Event, I was ninth or tenth, I think. This past weekend in Oakland, I had some bad luck. In the heat race I got taken out by another rider. In the Main Event I got a bad start and came back to eleventh. 

Yeah, bad starts have kind of plagued you so far in 2012.

Yeah, everyone is so good right now. Everyone is riding so fast. 90% of the race right now is the starts, so if you can figure that out, you’re going to be golden. 

I don’t know if they showed it on TV or not, but that pass you made in the LCQ was awesome—a little two for one deal.

Yeah, it was pretty good. I passed two guys in one turn, and I knew I had to get them right away because I didn’t want to mess around with anybody in the LCQ. You know how that goes. I just wanted to get past them both, be done with it and move forward and win the race, then just focus on the Main Event. 

So overall, how have you gotten along with the tracks so far? I know you have struggled in the past with whoops, so has the lack of whoops helped? You definitely haven’t struggled in the whoops they have had in 2012.

I haven’t struggled at all in the whoops this year. I have been riding good in the whoops, and it doesn’t seem like that’s my weak point right now. It seems like my starts are my weak point, so I need to figure that out right now. Like I said, 90% of the race is the starts, so I gotta get that figured out right away.

Heading out to work on those?

We will tomorrow. Tomorrow morning when we get to the track, we’ll be doing some starts. 

Yeah, I’m not used to hearing Mike Alessi saying he needs to work on starts—just doesn’t seem right. (Laughs)

Yeah, it’s not good.

Well, you’re four races in with the new MotoConcepts Team. How’s it going so far?

The team’s been great. Everybody is working hard on the bikes and getting everything done. We’re putting out the hard work and trying to get the results. We’re showing people that MotoConcepts is for real. They’re putting in 110% work during the week, and on the weekend, their doing their best. We’re showing what we got and what we can do. 

How has it been working with MotoConcepts team owner Mike Genova?

I love it! He’s a good guy, a great man. He works hard and definitely does what he says he’s going to do. He gives us the ability to try and test different parts and stuff that we want to run and that’s always nice to have that freedom; I like it a lot. 

One thing we know for sure is that you have been on the best bikes out there and definitely the best Suzukis out there. How would you compare your 2012 MotoConcepts bike to your Factory Suzuki from 2009?

I think it’s just as good if not better, honestly. I think that the bikes are comparable with the power, suspension, the chassis and everything. I think it’s just as good as my ’08/’09 bike. I think it’s great. 

Yeah, it shows in the way you’re attacking the track. I can’t remember a supercross race in the past where you were reeling in James Stewart, but in Los Angeles in your heat race, you did just that. How did it feel to make time in a race on James?

Yeah, it was good. I was riding good in the heat race and Bubba was riding good, and I just put my best foot forward and tried to catch him. I started catching him at the end. He started making a few mistakes, but other than that I just need to keep improving in my heat races like I have been. I just need to get better starts in the Main Events to put myself in a good position to do better. 

Overall, your heat races have been great. You went 2-3-2 in your heat races in the first three rounds.

Yeah, it’s been great. I’m putting myself in good position in the heat to have a good gate pic in the Main Event. I just need to keep striving and working to get better and better and maybe one of these days I’ll win a heat race—and put myself in a good position to do well in the Main Event. 

With a good start, do you think you can put the MotoConcepts bike on the podium in a Main Event?

I think anyone can right now. I mean, the field is so stacked. With the way everyone is riding and the lap times are so close, anybody can do good on the weekend if you just put yourself in a good position. 

I’ve heard that being back mid-pack with this field is sketchy. Chad Reed used the word “scary.” Have you experienced that too?

Oh, it’s crazy! If you get a bad start and are back there with everybody, you kind of get sucked up to that speed that they’re all running. Where if you get a good start, you’re sucked up into the front guys’ speed and go faster. It’s all about the start right now.

I’m hearing there is a lot of cross jumping and just plain craziness back there.

Yeah, it’s crazy. Everyone is everywhere, and they’re just pinned wide open. 

That sounds fun. (Laughs) So four rounds in, you sit eleventh in the points. It’s not bad, but knowing your mentality, I am sure you want better. Where would you like to be—or what would make you happy come the final round in Vegas?

I’d like to be somewhere close to top five by the end of the season, and I think it’s realistic. I just need to start getting some good races going and get in a good position in the Main. I need better starts. It’s a work in progress right now, and I think it’s obtainable to finish somewhere around the top five on the season. I just need some better results and some better races. We still have thirteen races to go until the season’s over; the season’s just started, long season. 

You seem like a different supercross rider this year. Normally, it kind of seems like you are just going through the motions during supercross, but it really seems like you aren’t leaving anything on the table this year.

I’m trying, man. This year, I figured I’m going out there to race and not just to ride supercross. I’m out there to race supercross and do the best I can, not just try to get by injury-free and get to motocross. It seems like every year, I get to motocross healthy, and then I crash out and the season’s over. So I did all that to stay injury-free through supercross for nothing. It’s one of those things where I think you just got to go for it. If I’m going to get hurt, I’m going to get hurt. I’d rather at least get hurt going for it and doing the best that I can in supercross. 

When you do go outdoors this year, do you think you will still be one of the favorites for a championship in 2012?

I’d like to think so, but as far as right now, I’m not focused outdoors. My focus is on supercross and trying to do really good, the best that I can every week. We’ll talk about outdoors more down the road towards April or May, but right now everything is focused on supercross. 

Sounds good. I’ll hit you with that question again in Las Vegas then. Along with MotoConcepts, who else is chipping in to help you in 2012?

We have a great team. We got a lot of help from FMF, JT Racing with the gear. The We All Ride Clothing people have been working really hard with the team and supporting us. Dunlop Tires and a lot of great sponsors are backing us. We are all trying to do the best that we can with me, my brother Jeff and Vince Friese. We’ve been doing pretty good. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re doing really good. 

Definitely. Thanks for talking with us Mike, and good luck to you and the rest of the team throughout the remainder of the year.

Sounds good, man. Thank you, again.