Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
THE mike brown??
Doesn’t sound like it
Godspeed, Flying Mike.
Different one. This was the California Mike Brown who raced in the 70’s and early 80’s. Not the TN Mike Brown.
https://fasttimes.fasthouse.com/history/flyin-mike-brown-classic
The Shop
Free shipping: VITALMX
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Is this real?
Saw this guy race Mosier Valley in the 80's the day after the Dallas SX want to say 1986 if that sounds right ? RIP moto brother.
Just heard the news… Going to miss seeing Mike around town and talking to him… RIP Mike
RIP
I had a chance to meet Mike last year at Mammoth, great guy.
RIP...
Sad he's gone but that jump attempt OMG! I wonder how it all went down? Maybe like this;
Mike your bike is capable of 48 mph and this jump takes 62 mph. I f you feel as though you don't have the speed just lay the bike down into the hay bales...Oh one more thing there are no hay bales...ok you ready?
Spun on wet grass, had not enough traction for full speed.
RIP
Nope, that’s not how it went down.
I believe that I have misinterpreted the demographics on this site. I was sure there would be over 100 comments on this thread by this morning. Maybe this crowd is a bit younger than I originally thought. Flyin’ Mike Brown was on the cover of every mini cycle magazine published back in the day, and there were 4 or 5 magazines dedicated to strictly mini cycles. Rest In Peace Mike !
Last time I visited with Mike, was at the last World Mini Grand Prix hosted by Ron at Glen Helen in 2014. Always smiling, he told me about the days of Socal in the 70's. The tracks, the folks, bikes, etc..... Talked Italjets for a good half hour or so..... Glad I got a good history lesson about the SoCal era during my time being a kid in OK. Enjoyed every second....... One of the best afternoon beer conversations I ever had, Thanks buddy. Rest well.
Mike raced some 125 GPs in 1983 on a Cagiva….RIP
RIP to an absolute LEGEND. Had the good fortune to meet Mike at one of DW’s Glen Helen Vital gatherings, I think it was the 16’ USGP. Great guy, talked minis (he was an idol to me when I was a 12 year old mxer). What impressed me most was how he hung out with my then 7 year old son, who had a TON of questions. Mike was terrific with him, and even presented him with an autographed shot of him from his “glory days “ that still hangs in our garage. A helluva guy. Moto On Brother Mike!
I saw him a few times after REM races at Glen Helen. I bought arm pump lotion from him once. I also gave him some money to wash my headlights with some magic shit, He was a bad-ass in the day. Who has that pic of him from behind on the starting line between Magoo and…. I want to say Hannah?
Pit Row
Raced some of the Mini Bike nationals with Mike in the mid 70's. Have a vivid memory of playing foosball with him at an NMA National in Springfield Missouri. Always smiling!
I was in/from that era... Got to race Flyin' Mike Brown. Life is crazy. RIP moto friend!
Is he the same Mike Brown that tried to jump over wind fans at LACR in the late 90s with one armed tied behind his back ?
No, but Mike was there that day as a spectator. That was a guy named “Super Joe Reed”. One of the first A day in the Dirt races.
He did jump, but he hit the 3rd fan (of 4) and destroyed the wooden blade. They were special effects fans to create wind for filming. They took the metal screen covers off to create a wow factor, which was a really bad idea. I know the owner and he was pissed and I don’t think he was ever compensated for the damage. It’s a very expensive blade.
When he hit that fan, the pieces were flying everywhere, I grabbed both my kids and we went under the bleachers that we were sitting in. Luckily nobody got hit… Super Joe Reed ended up with a broken shoulder and collarbone. He got really lucky. What an idiot, he wasn’t even close to making it.
https://youtu.be/e0Q5kpl6uYc?si=MPZYxOsUB8MrN9no
I don’t remember whose bike he borrowed to do that jump, but it got beat up and Ole Joe didn’t even offer to pay to fix it.
He was suppose to jump over a hovering helicopter, but when Briles got there in the helicopter, he’s like No fucking way.
Here’s a better video to show what a full idiot this guy was/is.
https://youtu.be/gKZaYS7IjfY?si=93J3eUDh7nhDBWfK
Kenny scrambled to figure out something for the fans to see, since he’d been advertising this big stunt. There were lots of stuntmen there for the race and told him he was dumb, but being the daredevil he was, he wanted to show them… lol
I was in the helicopter that day when the big crash happened on the start of the pro race and sent Ernesto Fonseca and Donavon Mitchell to the hospital in a medical helicopter. Donavon ended up paralyzed and Fonseca got hurt pretty bad. Ironically he was also paralyzed later.
I think Mouse McCoy started that pile-up when he crashed up front and everyone else that came over that jump had bikes and bodies laying everywhere and nowhere to go. It was gnarly, we were flying pretty low, circling the track, it was quite the deal.
That was the same day that Kenny Zahrt did a lap around the track with Danny Magoo Chandler duct taped to him. They used my duct tape. RIP Kenny and Magoo…
I didn't know there was footage of that! I was young, but I remember that day vividly! I remember the nickname for Super Joe after that was Super Joe Bleed. Did not realize that was one of the first DITD races.
Ok that's right "jumpin" Joe Reed was the fan jumper. Flyin Mike jumped over the Fosters Freeze ice cream cone blow up at the old AV fairgrounds. I remember that because he used a my friends bike.
Terrible footage, but it’s footage I guess. Lol
Yeah, this was back when A Day in the Dirt was a race for only motion picture industry people and a “special guests” class.
They had Geoff Aaron doing a trials expedition on a course that he trucked in and of course the stunt show in the metal sphere with two guys on bikes and Gene LeBell (RIP) standing at the bottom inside the sphere.
Yes, Mike tried convincing Hemme to let him jump off the overhang, above the grandstands over the crowd and land on the track.
John wasn’t having it and they came up with the goofy stunt that he did after the nation anthem. The following year, Mike Alessi jumped the big triple in front of the grandstands on his 50, after the anthem.
I miss those races, John always gave back every penny to pro purse and prizes for all the kids. Good times…
I had the pleasure of doing the national anthem jump once. Week later Deegan did it then Alessi. When Mike did it he made me realize I wasn't a bad ass like I thought. 😂
I kind of remember that. I think Kyle (Lewis) was involved at one point as well. I can remember Kyle and someone having a good race and Kyle got punted and threw a fit. I was with John when Kyle came over to plead his case. Might have been Sulek. Lol
Was it Upton? He was a regular at those races and even beat Lusk on his first race as a factory Honda guy.
It might have been. I’ll ask Tony, he’s supposed to be stopping by my house today.
Post a reply to: RIP Flying Mike Brown