MIKE
PELLETIER
John
Gallagher
MIKE
PELLETIER
John
Gallagher
MP: Matt Damon. Had to stick with a fellow New England guy!
JG: Mark Harmon.
Last person who made you nervous?
MP: The pilot I had the other day. We made it, though, so I guess it worked out.
JG: I don’t experience nervousness.
Favorite person in the pits?
MP: All of my AMA crew!
JG: Anyone who suits up and rides down the tunnel to compete.
Most common team complaint you hear?
MP: It varies. It can range from problems they’re having in the pits all the way to issues on the track.
JG: Team tactics from the competition.
MP: Where do you want to start? Every decision I have to make usually ends up with someone walking away happy while at the same time someone will leave upset. It’s a great responsibility but also a difficult one I take very seriously.
JG: Every decision has a happy group and a not-so-happy group.
Best thing about motocross in the nineties?
MP: The bikes in the nineties were some of my favorites.
JG: Two-strokes!
Last movie you liked so much you watched it twice?
MP: The Hangover.
JG: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
MP: Some of the gear sets were tough to look at.
JG: The introduction of four-strokes.
Talent you wish you had?
MP: I wish I was a better golfer.
JG: Being able to read a rider’s mind.
One sport you would never try?
MP: Bull riding. It would take a lot to send me out there on the back of a bull.
JG: Cage fighting.
MP: I grew up playing ice hockey and try to catch as many games as I can.
JG: Red Bull Air Races.
Ever spent the night in jail?
MP: No.
JG: Who hasn’t?
Best nickname in motocross?
MP: Junkyard Dog.
JG: Danger Boy.
Favorite sports team?
MP: New England Patriots.
JG: Considering what I do, I make a terrible fan.
Best way to waste a day?
MP: Mountain biking or hanging out by the water.
JG: Driving the road to Hana.
Best place on Earth?
MP: Back home in New Hampshire.
JG: Maui.
Worst place on Earth?
MP: New York City subway.
JG: The floor of an open stadium during a mud race.
One place you would like to travel to?
MP: The Isle of Man TT! It’s one of the top things on my bucket list.
JG: Greece.
Favorite motocross movie of all time?
MP: Terrafirma 2. I think I wore out the VHS tape until it wouldn’t play anymore.
JG: Little Fauss and Big Halsy.
Most annoying thing about you?
MP: Getting frustrated when things don’t go perfectly, even when I know it’s impossible.
JG: I’m not big on chitchat.
MP: Jeremy McGrath’s 1996 CR250.
JG: RM500.
Last book you read?
MP: Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage, and Triumph by Travis Roy and E.M. Swift.
JG: No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins.
MP: Math.
JG: History.
Proudest moment?
MP: Handing out the AMA #1 plate to all of our supercross champions.
JG: When my private pilot’s license arrived in the mail.
Weirdest job you’ve ever had?
MP: I wouldn’t say it was the weirdest, but I was a beer salesman straight out of college.
JG: Tapping beer kegs at a stock car track.
Childhood hero?
MP: My dad.
JG: Roger DeCoster.
Best national track?
MP: RedBud.
JG: Washougal.
Best Christmas present?
MP: Tickets to the 2001 Las Vegas Supercross finals. Epic Christmas.
JG: Professional portraits of my parents.
MP: Are there non-motocross websites?
JG: Amazon.
Favorite non-swear word?
MP: If you’re around the AMA truck on Saturdays you will more than likely hear me saying, “It’s game day!” accompanied by a fist bump to everyone on our crew.
JG: Perhaps.
If you found $1,000 on the street and had to spend it, what would you do with it?
MP: Take the AMA crew out for the night.
JG: I’d take a trip to Greece.
What instrument do you wish you could play?
MP: Guitar.
JG: Saxophone.
Best part of your job?
MP: Handing out the AMA #1 plate to the champions.
JG: Witnessing each competitor’s progression.
Who has inspired you the most?
MP: The riders. They keep me pushing to do my best.
JG: Roy Janson.
The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.
–MP
Life is just a tally of experiences. Be sure your scorecard is full at the end.
–JG