By Jonathan Williams

When it comes to racing dirt bikes, Mike Alessi has one key strategy: get ahead early in the race. And he’s become so good at being the first rider through the first turn that he has become affectionately known as the Holeshot Kid. After some setbacks last year, Alessi has been racing pretty strong in 2012, currently in eight place in the Supercross points standings. Having come off his strongest finish of the year (he finished fourth in last weekend’s race in Dallas), Alessi looks to move up a little more when he competes at this weekend’s Atlanta Monster Energy Supercross race at the Georgia Dome. As he prepares for Saturday’s race, he takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about how he plans on making 2012 one of his best years yet.

Your nickname is the Holeshot Kid. When did people start calling you that?

I got the Holeshot Kid because I was always getting the holeshot. I don’t know where it started, but someone was just looking for a nickname for me I guess.

You’ve had a few setbacks recently that have taken you out of racing a little bit. But you’ve bounced back and have done pretty well so far in 2012. How do you feel about how things have been going since you’ve come back?

I think the season has been going pretty good so far. I’ve pretty much been finishing second or third in the heat races, which means I get to start with the front guys. I’ve had some good races. The main events have been kind of up and down, but I’ve put together a pretty good start. If I can pull out front I really think I can do good.

You also recently started riding a new bike. How has that affected your riding?

Yep. I’m riding for the MotoConcepts racing team for 2012. It’s been great. They’ve been working hard, giving 110 percent and I just want to give them back what they’re putting in and get some good results. We’ve all been working hard.

Your brother Jeff is also on your team. What is it like racing with your brother while also trying to outdo him?

Yep. My brother and I are on the same team riding for the MotoConcepts team. He’s been doing pretty good. [Two weeks ago] he made the main event and we’re looking for good things to come from him.

I always want to beat my brother because I don’t want him being able to say, “Oh, I beat my big brother.” I’ve got to always beat him.

You’ve been riding since you were very young and you made your professional debut at a very young age. So you’ve both been doing this your entire lives. What was it like coming into the sport with your brother?

I started riding when I was three years old and started racing when I was four. It’s just all I’ve ever done and all I know. My brother’s always been racing, too. He started a year after me.

Since this is all you’ve ever done, it’s probably hard to imagine doing anything else. But if you weren’t riding motorcycles professionally what else do you think you might be doing?

I don’t know. Honestly this is all I know. This is what I’ve been doing my whole life, so it’s hard to say.

This weekend’s race is almost the halfway mark of the season. Where do you hope to be by then and how do you plan on moving up as the season progresses?

I’m in the top ten and I’m striving to get better with every race and get better results. Like I said before, it’s all about getting a good start and racing up front and putting yourself in a good position to have a good race. I think that’s where it all starts.

You mentioned your friendly rivalry with your brother. Are there any other riders you specifically want to outdo or are you just looking to outdo everyone?

Everybody’s fast right now. It’s so competitive. The speed everybody’s riding at is fast and you’ve just got to put yourself in a good position and get a good start because 90 percent of the racing right now is all in the start.

A lot of guys these days go from racing to freestyle riding. With things like Nuclear Cowboyz gaining popularity, do you think you’ll ever cross over into the more performance-based riding found there?

I don’t do any freestyle. I just focus on training and riding and trying to do my best to be competitive and try to win the races. I just give the best I can give and that’s all I do.

For more information, go to www.alessiracing.com or www.supercrossonline.com.