Between the Motos: Larry Brooks
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 | 10:35 AM
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PrintLarry Brooks doesn’t really care all that much what you think about him if you’ve never met him. He’s a former top privateer racer and one of the winningest team managers in the sport. He’s passionate about his riders and his team and makes no excuses. This year, teamed up with old friend Jeremy McGrath on a Honda team, Brooks has had a trying time as the team’s title sponsors dropped out shortly into the year, and his only rider, Andrew Short, was injured. Things were bleak.
But it all came together in Seattle as Short captured his first career SX win in a great ride. Afterwards, Brooks and team were loading up their official team vehicle (a Dodge Sprinter van, although the team did receive help from, and pit under, the Honda Muscle Milk factory tent), and a relieved and happy Brooks gave me a few minutes to talk about the ups and downs of the year.
Racer X: Larry, congrats on the win. You might be the first team to win a supercross while bringing the bike to the race in a van in a long time!
Larry Brooks: Thanks and yeah, the Sprinter is working for us. Obviously the team has been going through some rough times and Honda’s been great in working with us. We don’t have our rig here, didn’t have it last week either and honestly, we were planning on working out of our van here this weekend but Honda was nice enough to let us under their tent, and the weekend couldn’t have gone any better. Andrew won his first ever main event supercross. That’s pretty cool.
He was solid the whole race, I knew he could do it. It’s one of those things that I just knew he could. He’s been right there but never gotten over the hump, and with just the right kind of changes, the way we have changed things, it takes a lot of time to break people out of their habits. And he’s got some great people around him here and in Texas helping him out as well, like his coach Seiji, his friends, his wife Jacki and now everything is starting to come around. I couldn’t be any happier to tell you the truth. He’s a great guy, one of the best.
Short and the L&Mc team won their first Supercross class main event in Seattle.
Garth Milan photo
Yeah, there’s no cheering in the media and even among other riders, but I think we all broke that rule tonight. It’s great to see a vet like Shorty get his first career win.
Yeah, it’s Andrew Short man. It’s been eleven years or whatever for him to get a supercross win. He’s late in his career and he’s still got potential to win more, don’t get me wrong, but he’s onto the back side of his career and he’s someone that a lot of people want to see win. With the hardship we’ve been going through, to happen now, that’s pretty cool.
Here’s my theory on that: he’s kind of an OCD guy, has to have everything just perfect, and maybe with all this sort of team chaos that has been going on, maybe it’s messed up his mind just enough where it’s throwing him for a loop and he’s going outside his limitation box. I don’t know, just throwing that out there.
Yeah, maybe. I don’t know, that sounds like something that would work. Well, there are so many things that these guys go through. It’s such a mental game and you can never say it’s blue or red or this or that to make you win. It’s so many things stacked on top of one another. It’s how it’s delivered or how it’s said. You’ve worked with good riders before and you know that you say just the right thing and it works. And obviously a lot of good things worked tonight. Last weekend I saw a lot of potential in his speed for being off for so long. This weekend the track was weird and it just happened. That’s all that matters. He got a start, they had a checkered flag and when it flew, he was in the lead.
Lots of talk about the team. What is the status of it and what’s the future look like?
Two days ago I couldn’t have told you. If I would show you an email back and forth with our new sponsor because I said we were going to win tonight. The whole deal hinged on Andrew getting on the podium and I said, “Fine, we’ll go and win.” Don’t think I’m a fortune teller, I got lucky! So anyways, we’re going to announce it next week but we do have a new title sponsor. Our old one decided to just not be with us any more and that’s another story. The new title sponsor, we’ve agreed on everything and he’s going to be for the next two years. It’s going to be really cool to have him back into the sport.
We’ll have our truck back and we’re back in business. It was a bit stressful there for a bit but it all worked out.
You’ve won a ton with a lot of different riders and I know this is hard to do but where does this rank for you?
It’s huge, it’s very big for all of us. Everyone always says that, “Brooks always wins because he has good guys” and whatever, I just go with it and laugh. It’s always one of those things, at the beginning of the season, you know those goals that you have inside of you. One of them was helping Andrew win a race. Mainly for him but I also thought that would shut some of those people up. It was a lot of work, a long road and a lot of hurdles that you don’t even know about.
Well you haven’t always had a top guy. You took a KTM team that was in shambles in the mid 2000s, signed some guys and although you didn’t win a title, you came pretty close.
Tied for a title with that team with Josh Hansen.
Brooks (left) is hoping to announce a new title sponsor for the team sometime this week.
Simon Cudby photo
Well, here you are winning with a guy that has never won a supercross before so maybe there’s something to that, despite some people thinking that you’re a dick or whatever…
Well I’m still a dick, but whatever! I work hard and it always seems to work out well for us. We have great people on the team. That’s another thing, having the right people around the rider. It’s not all me, I’m a piece of it and I get to choose the guys that get to hang out with me I guess.
Is there something you’ve been working on with Andrew?
Dude, I’m not taking the credit here. I just think there are a lot of things that came into play to help him and he was the one who put it all together. The biggest thing is how mentally stressful everything has been with losing sponsors. To lose a title sponsor is huge and for him to come out and win with all that going on is cool. Like you said, maybe that’s something that helped him. Racing is 75 percent mental and there are so many different things that can contribute to a win and whatever it is, we’ll take it.
What you did must have been pretty great, as Chad Reed even found the time to shake your hand. So it must have been a big deal!
[Laughs] Yeah, it must have been. No, everyone thinks that Chad and I hate each other, and he might hate me, I don’t know. I don’t have a problem with Chad and it was one of those things that I almost fell down on the floor. It was a shocker but Chad’s a good guy and he appreciates things like that. You give people credit when credit is due and he must have felt like we deserved some credit. I thought it was cool of him.
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Congrats to the entire team!!! Shorty deserves big props for his first win!!! Andrew has holeshotted and led so many races never to have won, glad that is off his back. Just goes to show, never give up, success will come when you earn it!!
I just knew that Matthes would sneek in something about Stewart.Guess not.Doesn't look like we are ever going to get the true story of that deal.
It was a great win for Shorty and the team. Long overdue for Short and a good start for a 1st year team that went through a lot to get to this point.
Hope this win gives Shorty more confidence to run up front, and maybe win a few motos this summer.
Wait, he is racing this summer, right? Or is McBrooks an SX only team?
He will be good at the nationals.. I think he had a few spots handed to him because of all the injuries in the class in general. I like andrew and I see the progression keep it up. As they say you have to be in it to win it. Hope he can pull another podium at least...
Congratulations to Short and the Team. What I like about these guys is that Brooks and McGrath remain active in the sport as riders in addition to their Team roles. For we consumers to watch the races on TV and in person, guys like Brooks and McGrath need to step up, get sponsors, manage and present a Team. Without people committed to the sport there is no sport. Good luck with the rest of the season.
Theres a lot of experience on that team! Glad to see they'll have two years of support.
And no racer has ever changed my opinion about himself as much as Chad Reed. That guy gets cooler by the day. Much props.
@HandlebarDragger I agree, that is unprofessional. I'm surprised he didn't work in a question that involved Tim Ferry. He may have raced McGrath and Brooks.
I agree Handlebargrabber!!! Matthes is very unprofessional with remarks like that. If I was Brooks or Short I would knock him out. Grow up Steve!! You just might be the dark spot in this sport
I thought it was really cool to see how happy DeCoster was for Short. He was one of the first people to give him congrats.
Congrats to Shorty!
Matthes is right... a lot of people think Brooks is a DICK!
Good for the McBrooks Team! I know it takes a long time, a lot of resorces, lots of money and a rider with talent to make a team work. Best thing of all this is that they got a win in there first year. I believe Shorty will win a few outdoor races too. So hopefully they will be able to fund their whole outdoor season with the new title sponsor.
I have now had the pleasure or working side by side with Larry and I will say one thing..he is SUPER motivated to win and will do about anything to make it happen.
I am with Fred on this one. Actually picked this thread cuz I thought we would finally find out what happened. Maybe someday Fred...And the one thing that I have noticed is I haven't heard one negative comment yet-anywhere-about AS29's win. There is always the talk about not everyone being there, however this year what we have is simply who is gonna race tonight? Can't win if you are hurt but it isn't the winners fault all the comp. couldn't make it. But what I mean is seems like everyone is all good with this just like K-Dub. And that is really cool!
It amazes me how some people can put down the writers of these columns, when if it wasn't for people like Steve that have the balls to put the truth about what happens in this sport then none of you would even know that Brooks is a dick most of the time. The people that always criticize the writers,announcers and TV packages and everything else, yet they get all of this for free and still constantly complain. Its almost like if you gave a homeless person a bag full of cash and he complains because its in ones. Thanks Steve for being one of the few guys that is willing to report things that don't always make you the most popular guy in the pits at times
Literally there is nobody more deserving of a win. Huge congradulations! Nothing is handed to you in racing, so sometimes you are a teddy bear, sometimes a porcupine. The only yardstick is survival, and to survive, you have to do something right. Don't know, don't care, just happy for the team, Andrew and his possie, and Honda to lend a hand to a team on hard times. Win or lose, Brooks is pure, hardcore Motocross - Well done all!
@BigUgly One of the best comments of all time. Totally agree.
Is OCD an insult? Not really, not in my mind anyway, but whatever. As far as the dick comment, read the question better, I don't think Matthes was calling Brooks a dick at all, if anything it was opposite. Like, "I lot of people think you're a dick, but hey, you won a race" And c'mon, everyone thinks Brooks is a dick, that ain't Matthes' fault.
Brooks and Short are surely the Odd Couple in MX
Matthes, way to ."keep it real" NOT !
JimM
Pala374
All I can do is echo what most have said of Shorty's win - congrats, and couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
As for those who are dissing Matthes, I don't think you get it. I would bet that he said those things "tongue in cheek" (look it up, if you don't know what that means) and that Brooks was well aware that was what he was doing. The armchair critics out here are relentless!
I think Andrew would say as much, but some of the credit certainly goes to his trainer Coach Seiji. Andrew and Seiji are good close friends and they both work hard. Seiji was instrumental in Andrew's rehab and look for more wins out of Shorty. This was not a fluke. At the end of the day, Andrew is the guy twisting the throttle, but both Coach Seiji and Andrew work hard on the entire race program. Contrats to both!
BigUglyManiac + 1 for sure.
I don't care about Brooks / Reed (I have a feeling I already knew and Reed's congratulating Brooks confirms my hunch).
I want to know about Stewart / Brooks.
Somebody needs to man up and say something..................I have an opinion that needs formulating and it cannot happen (fairly anyways) without that piece of the puzzle.
Matthes, you did good by not getting too far off topic and letting Short have his day in the sun (lord knows he deserves it). Now get off 'yer azz and ask Brooks about L&M / Stewart-gate.
Brooks/Stewart
SIMPLE:
Stewart did'nt/don't do what it takes to win (ride, practice, develop bike, train).
Stewart wants to ride not practice.
Brooks would not put up with it.
Stewart had more money.
End of story!
Congrats to Andrew!! Good interview Steve!!
Good job Andrew, I knew you had it in you. Nice gesture by Reed too.
Hey TWK1, it was joke about Steve, and you are right he his one of the few that tell it like it is. So take it easy!! Keep up the good work Steve!
Intensity and burning desire to win is sometimes construed as "dick" personality. Brooks wants to win bad...........met him at Daytona in 09 through a Make-A-Wish trip with Bubbas gang and he was a truly entertaining and friendly man to myself and my entire family. Took time out of his busy day prior to the start of the race to spend some time with the family from Cali........Great guy, congratulation's on the victory and good luck going forward.
Sounds like the supercross.com thing is a bit strange. They have the name but don't really put the package together like Racer X in regards to Supercross and Motocross. Does anyone know who runs the show there? I think its Matt Cook, Ricky Johnson, and that Amanda chick in the forefront. Not sure if its just a website or what. I know they have the truck racing sponsorship with Stronghold as well with Twitch and Cook but that's it. Anyone know the story?