Nevada’s Mike Mason got his start in motocross racing at a very early age. Racing through the amateur ranks, he seemed to take a liking to the indoor environment, as he focused on Arenacross racing once turning pro.

“I did two years of Arenacross full-time, on my own,” says Mason, who also began doing the freestyle jump-off contests during the races. “I won a lot of the jump-offs, and it helped a lot because people started to notice me.”

But 2005 was the year Mike really got noticed in the world of freestyle as he was a true contender in every event he entered. He is now recognized as one of the top riders in the sport. Placing runner-up in the Red Bull Ride to the Hills and FMX Riot events gave him tons of confidence, and he finished out the season in third overall in the 2005 Dew Action Sports Tour.