Consider this: The SoBe/Samsung Mobile/Honda Racing Team rider has won two AMA motocross championships--the 1993 500 National Motocross title and the 1994 250 Supercross Series ring--plus the 2000 World Supercross and the 2002 U.S. Open of Supercross. He’s the only athlete ever to win an AMA Supercross race in three different decades in the 125 and 250 classes (1980s, 1990s and 2000). In 2004, LaRocco served notice that he was getting better with age, posting a Supercross win and a remarkable 10 podium appearances to finish third overall in the series. And in 2005, LaRocco completed his 214th Supercross start, including 10 top-five finishes and four trips to the podium. He was on track to take fourth overall for the year but he missed the last two rounds recovering from a concussion and settled for fifth.

The 2006 season will be his 19th year as a professional racer, a record in AMA motocross racing. And it will open a new chapter for LaRocco, who switches from his longstanding ride--Honda’s CR250R two-stroke--to the mighty CRF450R four-stroke machine. “The bike is really good,” says LaRocco. “It has a lot of power everywhere.”

Known around the paddock as The Rock, the Indiana native’s gutsy performances and perennial competitiveness have even his most ardent supporters searching for new superlatives. How does he rate his career? “It’s been awesome to be able to ride motorcycles for a living,” he reflects. “Having won a 250 championship was one of the greatest moments. My best individual race, that’s tough; there have been so many. I’d have to say that my Supercross win in Indianapolis was probably the one I’ll remember most.”

Training has always been a staple of LaRocco’s regimen, and he has adapted the routine to address his evolving strengths and weaknesses. “I have tried to educate myself on training philosophies, ideas and programs. I’ve changed over the years. I still base everything I do on strength, cardio and time on the bike. What I focus on most, if I’m too heavy, is more cardio. If I need to be stronger, it’s more weights. I have to work very hard on and off the track to remain competitive with the younger athletes.”

Starting in 2004, LaRocco officially retired from the outdoor series, focusing 100 percent on Supercross. Which is no small feat considering the increasingly talented field of riders, some half his age. As he looks forward to 2006, he is characteristically modest. “I’m just going to go out there and try to catch up to the pace they set nowadays. With Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, I’m going to try to step up my game, just go out there and try to improve. That is what I have done my whole career. That keeps me busy, bridging the gap.”

Indeed. LaRocco is one of the most feared riders in the field. Always the hunter, he has a reputation for charging when other riders can barely hang on. His legendary stature in the paddock has earned him another reputation as well, that of mentor. It’s a role he relishes.

“I can watch a lot of guys and look at their philosophy and know if I can help them or not. Some guys have it together and some guys don’t. The bottom line is, when you’re 18 you think you know everything and you realize 20 years later that you really didn’t. I know things now I wish I had known earlier on, and those are the kind of things I like to pass down.”

That includes helping young riders understand that it takes more than talent to succeed. “I didn’t necessarily have all the talent or the support all the time, but I managed to succeed through earning it. I think that if I am a role model for the kids that are halfway in between, that’s cool for me.”

LaRocco is also a role model for another youngster, his 7-year-old son Ryder. One of the most dedicated family men on the circuit, LaRocco often rides minibikes with Ryder and spends as much time as possible with his wife Elizabeth and newborn son Parker when he’s not competing. “The hardest part is that you try to have a normal life on top of the traveling and the training. Now that I am older and have a family, my priorities have shifted a bit. I’m lucky that I have a family that has grown up racing and we have a system that works out for all of us.”

One day, LaRocco knows he will settle down. “At this point in my career, Honda and Factory Connection have been the perfect match, one that has allowed me to maximize my ability. Yeah, I’m considering a larger role at Factory Connection. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the industry. I like what I do so I will see what comes up.”

But his first priority is the same one he had when he started professional racing in 1988: “To win another championship,” he states matter-of-factly. “That’s still standing above my head, to win the Supercross title. When you focus on getting good starts, then the race wins start to come. And next year my intent is to win races. That’s pretty much the bottom line.”