Mike Sullivan (44W) leads defending national champ Jay Springsteen (1) and other riders in practice for the 1979 Houston TT in the Astrodome.
Mike Sullivan (44W) leads defending national champ Jay Springsteen (1) and other riders in practice for the 1979 Houston TT in the Astrodome. Sullivan is retiring from racing after 40 years. He’s having a retirement party on February 20th, 2010, starting at 4 PM at the Hotel Washington and Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Chehalis, Wash.
Sullivan’s first ride on a motorcycle as a kid was on the handlebars with his dad’s buddy Evel Knievel.
Mike started his professional career as a flat tracker, later switched to road racing and went on to become one of the leading 250 Grand Prix road racers of the 1980s and ‘90s.
In 1996 Rich Oliver was simply dominating the AMA 250GP field like no other rider had before. He won every race and the margins of victory were ridiculous, often double digits, but Sullivan at least had the distinction of finishing closer to Oliver than any other rider that year when he crossed the line only 7.6-seconds behind Oliver on a real scrappers track at the Pomona Fariplex. Sullivan was 39 at the time.
Mike Sullivan
“Mike was always one of those underrate guys,” said Oliver, a five-time AMA 250 Grand Prix Champion. “I always worried what might happen if Mike ever got a really good bike or picked up a great sponsor. He did all his stuff on his own pretty much and I think given the chance to race for one of the big teams he would have been right there and surprised a lot of people.”
Sullivan will continue to run his Mike Sullivan Roadracing School and Performance Track Days.
Rider Files 
Even this fine article cannot do justice to Mike, his accomplishments, or to the man himself. I have known him 14 years and couldn’t summarize him. In my opinion, he is the singular professional motorcycle racing star of the Pacific Northwest, and a respected and likable pro at tracks all across the country.
He has battled and beaten the best in the Northwest for years and years, taught them through his schools, and then raised the bar yet higher racing them year after year.
He is known here are the “Master of Lines” and his legacy of skills has tricked down through his students and competitors to nearly every rider in northwest motorcycle road racing, and as far as the clubs using Miller, Utah.
Mike has won many #1 plates and set numerous track records over the years. Racers copy him, and all want to be like him, but I doubt that many would be comfortable at the speeds and with the people with whom he races. I have literally seen him in a hundred handlebar-banging battles, lap after lap, with talent half his age and sometimes better equipment.
If this weren’t enough, Mike is a total Class Act. Generous to a fault, and always the gentleman. I have never heard a disrespectful word out of his mouth, or anything but encouragement and a smile for all of his many generations of progeny, the riders.
There are very few who deserve the word “Legend” but in motorcycle racing, Mike is one of them. The premier classes will not be the same without him. Luckily we’ll still have his school and friendship for years to come.
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As I started racing, every one around the pits would comment about Mike, and how fast he is. Little did I know that when I entered into the Expert classes with him and essentially was competing with him (but had no chance in every coming close to his skill level), he was always willing to lend a helping hand. He was always curtious and gratious, on and off the track. He’d even say excuse me as he flew passed me, at least that is what I heard. To this day, after several years off the track but still present on race days, he still takes time as he prepares for a race to say “Hi Bob, good to see you, are you gonna be out there this year?” and that alone speaks to his character.
Mike- It has been a pleasure to race with you, ride with you and learn from you. You are a legend in your own right.
Thank you.
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When I started roadracing locally, unfortunately Mike was at the end of his career. He was still winning at the age of 50, with the fastest form of motorcycle racing in the NW. WMRRA. Mike is the quiet type, he doesnt care too much to set up the bike because of his days in flattrack and dirtbiking, he rides around problems. Unlike riders today who cant ride worth a sh*t if there are 3 extra pounds of air in their rear tire. As the years have passed, I’ve gotten to know Mike and Val (his lovely wife) over the course of say… 6 years. I have photographed the events for Mike at his roadracing school (Mike Sullivan Race School) since 2008, and I believe in 2010 he retired. Though his body was getting older, his mind was sharp as a tack and he still loves racing. Thankfully a few major *after retirement* surgeries later, Mike slowely and surely is getting range of motion back. And what do you know… he’d come by me and you could tell when he was out for a handful of laps “having fun” without students that he was getting a little looser. The knee was dropping further, the hips rotating, and the elbows bent. Like the way Mike wanted to ride those last few years of racing, but just couldnt because of pain. He’s probably sitting there rolling his eyes even as he reads this, not liking the spotlight. But I’ll tell ya what. At 56 years old (in a few weeks) he’s fast as sin, and if this website will let me post this link, this photo was from this last weekend on 8/27/12.
Yup, thats Sully at 56 years old, dragging knee AND elbow around the new racetrack in Shelton Washington. Just goes to show you what kind of skill and fun you can have into your mid to late 50’s. Mike and Val run a great show, and its fun to hear Mike work with students one on one, or see the smile on someone’s face if he’s just scared the daylights out of them on a “2-up ride around” on the track. Good times. Its been fun watching Mike race, teach, and hang out in the pits. Look forward too it for many years to come as well. – db
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