Description
Mike “The Gunner” Healey, who was one of the highest-rated motocrossers to graduate from the minicycle ranks in the early 1980s, was found dead at home after having what is suspected to be a heart attack.
Healey rose to stardom during his minicycle years, turning heads at the Ponca City NMA Amateur Motocross Championships and other major amateur races around the country. The Californian signed with R&D Suzuki and won the first official 125cc AMA Supercross race, which was held at Anaheim in 1985. He won the first three 125cc West Supercross races that year and was destined to be the first 125cc West Champion until breaking his femur and having to sit out the final round. Bobby Moore went on to win the title.
In 1986, after a dispute with his team bosses, Suzuki fired Healey midseason. Healey returned the following year on a Cagiva, had moderate success, and eventually left the AMA Nationals and focused his racing attention overseas. In 1991, Healey rode a KTM and enjoyed one of his finest racing seasons ever in the 250cc World Championship when he battled fellow American Trampas Parker and Italy’s Alessandro Puzar for the number-one plate. The final round of the series in Japan would decide the championship. Despite finishing second overall to a visiting Jeff Stanton, Parker, who was fourth overall on the day, edged out Healey for the 1991 250cc World Championship title by three points. Puzar, third overall in Japan, finished just six points behind Healey in the championship.
After the race in Japan, Healey, said, “The [Americans] can call us ‘has-beens’ and ‘never-weres’ all they want, but I felt like I proved something out there.”
After his racing days, Healey’s personal life spiraled out of control. Healey struggled with addiction after getting hooked on pain medications as he battled chronic pain. Healey stepped out of the racing spotlight and spent several years battling mostly drug-related life adversities, which included a stint in prison.
Luckily, Healey eventually decided to turn his life around, went to cosmetology school, and got a job as a barber in Costa Mesa, California. He was reportedly enjoying life before his passing. -CYCLE NEWS
Ride In Peace
Mike The Gunner Healey
1968-2024
Downloads
Total downloads: 164
Mod Instructions (DEFAULT)
Put the PNT file(s) included in the download into the "mods/bikes/*bike*/paints" folder. If you have the model as a PKZ, but no folder, create a folder same name as the PKZ (but without the PKZ extension) and inside there create a "paints" folder.Support DirtShart!
