5 Minutes with...Austin Stroupe February 23, 2008
Although just having turned 17 years old, Monster Energy/Kawasaki rider Austin Stroupe has so far been the revelation of the 2008 West Region Supercross Series. Although plagued by rookie inconsistency on a few occasions, by the time the supercross circus left San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium and headed East to put stakes in the ground in Houston last Saturday, the youngster had already reached the podium on two occasions. Then, on Saturday night before over 50,000 fans in Houston’s Reliant Stadium, Stroupe caught fire and won the first main event of his career. The latest in a long precession of talented young riders to be monitored by one Mitch Payton, if all goes to plan and he can bookmark his enormous potential with his brilliant talent, the mercurial Stroupe, who hails from outside Charlotte, North Carolina, could very well be yet another Pro Circuit champion in the making.