We talked about the Mickey Thompson murder, but let’s talk more about the dark soul of Mike Goodwin.
You might remember a little story we did a long time ago about the brutal murder of Mickey and Trudy Thompson. If you do, then you'll know that these terrifying events were orchestrated by another industry giant in the world of automotive racing, Mike Goodwin. This man was the father of modern supercross and now serves behind bars for the horrible atrocities his former business partner committed. Unfortunately, many people don't understand the man's entire life as he is typically only known for the murders and his motorcycle-focused automotive fun. However, there was a lot more history behind the career and life of Mike Goodwin in regards to what he built.
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Initially, Goodwin focused primarily on rock shows with some sports marketing sprinkled here and there. However, at his core, Goodwin was a promoter, and he saw the perfect opportunity to make some big money in the world of motorcycle sports. His first supercross event was in 1972 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. While the owner was hesitant about the idea, Goodwin was incredibly persistent. Eventually, he agreed to rent the stadium to Mike for what he called "The SuperBowl Of Motocross." The event was a screaming success, and within a short while, the name Mike Goodwin was known in every household in America.
Highly praised stadiums ranging from the Rose Bowl to Sandiego were quickly filled with tons of dirt and crafted into the perfect tracks for motorcycle stunt performers. While Goodwin spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars across the United States, the most significant money made for Goodwin was Anaheim, which grew every year to larger and larger proportions. Mickey Thompson had a very similar business model, only his choice of vehicles ranged from Baja trucks to offroad race cars. Unfortunately, Mickey was losing money on every event contrasting Goodwin's continued success, and eventually, Thompson decided to pair up with Mike to host events together.
These events made virtually zero dollars initially, and eventually, the Goodwin/Thompson duo fell through because of lost revenue. The separation of the industry giants sprawled out of control ending in a massive $800,000 lawsuit won by Mickey Thompson. We all know what happens next in the story; Goodwin would later hire two men to murder Mickey and his wife in the driveway brutally. Eventually, Goodwin was caught due to an unexpected witness and given a life sentence nearly a decade later.
