Big shout-out to Kenny Hunter and Gary at Relm Clothing for working on our British BMX Hall of Fame merch — we’re now live and ready to go! All proceeds will go toward future Hall of Fame events. More items and designs will be added later this year.
To kick things off, we’ve got NBMXA, UKBMX, ACE Racing, EBA, and the British BMX Hall of Fame logo tees.
Teams you rode for?
Curtis, Ammaco, Shadow Racing/Hot Wheels.
What year did you start racing?
Quite late to the party, so it was early 1983.
Do you remember your very first race? How did it go?
Bournemouth ’83 – a load of us went on a coach from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, cramming all the bikes into the luggage space! I came 2nd, 4th, and 1st in my motos, so I probably qualified for the 1/4 final but didn’t know how it all worked, so I missed it!
What was your local track or favorite spot when you first started?
There weren’t any actual tracks nearby at first, so we would go to various good jumps around town and a local school that had a short trail-type track. Frome and Bath were the first local tracks, and we used to take the train to get there sometimes.
How many years were you actively racing?
3 or 4 years.
Can you recall your final race? How did it feel to wrap up your racing career?
Poole, early ’87 – I decided to take a break but didn’t know it was going to be my last race! I won, though!
What was the highlight of your time in BMX?
Lots of great times, but getting the call from Sue Jarvis a couple of days after winning the Slough National and joining Ammaco Mongoose in ’85 was unbelievable! Winning Champion of Champions ’85 and the Derby British Champs ’86 were also major highlights.
You might be familiar with the name Watkins — Michael Watkins was the father of mid-80s British, European, and World Champion Mark “Whoppa” Watkins, who rode for Halfords, MRD, and later Thruster. Michael is one of those unsung heroes of British BMX who spent countless hours at the races, often standing in the middle of the track with his cameras, recording and documenting the action. He would then transfer the footage to Betamax and VHS tapes during the 1980s, making them available to anyone who wanted a copy of the latest Regional or National event.
Last year, Michael generously donated all his Beta and VHS recorders, along with close to 100 tapes. We’ve finally digitized the collection and have begun uploading it to our British BMX Hall of Fame YouTube Channel. A huge thanks to Mike — it only makes sense to give a little more background on him and show the appreciation he truly deserves. Like many other dedicated parents who took the time to film and preserve our sport, his efforts allow us to relive those incredible moments even today.
BMX Race Filmer (UKBMX & NBMXA) Michael Watkins
Discovering BMX was a short process. Mark (Whoppa) started off with a chopped-down head tube on a ladies’ shopping bike, converted with BMX forks and handlebars, which didn’t last long as there was a cycle shop on the way to school. Things started to get serious, and he finished up with a Diamondback. The young shop owner took him to a meeting at Redditch Open, where he came 3rd—not bad for a first timer. Needless to say, there were concerns that he was riding in the wrong age group, so with my presence and his birth certificate, things settled down.
After much enthusiasm from my little boy Mark, I took him to his next meetings. I could see he was having fun and seemed to do well. That’s when I became sucked in, including going into the Bridgnorth branch of WH Smiths to check if the new magazines had arrived. (As you can imagine, he was not happy with the bike as it was, but couldn’t possibly race without certain pedals, brake systems, trainers, grips, etc. Ha! Ha!)
At this time, I had two jobs, working 18 hour days at times! I then had to turn my life upside down so I could take him to one or two meetings, including Wordsley Club, which ran meetings on Wednesday evenings. That then developed into me taking a couple of local lads along. I bought a minibus and borrowed a double motorbike trailer to carry the bikes on. Eventually, I ended up taking twelve to fourteen riders (illegal nowadays). Great fun listening to the banter and seeing their enthusiasm.
(Mark and Ange called me “Kins” more than Dad. When taking all these riders out every week, being a bit old school, I wasn’t going to have youngsters calling me Michael or Mike, and Mr. Watkins was a bit of a mouthful. It was decided I would be Mr. Kins, as Lee Benton will verify.)
Because of the enthusiasm of the local riders, we also formed a local BMX club. We were even offered a small plot of land and the free use of a digger and driver. We did a lot of fundraising along with other parents, but unfortunately, and disappointingly, it did not take off. The money raised by ourselves was eventually donated to the Air Ambulance.
I worked for BSD as a Chef Manager for the Main Board, whose offices and boardroom were at a flat-rolled unit at Wombourne. By chance, it had a maintenance and garage department. They made the wooden quarter-pipe out of wood normally used for carrying steel coils on the lorries, and a rack to fit a tow bar for the Granada I was driving at the time to carry the bikes (sometimes well-laden, as Chris Taylor and his dad would come with us to some of the meetings).
All this in less than a year—absolutely amazing.
All the above facts are right, but not necessarily in the correct order!
It was Darren Stock who pointed Whoppa out to Steve Wilson. Steve kept an eye on him through that meeting and seemed to make a decision quite quickly. Being on the Halfords team proved to be a fantastic privilege and was very much appreciated.
Being part of the prestigious Halfords team was a big surprise for both of us. Even more amazing was the rate of success that Mark had, just enjoying what he was doing. Being on the team involved not just basics like gear travel and such, but also gym once a week (which I also took advantage of). Also, the camaraderie and support within the team and from associates were fantastic.
How and When Did I Start Videoing?
Like many parents, I used to take stills of the races (unfortunately, I was into slides at that time). I then obtained an old basic video camera.
The first meeting I recall going fully armed with extra tapes and extra power was at Derby Stadium at the 1983 British Championships. I videoed from upstairs, opposite the main stands, giving me a full view of the start gate behind glass (not sure if the windows opened), which seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh no, it wasn’t. The commentary heard by my ears was not the same, and the camera was awful and distorted, but I learned my lesson.
I continued to video, mostly around Mark’s age group and some of the older riders. As I continued to film, some parents would come up to me and ask if I had a particular moto or race. After only a couple of requests, I thought, “I might as well do requests, as I’m standing here watching most of the time…”
I used to go and talk to Mark between his races, which didn’t seem as important once he joined Halfords. I bought a new modern camera, which had a panel on the left-hand side where I could feed graphics onto the recordings, enabling me to keep track of what I was filming. I would record all the odd motos and then the events. The third moto was hit and miss, so every rider would see themselves no matter how far they progressed. Then, I would record all the rest, even 1/8ths, which did happen at some of the bigger meetings.
I asked one of the marshals if I could film from inside the track. He spoke with Ron, and Ron said no problem as long as I didn’t interrupt the procedure. I started taking shots of the moto sheets to help with editing. I then asked if it was possible to have the discarded sheets, and life became easier. It’s a shame that these deteriorated so much in storage—they would have been golden material with a lot of forgotten names and motos that would have been like a final.
I then got a bit cheeky and asked if there was room on the bigger commentary platforms to stand in a corner and film. This was quite successful. The powers that be started thinking of me at some meetings and began putting up a platform for me, which was brilliant.
Then my Monday evenings (more often than not my only evening at home) were spent in a small room, sitting in front of three video machines, a video enhancer, a TV screen, and a load of moto sheets, editing the weekend’s meeting, as some were run over more than one day. It was quite complicated at times, but in a good way, building the continued selected single age group to the one-offs.
As some parents requested, I did the whole season of a particular age group, irrespective of any outcome. There were quite a lot of repeat requests on a regular basis, so I was kept busy just trying to keep a record of all of them. The need was for me to do them ASAP so they could be ready for the next meeting, all of which, at its prime, were very popular.
I only charged for the tape (99% VHS) and P&P, plus a couple of pounds, which I gave to the NBMXA Track team at the end of the season, contributing toward platforms and such at the races.
I continued this until Mark stopped racing. At the time, he was working as a baker (bread, etc.), which meant starting before midnight on Fridays and finishing around 8:00 AM. Depending on travel, he would either go to bed for a couple of hours, then travel to the meeting, or if I was driving, he would most often doze off while traveling, listening to The Smiths (wow, besides if I tried to turn the sound down! Ha! Ha!)
There are one or two standout moments: Firstly, involving Mark “Whoppa” Watkins (thank you, Tony Hoffman) when he broke the track record at Derby (pre-Halfords), racing a No. 1 rider an age group above (Gary O’Connor). Someone gave me three photos of the start gate, finish, and aftermath.
Racing for Halfords, especially when they used his Euro and World Champ pictures in their advertising… When Mark stood at Cocksmore near the finish line, signing the handout pictures for the youngsters (well out of his comfort zone, he was alright when he had his helmet on)… When he won the free flight at the Derby Classic… When the seat post broke at Whitehaven, he ended up in hospital, getting stitches on his inside thigh just before flying to Japan (big worry about infection).
For me, here’s an edited sample of my memories, not in any particular order:
Spending time at Pontins with Young Tim and Andy… Then traveling across the North to Middlesbrough for a National, and the bus blowing a cylinder, getting brought home on the back of an AA wagon, and getting home at 4:30, then off to work at 7:30
Videoing at Chorley (as I remember, one of the first tracks to use tarmac—a lot of rumbling because of that). Me standing up high and a horrendous amount of shouting from below. People arguing about the outcome of the race, and in the middle of all this, a small person shouting the loudest
Standing on the top of a three-level tower at Farnham, with no crossbars, just four uprights in the corners. Getting all the equipment, including a car battery to power the recorder and camera, up ladders, then passing it to the top level, was quite a challenge (the view was great)
The tower that was erected at the British Championships at the far end of the track from the start gate with a cover as well as a chair—brilliant
Traveling to Bercy, Paris—organizing accommodations and driving around the city—was an experience in itself. Satnav wasn’t an option in the early ’80s, so as an AA member, they sent a printout of the route, which was incredibly useful. The atmosphere in the stadium was completely different… The drive home, with a sleepy Mark and other riders, their bikes crammed into a very warm minibus, and the compulsory Smiths playing, was memorable—nearly falling asleep on the M25 after a long and exhausting weekend, finally forced to take a break at the first services. All good fun.
One low point was at the Oxford National the weekend after the Worlds. When the line marshal didn’t step out of Mark’s outside lane quickly enough, a parent asked if they should go down and support him. I said, “No, he’ll be okay.” WRONG! Dale may well find this when going through the tapes.
Videoing at Whistler was great fun. Those lucky enough to be there will remember the sheer drop just beyond the high fencing at the first berm. I stood next to a TV crew, who were fantastic—offering me power if needed and plenty of encouragement.
After Mark and I finished, I still picked up the mags for a while, but I was disappointed not to be involved anymore. Ironically, one of the top records at the time was Kate Bush’s Don’t Give Up, which still resonates with me today.
It was always amazing to see the excitement of riders and parents celebrating their achievements, and the way the entire crowd supported all the racing. The atmosphere at Derby was always electric.
The early days were truly brilliant—some of it a blur, carried along by the momentum and riding the crest of a wave.
I would like to thank BMX for giving me an interest outside the kitchen—and what an interest it has been!
Now that I’ve finished writing these memories, I know I’ll think of a thousand more…
I think it’s fair to say these photos capture some of the second generation of UKBMX/NBMXA racers competing under the EBA banner, taken at Hounslow in 1989. By then, most of the big-name UK Pro Class stars from the 80s—the magazines, the Kelloggs, the NEC, Earls Court, TV appearances, and the big factory teams of the early BMX boom—had moved on. But among the younger riders who had been climbing the ranks in the early 80s and stuck around, it was their time to shine.
New teams were being formed on small budgets. Zines, race programs, and dedicated dads with video cameras were documenting the racing—replacing the likes of Channel 4, News at 10, or Saturday morning TV. A new, fun, and exciting UKBMX scene was thriving, even if the only people seeing it were the ones living it.
Van and bus trips to Europe, sharing hotel rooms with 10 others, racing on YTS budgets, sharing bikes, and traveling the country and the continent—it was all part of the deal. Despite tougher times, new British names were emerging and carrying the flag internationally, just as standout riders like David Maw, Sarah-Jane Nichols, Craig Schofield, the Llewellyns, and so many others had done before them.
Eastwood, Lacey, Revell, Worthington, Adeyemo, Thompson, Dick—the list goes on as a new era of British BMX pushed through. These photos say a thousand words if you lived it.
Thanks to CK Leong, the Malaysian London transplant from the late 80s and early 90s, for sending these snapshots and memories from a defining chapter of British BMX racing during the underground years of BMX.
These two Konica still photos were somehow miraculously preserved and escaped unharmed over all these years. Must be a telling sign of how significant those times were to me—when I was like 19 years of age. I was on a 3-year solo undercover project with the excuse of pursuing a UK engineering course in Material Science, but you and I know I was there for something else!
Three years is all I needed—and all I had! I bought a second-hand GT, joined UKBMX beginner class, then the Expert age group in my second year. That’s where I raced so much (fight or flight!) with Clive Gosling and Paul Roberts, and became great friends with Winnie Wright. I turned Superclass in my third year! It was 3 years stacked with good UKBMX racing in the South East Region, and a limited few spots over the Nationals, where I traveled on all kinds of public transport—big or small—I could access, and solo camped my nights away, even if the night was freezing cold and I could barely sleep. But I did what I had to do just to get my “arse” up on the gate with my mates the next morning! It was like me joining the Marines over and over again, literally! Everybody loves the 80s British weather. I don’t think we even needed a weather forecast, anyway.
Three years of too much craziness… of what went on behind the scenes, what I saw, and what I didn’t—but just messing around with my mates in the 80s. It was another day, and we were having a short recess before the finals’ call-in. I was chatting with Tom Lynch, admiring his new ELF colours, along with Keith Joseph, Bobby Hyde, Joe Eastwood, Clive Gosling, and Dale Holmes… Winnie Wright and many more soon joined in for a good laugh at this Japanese-Far-East-UK-Asia-transplant-looking lad having his final race in the UK. Charlie Reynolds came crashing in somewhere in the frame, and Billy Wright—being his usual self—froze that special moment in two iconic still shots from that summer of ’89 UKBMX National at Hounslow! Great times!
Thanks, lads, for leveling up the field—and that’s my one takeaway from this 3-year undercover project!
– CK Leong
Team ACE is widely recognized as the first official BMX team in the UK, assembled by Richard Barrington, who also helped organize the country’s first BMX event alongside Don Smith in 1979 at Brockwell Park, London.
Early Team ACE riders included the likes of Andy Ruffell, Pete Middleton, Nicky Matthews, Steve Gratton, Cav Strutt, and Craig Schofield—many of whom went on to become the first generation of BMX superstars in the UK.
In addition to these well-known names, we want to highlight other riders and individuals who were part of ACE Racing and share their stories, contributions, and connections to the team—and especially to the man behind it all, Richard Barrington, who arguably doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves in the history of UK BMX.
Derek Curry is a former ACE Team Manager, BMX News and BMX Weekly contributor, and close friend of Richard Barrington during and beyond his years in the sport. We spoke with his son, Lee Curry, one of the youngest Team ACE riders, who—along with his brother Stacy—was highly ranked nationally during the early days of UKBMX.
More ACE Racing to come, as we continue to deep dive into the story of the first British BMX team and the people who made it happen.
How was it riding for Team ACE?
Riding for ACE was great! We had factory bikes and kits provided, and we got to travel all over the UK. We also made a couple of TV appearances on Anglia News and a children’s program called Freetime.
What year did you start racing?
I started racing around late ’79 or early ’80.
Do you remember your very first race? How did it go?
My first race wasn’t even on a real BMX bike – it was on a Raleigh Boxer! I probably didn’t do too well, but I was obviously hooked. My next bike was a Giant, which was very heavy, so I quickly moved on to a Redline. My dad got it from Richard Barrington, who had brought it back from America. I guess that’s where joining ACE began.
What was your local track or favorite spot when you first started?
My local track was probably Eastways. My favorite tracks were Ipswich and Buckmore Park, since those stick in my mind the most—also Redditch.
How many years were you actively racing?
I raced from late ’79/early ’80 until about ’83.
Can you recall your final race? How did it feel to wrap up your racing career?
I don’t really remember my last race, unfortunately.
What was the highlight of your time in BMX?
The highlight of my racing career was reaching number 2 behind Matt Oakley in 1981—I think that was the year.
It looks like you have a great old-school collection of bikes. How many do you have?
I have around 20 bikes in my collection, ranging from budget/catalogue bikes to the ACE.
Bonus Insight:
I’m actually still racing! This year, I’ll be racing at the BOMD3 in France along with Steve Pellowe, Caroline Carey, and Daniel Wonfor. We’ll even be doing sidehack with Steve. Not sure if we’re crazy, stupid, or a healthy combination of both!
Photo credit:
Early days of Lee, shot at an ACE Racing demo.
Lee and former ACE teammate Trevor Shanks with Lee’s prized possession – his ACE bike (162).
Team ACE is widely recognized as the first official BMX team in the UK, assembled by Richard Barrington, who also helped organize the country’s first BMX event alongside Don Smith in 1979 at Brockwell Park, London.
Early Team ACE riders included the likes of Andy Ruffell, Pete Middleton, Nicky Matthews, Steve Gratton, Cav Strutt, and Craig Schofield—many of whom went on to become the first generation of BMX superstars in the UK.
In addition to these well-known names, we want to highlight other riders and individuals who were part of ACE Racing and share their stories, contributions, and connections to the team—and especially to the man behind it all, Richard Barrington, who arguably doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves in the history of UK BMX.
Below is an interview with Derek Curry, a former ACE Team Manager, BMX News and BMX Weekly contributor, and close friend of Richard Barrington during and beyond his years in the sport.
We also spoke with his son, Lee Curry, one of the youngest Team ACE riders, who—along with his brother Stacy—was highly ranked nationally during the early days of UKBMX.
More ACE Racing to come, as we continue to deep dive into the story of the first British BMX team and the people who made it happen.
How did you first discover BMX?
I discovered BMX from a kids’ TV programme in the early 1980s. It immediately caught my attention, and it wasn’t long before my sons got involved too.
Your sons Lee and Stacy started racing — can you remember your first race meeting?
Lee and Stacy had their first race at Landseer Park in Ipswich. That’s where it all started for us as a family.
What were some of the other early tracks they raced at in the following years, and how did the boys do?
In those early days, they raced at tracks like Buckmore, Redditch, Cleethorpes, Bradford, Scotland, Eastway, and Albury. Stacy raced originally with plate number 163 as a 6-year-old in 1980, winning quite a few trophies — mostly wooden shields at first. Later, as a 7-year-old, he continued doing well and finished the year in 4th place with 292 points.
Lee raced with plate number 162 starting as a 7-year-old in 1980. Like Stacy, he picked up a number of trophies early on. When he moved up to 8 years old, he had an even better season and ended the year in 2nd place with 304 points.
After meeting Richard Barrington (ACE), and from what we’ve read in books, interviews with ACE riders, and early magazines — he really was one of the key guys in promoting the sport. With Team ACE sponsoring riders who later became huge names, what other tidbits can you share with us about Richard?
I first met Richard Barrington at the ACE shop in 1980 when I was buying bits and bobs for the boys — including those iconic blue ACE trousers with their names on them. We became good friends during that time.
Richard was a real driving force behind BMX’s early days between 1979 and 1983. He was a brilliant photographer too, capturing some fantastic shots of early ACE riders — like Cav Strutt at Harrow skatepark and Andy Ruffell at Rom skate park. His photos really helped build the image of the sport in those days.
You also became the Team Manager for ACE and there’s a cool shot of you and Steve Gratton in BMX News when you signed him to the team, standing next to the ACE van you used to drive. What do you remember about Steve being on the team?
Apart from that photo of Steve Gratton and me in front of the ACE van, which was reported in BMX News when we signed him, I’m sorry to say I don’t have much memory of him racing after that.
There are photos — a lot of which you took — of team riders on different bikes. Richard eventually designed and made his own frames. I think Cav Strutt rode one. What else can you tell us about the ACE framesets?
The ACE frame was Richard’s brainchild, with a lot of input from Cav Strutt, who also built them. There were some distinctive design features — the front gusset was a solid piece without any holes, and the rear dropouts had a unique design.
The early frames were welded prototypes before they eventually became chrome plated. They really stood out from other frames at the time.
You also got deep into writing reports and shooting photos for BMX News & BMX Weekly. How did that come about?
We were spotted as a family at many BMX tracks, and one day I was approached at a meeting and asked if I would be interested in taking pictures of riders across different age groups and writing race reports. That’s how it started. I loved doing it — but unfortunately, I never kept copies of my pictures or reports.
What led you and the boys to finish up with BMX? Did you follow the sport much afterward?
I think it was around 1983 when Richard closed the ACE shop on Forest Road. He took back all the ACE bikes from the team, including Lee and Stacy’s bikes, and sold them along with the frame design — although I wasn’t involved in those details.
Personally, it was a shame, but I loved every minute of it. Eventually, though, I got tired of all the early mornings, the late returns, and balancing it all with work.
I still followed BMX for a while and loved seeing how the tracks evolved and how riders like Andy Ruffell and Craig Schofield, who we knew from the early days, went on to do so well.
You kept in touch with Richard after his BMX days — what did he go on to do?
Richard and I stayed in touch for a little while. He still had the factory in Walthamstow and kept up his passion for photography, turning it into a business taking portraits of children and babies. Over time, we lost contact, but the memories we shared from our BMX days have stayed with me.
We still have our family album full of all the photos I took during those incredible years.
Photos.
Photo credit:
Derek Curry welcomes new signing Steve Gratton to ACE Racing in 1981.
BMX News Race Report – Words and Photos by Derek Curry.
His back-page photo for BMX News—titled “Wildest of the Week”—features Nicky Matthews (178) during his brief time riding for Mongoose.
One of Derek’s shots shows riders on the gate, including Alan Woods (214), Dave Thomas (555), and ACE Racing’s Scott McDonald (second from the left).
Scotland’s First BMX Track and Event – Whithaugh Park, April 12, 1981
Whithaugh Park was designed and built by Mongoose’s Malcolm Jarvis, the Jarvis family,
and a small crew. In just one week of construction, the track was completed and ready for Scotland’s first official BMX race — a UKBMX National event — held on April 12, 1981.
Malcolm Jarvis said: “We started construction on Monday and ran a mainstream televised international event by the weekend. Five dawn-to-dusk days flat out for a few of us.”
Both BMX News and Official BMX covered the race. Only a small number of racers made the trip north, including Andy Ruffell and the Mongoose Team, Steven Gratton, Gary Fenwick, Mike Chilvers, and other already established names in UKBMX.
Weekend wins came from Julian Jarvis, Alistair Green, Sean Day, Anthony Woodcock, and Steve Gratton. Two Trophy Dash races were also held — one for riders under 13, and another for riders 14 and over.
Understandably, the turnout of Scottish riders was small. A final race at the end of the weekend was held especially for Scottish riders, and it was won by Stu Leishman, who had also placed second in the 15s class. Mark Ligget finished second, and Brian Hay came third.
Results:
5–9: Julian Jarvis (Mongoose), Simon Ratchford (Mongoose), Sam Jarvis (Mongoose)
11–13: Alistair Green (Wheelways), Leslie Windle, Russ Jarvis (Mongoose)
14: Sean Day (Mongoose), Steven Frizzel, Steven Taylor
15: Anthony Woodcock (Mongoose), Stuart Leishman, Carsten Madsen
16+: Steve Gratton (Wheelways), Mike Chilvers (Mongoose), Geoff Barraclough (Wheelways)
Scottish Riders Race: Stuart Leishman, Mark Ligget, Brian Hay
In just one week, the first official BMX track in Scotland was constructed, and the first-ever BMX race in Scotland (a UKBMX National) was officially in the books — BMX racing in Scotland was off and running!
Photo (Bill Lawless from BMX News): 16+ winner Steve Gratton out front at Whithaugh Park during Scotland’s first-ever BMX race.
We are now heading into our fourth year since the inception of the British BMX Hall of Fame. Here’s a recap of the inductees so far.
2022 Inductees
Pioneer Influencers: Malcolm Jarvis & Sue Jarvis
Male Racer: Geth Shooter
Pioneer Female Racer: Sarah-Jane Nichols
Pioneer Male Racer: Alan Woods
Pioneer Freestyler: Neil Ruffell
Female Racer: Lisa Wright
Freestyler: Jamie Bestwick
Outstanding Contribution to BMX: Carole Gosling
King of Dirt: Stephen Murray
Lifetime Achievement Award: David Maw
2023 Inductees
Pioneer Female Racer: Jane Windle
Male Racer: Tom Lynch
Female Racer: Luli Adeyemo
Pioneer Influencer: The Higginson Family
Pioneer Freestyle: Lee Reynolds
King of Dirt: Keith Duly
Freestyler: Jerry Galley
Pioneer Racer: Pete Middleton
Outstanding Contribution to Freestyle: Geoff Catlow
Outstanding Contribution to BMX: Phil Townsend
David Maw Lifetime Achievement Award: Scott Dick, Andy Ruffell
2024 Inductees
Pioneer Female Racer: Alice Temple
Pioneer Racer: Craig Schofield
Pioneer Influencers: David Duffield, Don Smith, Geoff Wiles
Female Racer: Adele Croxon
Freestyle: Carlo Griggs
King of Dirt: Fids
Pioneer Freestylers: Mike Pardon, Jess Dyrenforth
Outstanding Contribution to BMX: Val Hyde
Male Racer: Jamie Staff
Outstanding Contribution to Freestyle: Stuart Dawkins
David Maw Lifetime Achievement Award: Billy Wright
When did you start BMX racing, and what was your first race?
I started racing in 1980, and my first-ever race was at Redditch. I finished 5th in the final in the 17+ category, and that was enough to give me the BMX bug.
What was your local track?
Originally, my local track was Deddington, but in 1986, they built one just 200 yards from my house—so I had to get another bike!
When were your main racing years?
My most competitive racing years were 1980–1984. Any races I did after that, I rode more like an “old man”!
Which BMX teams did you ride for?
I rode for Hotshot, Skyway, and Curtis.
What was your favorite team to ride for and why?
My favorite team was Curtis. Brian (Curtis’ owner) never put us under any pressure—he just let us get on with it.
What was unique about your Curtis bike?
Brian made me a one-off frame and fork set with different angles and a slightly lower bottom bracket. He planned to put it into production at the beginning of 1984 as the Dave Thomas Replica, with Strongs Cycles distributing it. I was supposed to receive 25% of the profits.
Why did the Dave Thomas Replica never get released?
Unfortunately, it never happened because I injured my knee at the 1983 NBMXA British Championships while messing around with Shaun Gayle (aka the “Magna Muncher”). The injury affected my performance, and I felt I wasn’t worthy of having a bike named after me.
What was the highlight of your BMX career?
One of my biggest highlights was the 1983 NBMXA British Championships in Derby — Cruiser class, I won all three of my motos on Saturday and became the 1983 British Cruiser Champion; and 20-inch class, I won all three motos and my quarter-final on Saturday.
However, my knee injury (from Shaun Gayle’s “wrestling match”) worsened by Sunday, and I struggled through the semi-finals. Despite that, I finished 3rd in the final.
How bad was your knee injury?
I had been struggling with water on the knee all season, and my doctor kept draining the fluid. He told me not to ride for three weeks before Derby, but I didn’t listen. By Sunday morning, my knee was swollen like a balloon.
After the race, I had cartilage removed, ACL damage, and torn knee ligaments. The injury affected my riding, but I still have the 1983 British Cruiser Champion trophy as a reminder.
What was the best part of BMX racing for you?
Aside from racing, the friendships I formed were the best part. I still keep in touch with many BMX friends today through social media.
New British BMX Hall of Fame Podcast (on Apple Podcasts and Spotify) with Paul Roberts.
In this episode, we discuss two new projects I’ve been working on: documenting the rankings and results of UKBMX and NBMXA, and later EBA, including the Ranking/British Championships and Champion of Champions, starting in 1981 (the first year of national racing in the UK for UKBMX, with NBMXA being added in 1983). We also have some fun imagining if BMX racing had been in the Olympics during the 80s and 90s.
Who would have made the British teams, starting with the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and then the 1988 Seoul Olympics?
There are some great debates when picking a 1984 three-man British Men’s Olympic Team. Who would go? Andy Ruffell, Tim March, Pete Middleton, Alan Woods, Trev Robinson, and others were among the top UK Superclass riders at the time, but we also have to consider some of the top British amateurs from 1984: Craig Schofield, Gary Llewellyn, Geth Shooter, Charlie Reynolds, John Vile, and Martin Jose were all fast – could any of them make the team? We also debated whether Gary Llewellyn was faster than Geth Shooter.
We repeat the process for the 1988 Seoul Team. Who would go – Geth Shooter? Neal Wood? Tom Lynch? Tony Fleming? Damon Parkinson? Darren O’Neill? Winnie Wright? Anthony Revell? Lee Alexander? Andy Welsh? Kim Carbutt? Could that 16 year old Dale guy make it in as a reserve? Would Tim March and Ruffell have made the team if they had delayed their retirements to make a run for it? Someone else?
What about the women? Would Lulu Adeyemo be on the plane to Seoul? Would Sarah-Jane Nichols, who retired in 1987, have stuck around in 1988 for a shot at Seoul? Had she already made the 1984 team? Julie Woodward, Claire Edwards, Lisa Wright – would they have made the team?
Quick fact checks/corrections from this podcast:
•Trev Stamford did not win the final NBMXA Pro race in 1988 at Runnymede – it was Tony Fleming.
•The PRA did not come to an end immediately after the 1986 Slough World Championships.
Check it out if you’re into UK race trivia and history. If you enjoy it, let us know – we’d love to keep picking Olympic teams from the 80s and 90s, including some of the major BMX racing countries.
Cheers.