Photo taken at the 1988 BBMXA British Championships, featuring all nine FIAC British World Champions from a month earlier at the FIAC World Championships in Belgium, where they each won their individual classes. Left to right: Philip Shirtliff, Gary O’Brien, Lisa Wright, Daniel Worthington, Pete Dymott, Shauna Godber, Tony Gilham, Stacey Iddon, and Kerie J. Hopkins.

What year did you start racing? I got my first BMX in 1979—an orange and black Team Murray from Halfords for £79.99. I started racing in 1983 but only did one race at The Band Arena in Morecambe. I didn’t make the final but got into the trophy dash—and won it. It wasn’t until the Pontins track was built that I started racing properly on a Raleigh Burner with steel skinnies. Loved it. What was your local track or favorite spot when you first started? I started racing around the North West—Wigan, Ribby Hall, Kendal, Chorley (the old Chorley track in the quarry), and Preston. I liked Preston quite a…

Can you remember when you first heard about BMX and what year it was? I first heard about BMX in 1980 from my riding partner, Paul Barter’s dad. I’m not 100% certain, but I think he saw something in a local paper. Were you already riding a Grifter at the time? I already had a Raleigh Grifter, and once I heard about BMX, I started converting it. National racing didn’t officially start until 1981, but you were actually racing in 1980. Can you remember your first event and some of the riders you raced with? My first event was in 1980 at Buckmore Park—the rest, as they say, is history—I…

One of the most iconic names in BMX History, Harry Leary, has passed away. Social Media is already exploding with tributes, memories, and some of the most legendary photos of Harry from the magazines are being shared including this one when Harry graced the cover of BMX Weekly during his time in the UK racing the Anglo American Cup at Redditch. We have done a couple of interviews with Harry over the years on both our YouTube Channel and Apple Podcasts. Interviews we will treasure now. RIP Harry Leary.

As magazines waned in popularity during the late 80s and into the 90s, one of the few alternative sources for obtaining information or documentation of races in the UK, alongside race programs, zines, and occasional magazines featuring racing, were actually videos filmed at the races by BMX dads. These dads would often stand out in the middle of the track all weekend, sometimes enduring atrocious weather, to capture the racing action. One such dedicated dad was Mr. Jeff Dovey Sr., father of Sam and Jeff. Jeff spent well over a decade in the thick of the action from the mid-80s onwards, recording Regionals, Nationals, European events in the UK, and…

Another shot from British BMX racing history, captured by Chuck Robinson and part of the USA BMX Archives, features Gary Ellis at the 1981 Halfords Anglo-American Cup held in Redditch. Gary made several visits to the UK during his career, with the most well-documented ones being the 1985 Kelloggs and 1986 Slough World Championships. However, this particular photo from Redditch showcases a rare shot of him on Robinson, riding on British soil during the early stages of BMX racing in the UK. In terms of results, Gary grabbed first place in the 15s category, ahead of David Argyle (USA) and Harry Porter (UK), and claimed second place in the Open…