News
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RIP Harry Leary
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.
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Geth Shooter makes British BMX History
Plenty of Kellogg’s photos and videos have been reposted repeatedly since the rise of social media and YouTube, so we’re always looking for something new that might not have been seen or posted before. (Not an easy task!) I think this could be one such photo (there are a few from different angles), but I’m wondering if Geth might not have even seen this one. This is from Round 1 of the 1985 Kellogg’s event, when British BMX history was made, and it was shot by Bob Hadley.
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RIP Jeff Dovey Sr.
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…
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Sarah-Jane Nichols places 2nd at the 2024 UCI BMX World Championships
Huge congratulations to our British BMX Hall of Fame class of 2022 inductee Sarah-Jane Nichols, who continues to make British BMX history taking 2nd place at the UCI World Championships in Rock Hill over in the US this past weekend. Let’s look a little deeper at her World Championships history. Sarah placed 4th at the Jag World Championships in Burbank, California in 1983. Three years later, we all know what happened at the IBMXF 1986 Slough World Championships with Sarah’s legendary race coming from last to first in the final to become World Champion in front of an amazing home crowd. And now 38 years after getting back into racing less than…
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Gary Ellis at the 1981 Halfords Anglo-American Cup in Redditch
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…
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Interview – Brian Jones
What year did you start BMX? I started BMX in 1981. How did you discover BMX? My brother Neil Jones first discovered the new craze, and my father decided to sell his RM 125 to buy our first BMX bike from Tony Christen’s shop in Manchester. First bike? My first bike was a Mongoose Supergoose. First race? Our first race was at the Southport regional. Neil and I raced there on Good Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We both won all our races and got the bug to keep racing. You became National Champion the first year of Official National Racing in the UK in 1981. What do you remember about…
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British BMX Hall of Fame 2024 UPDATE
2024 marks the third year of the British BMX Hall of Fame. Whilst we will continue to nominate and induct people into the Hall of Fame annually, and continue to document the history of British BMX racing and freestyle via this website and our social media channels, we have decided to take a year off hosting an annual award ceremony in 2024. We know this may come as a disappointment to many and is a decision we have not arrived at lightly. However, we are all too aware that the UK economy (and especially the bicycle industry) is at an all time low right now and many of our target…
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Congratulations, Tom Lynch! Inducted into The British BMX Hall Of Fame Class of 2023
The word ‘legend’ is used too freely and without truly considering its actual meaning and magnitude. But, Tom Lynch is a true legend – not only of our sport where his impact was huge, but also in life through his many significant contributions and ongoing efforts towards better cycling for everyone. Tom went up against, and beat, the best of the best in true David and Goliath fashion. Who can forget the sight of ‘wee Thomas’ on the gate against the entire Dutch Amev team, many twice his size but Tom took them to the cleaners winning the 1986 European Superclass championships along with six national number ones and a…
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Congratulations, Andy Ruffell! Inducted into The British BMX Hall Of Fame Class of 2023
Andy Ruffell needs little introduction. At age 11, Andy saw the BMX episode of CHiPs and dreamed of one day being able to upgrade his Raleigh Grifter for the real thing. Before BMX teams were a thing in the UK, Andy built a reputation as one of the best park riders in the UK, credited as one of the first UK BMXer’s to perfect aerial 360s and giant airs. In 1980, Andy joined the UK’s first BMX race team, Team Ace, before being quickly snapped up by Ammaco Mongoose to become Mongoose’s first factory sponsored European rider and the National Titles started to add up. As BMX blew up in…
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Congratulations, Jerry Galley! Inducted into The British BMX Hall Of Fame Class of 2023
Jerry Galley will forever be the “rider’s rider” in freestyle circles. No other British rider produced the edge of seat excitement that was evident whenever Jerry took a run. Effortlessly talented on vert, bowls, dirt, mini and street, Jerry could do it all. He’d make the hardest tricks look easy and blast the biggest airs imaginable. From his early days riding Romford to his World Championships vert runs everything he did was pushed to its very limit. Long before going viral was even a thing, photos and footage of Jerry were some of the most eagerly anticipated in the whole of bmx. Jerry encapsulated a shift in attitudes, and credibility as…
