Steve Gratton’s path into action sports began in the mid-’70s after watching Rollerball—and the short film Skater Dater that ran before it. He picked up his first skateboard and soon became a British Champion.
By 1980, BMX had fully taken hold. Like his good friend Andy Lomas, Steve first saw BMX in a skateboard magazine—photos of Tinker Juarez on a Mongoose. “That looked cool,” he says, “but after one session at Kidderminster Skatepark, I decided racing was a far safer option than park riding.”
His first bike was a Murray from Halfords, and his first race came at Buckmore Park in 1980, where he was unfortunately disqualified—though he returned a few months later, in January ’81, and beat another future superstar in the making, Tim March, in the process.
He raced nationwide through the early ’80s, earning major sponsors including Geoff Barraclough at Wheelways Grimsby—a joint Mongoose deal that later evolved into GT BMX—alongside riding for Ace, Iron Horse, and Proline/Cobra, whose all-black race kit became his signature.
During this time, Steve was one of the early UK riders to travel to the United States and became one of the most visible riders in the UK BMX media. He graced the covers of BMX News and BMX Weekly, and was featured regularly in Official BMX and BMX Action Bike, including being one of the first riders to appear in the iconic “Me and My Bike” feature in the back pages of Action Bike — Issue No. 7, April 1983.
Steve’s favourite bike was always a GT, and his favourite track was Whithaugh Park in Scotland—known for its atmosphere and tight-knit scene. One of his proudest achievements came in 1983 when he earned the NBMXA National No. 1 plate.
Steve was also a pioneer in coaching, helping the younger generation as the sport rapidly evolved during those first few years.
He battled some of the era’s toughest competitors, including Tim March—“the only guy who could consistently beat me”—and Alan Woods, and he held huge respect for Andy Ruffell, another British superstar.
Steve also helped build the sport from the ground up, designing and constructing the Doncaster Raceway track alongside his friend Adi King, and spending nearly every weekend travelling to Nationals across the country.
By the end of 1983, he stepped away from racing and returned to skateboarding, then into hang gliding—logging over 300 to 400 hours of flight across the UK and abroad. In later years he played an important role in establishing local skateparks, helping ensure the next generation had places to ride. His son went on to become a sponsored scooter rider with a strong following, with Steve proudly supporting both his children’s passions.
Today, he still embraces motion through e-skateboarding, carving around on his Evolve Hadian Bamboo at speeds up to 30 mph, and enjoying life with his wife of 26 years.
Steve still treasures his old Official BMX, BMX News, and BMX Weekly magazines—memories he now shares with his children and, hopefully one day, his grandchildren. Watching British riders excel on the Olympic stage fills him with pride: “I’m so proud of our riders.”
From skateparks to racetracks, from hang gliders to electric boards, Steve Gratton embodies the creativity, courage, and pure joy that defined the earliest days of British BMX.
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