In the beginning, back in the old days…
Mike was about nine years old, making it around late 1982, when he came home from school one day and asked if he could go BMX racing with the headmaster’s son, a great rider named James Morris. I remember Mike went with James and his dad (John) on a Saturday to the Farnham BMX track (the four lane track) by the sports centre for some practice on his old Duster 100 BMX bike.
I haven’t forgotten Mike’s expression when he came back from the Farnham track, he was full of it and had a smile on his face from ear to ear. I knew he had a lot of fun, I could tell he was hooked. This made me curious and prompted me to have a look later too.
Mike pestered me to go to the next race that was held at Farnham, and I paid for him to become a member of the club so that he could start racing at club level. Well, I now knew why he was hooked. Once I saw what BMX racing was all about, my first impression was “wow, this is a dynamic new sport”, and I wanted to be part of it from there onwards.
Mike started racing at Farnham more frequently. It was a great little track back in the day, and gradually he got more and more confident. This in turn lit the fuse for him to race at other tracks, at open race meetings, then regional meetings (South Central, Region 9), then ultimately nationals and international events in the years to come.
I can remember Mike winning his first trophy back then, and he went on to win many more at all levels in his time racing BMX.
Getting involved
We found out after a little while that there were two sanctioning racing bodies, UKBMX and NBMXA. We tended in the earlier years to race more NB, as the geographical area we lived in (South Central) had most of the tracks and clubs affiliated to it.
After racing many open meetings, we ventured onto regional racing level. I think around 1984 Mike raced a regional race held at the Southampton track by the docks. This regional was the starting point for me in BMX, when I really started to get involved.
Mike was in a moto, or quarters, semi I think, and he was taken out round a berm by a rider who went on to be one of his main rivals, Aaron Valente, “the Black Shadow”. I remember shouting, as you do as a dad and spectator, at the track marshal, “are you blind, did you not see what happened?”
I got a somewhat polite reply from the marshal, “if you can do any bloody better, do it yourself”. He tossed the red flag at me and walked off the track.
From that point on, I gradually got more involved in helping at race meetings, both open and regional. By 1985 I was involved at South Central, and for the rest of the ’84 season we raced as many meetings as we could.
I had this overwhelming urge to try and make things better for the riders and their parents.
Building clubs and supporting the sport
Around this time, Mike and I helped form a new BMX club called Terry’s Tigers at Bartley Heath, just outside Odiham in Hampshire.
I had my own business and offered help to other clubs where needed. With access to JCB diggers and rollers, I often helped build and improve tracks. I also sponsored open races and donated money to help clubs stay afloat.
Even then, I could see clubs and associations starting to struggle financially. The sport had come out of its boom period, and although rider numbers were still strong, it was clear things were going to get tougher.
This led into what I call the “politics era” — something I never enjoyed, but I stayed involved because I wanted to help the riders and the sport move forward.
The era of politics
By 1986, I was elected as a South Central regional rep for NBMXA, and soon after became a national track marshal, referee, and later race director.
At the same time, Mike continued racing while I focused more on organising events.
It became clear to me that having two governing bodies, UKBMX and NBMXA, wasn’t sustainable. Even internationally, with IBMXF and FIAC, the same issue existed. Too many champions, and it diluted what being number one really meant.
My goal became clear — one association in the UK.
1988 – The turning point
NBMXA became BBMXA, and I was elected chairman.
But 1988 was tough. Rider numbers dropped from over 1000 to around 500–600. Sponsorship disappeared, and prize money had to be cut.
I approached the British Cycling Federation for support and was told BMX wasn’t considered a cycling sport. The Sports Council, however, did support us and made one thing clear:
Funding would only go to one unified governing body moving forward.
That changed everything.
EBA – One Goal, One Vision
After years of discussions, UKBMX and BBMXA finally came together to form the EBA in 1989.
I became joint chairman alongside Paul Spur.
The first national at Alvaston had around 1200 riders. The racing was the best I had ever seen. Riders were finally competing against the best in the country.
But things didn’t last. At Copull, internal disagreements led to a breakaway group pulling out in an unapproved decision.
Clubs hadn’t even been consulted.
That was enough for me. I resigned from BBMXA.
Moving forward
EBA continued and was recognised by both the Sports Council and the BCF as the official governing body.
The sport began moving in the right direction again. Rider numbers were strong, racing was competitive, and the structure was finally right.
International progress – towards UCI
I later became the UK representative for FIAC and attended meetings across Europe.
Eventually, IBMXF and FIAC unified under what became the UCI, the single global governing body.
Even back in the early 90s, we were discussing getting BMX into the Olympics. Seeing that happen years later was something I was incredibly proud of.
Brighton and the final years
Brighton became a major project, building a technical track ahead of its time.
It wasn’t without criticism early on, but it evolved into a world-class track used for international racing.
Unfortunately, internal politics began creeping back in.
After the 1995 World Cup, there was backlash over minor costs for work my company had done, after years of giving my time and resources.
That was the moment I decided to step away.
Looking back
I have so many great memories from BMX, especially those shared with Mike.
Watching BMX become an Olympic sport in 2008 and 2012 was a proud moment. It was something we had talked about years earlier.
There are far too many people to thank, but a few stand out:
The riders
Dale Holmes
Jamie Staff
Dylan Clayton
Geth Shooter
Andy Ruffell
Tim March
The key people
Carole Gosling
Norman Derbyshire
Rod Wesson
Paddy Duly
Chris Platt
And many more who helped shape the sport.
Final thoughts
To all the riders and families I met along the way, thank you.
I’m now semi-retired, enjoying life with my wife Viv, spending time with family, and watching my grandson Cameron, who also has a love for BMX.
Mike and I still talk about the old days.
Thank you for allowing me to share my memories. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.
Best wishes
Bill Baggs
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