Sue Nequest (Bunneys Bikes)

Bunneys Bikes & Bunneys BMX Track (later Nottingham Outlaws), Nottingham

We caught up with Sue and John Nequest at Bunneys Bikes to talk about the early days of BMX in Nottingham, how Bunneys BMX Track came to life, and the formation of NBMXA.

How did you first get involved in BMX?

It actually started through the shop. We took over Bunneys at the end of 1979 into 1980. John had worked there since he was 17, and kids started coming in asking about BMX. None of us really knew much about it at first.

So we thought, let’s go and see what it’s all about. We loaded a few of the kids up and went to a race at Redditch. After that we travelled to places like Bradford and Grimsby. It just grew from there.

When did you decide to build the Nottingham Track?

Around 1982. Someone told us about a bit of wasteland at Bulwell that nobody wanted. It was supposedly contaminated, so we had a professional report done before speaking to the council. Luckily, only the top section was contaminated and we weren’t planning to use that part anyway.

The council leased it to us for £250 a year. John and I paid for it ourselves, formed a club, set up a parent committee, and that was the start of Bunneys BMX Track.

The riders had already been asking for their own track. We had even started a team before it was built.

Who were some of the early riders?

Ian Dixon was our first team rider, a fantastic rider. His dad, Jack Dixon, later became involved on the national committee.

We also had Mark Cracknell, the Mee brothers, the Pickthorne family, the O’Keefes, Nicola Dodwell, Tony and Colin Dunnett, James and Mark Adams, Geth Shooter, Dale Holmes, Paul Clarkson, Paul Smith the list goes on.

It was a real community.

When did BMX really explode?

1984 was the peak.

The first NBMXA national we held at Nottingham that year had nearly 1,000 riders. UKBMX had not scheduled anything that weekend and riders just kept turning up, including all the Factory UKBMX Teams. Nobody had ever run an event that big before.

We raced until it got dark. At one point we turned cars around and used their headlights to light the first two straights. Eventually we had to stop it for safety reasons, which caused a bit of controversy and ended up in all the magazines.

But at the same time it showed how huge BMX had become.

Founding NBMXA

Why did you form NBMXA?

We felt UKBMX did not give clubs enough autonomy. Clubs wanted more control over their own events and regions, which was not possible with UKBMX.

Before forming NBMXA in 1982, our first season in 1983, we visited clubs and asked what they wanted. They wanted an organisation that supported regional clubs properly, so that is what we created.

The model was simple. Membership fees paid for administration. Race fees went directly to the hosting club. Clubs kept refreshment profits to reinvest in their tracks.

In the early days, I embossed and mailed all the membership cards myself. Payments came in as postal orders, cheques and even coins.

Membership was only about £3 or £4 and everything went back into supporting the riders.

Jack Dixon, Roger Hammond and Les Windle were key people involved. Even though we were separate organisations, we stayed on good terms with UKBMX.

Derby Greyhound Stadium

The Derby Greyhound Stadium events were legendary. How did that happen?

Terry Cordon, who owned the stadium, suggested it. It had seating, a restaurant, proper facilities and enough space to build the BMX track inside the dog track.

The atmosphere was always electric. It became part of BMX folklore, with the first NBMXA British Championships in 1983 being held there, alongside numerous Nationals during the 80s.

The Raleigh Burner Era

What was it like being based in Nottingham during the Burner boom?

Being in Nottingham meant Raleigh was right on our doorstep.

I approached them about sponsoring an NBMXA programme that cost £2,000 to produce nationwide. They agreed to take an advert but later refused to pay, saying the Pantone colour was wrong.

Despite that, we nearly sold 500 Burners in one year. That got us invited to Raleigh’s exclusive 500 Club dinner in London.

It was quite a time.

Supporting the Kids

Bunneys was about more than racing, was it not?

Definitely.

A lot of kids came from poor backgrounds. Some could not afford bikes, so we lent them one. If they could afford it, they bought their own. If they were keen or talented, we supported them.

The riders policed the track at Bulwell themselves. We had very little vandalism or litter. It was their place and they looked after it.

That is something I am very proud of.

The 1983 IBMXF World Championships in Holland

You went to the 1983 Worlds in Slagharen?

Yes, the first World Championships outside the US, the IBMXF World Championships 1983.

Organisation was not perfect but the atmosphere was fantastic. Seeing riders from all those countries together was very special and seeing the US riders, a lot of them there first time in Europe.

Still Going Today

When did you step back?

Mid 1980s. I had three children, all raced early on, and was running my own business.

But in 2014 the club asked John and me to return. We re-established the lease, formed a charity, secured funding and rebuilt the track.

I am 76 now and have stepped back again, but the club is still going strong.

My son Matt took over the shop around 2009 or 2010. He later became a mechanic for Great Britain at the World Championships, almost by accident at first, but he proved to be exactly the right person with his background with the shop.

Now my granddaughter has raced internationally too, making World Finals. The family connection continues.

The Legacy of Bunneys

From lending bikes to kids who could not afford them, to building one of the UK’s most iconic tracks, to helping form NBMXA, to hosting legendary nationals, Bunneys became far more than just a bike shop.

One old-school rider told Sue recently, “Bunneys, they’re a legend.”