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NJ BMX 1978-81
1978 First race the NBA East Coast Summertour, Vineland, NJ
That summer I bought a MCS Z1 bike made for Sal Zeuner. He sold it to me out of his shop as he just left MCS for Thruster.1979 raced alot thanks to Mom, mostly NBL some ABA.
Dont know what happened to the MCS, now I was racing a Blue Torker.1980 raced tons on my Pedalers East built SE Quadangle Looptail with Flights. Till I got hurt at the first of three nationals I had planned to race that year &*^%$. Only one local 16& Over X I couldnt beat, Guy Metz. Who went on to get NBL National Number 1. Man if I just woulda hit nationals with him who know where I woulda finished. If only I hadnt tried to pedal thru those triples in practice that first national and waited like everyone else (‘cept Farside he skied them, he was sick even then), the NBL woulda have removed the middle triple at the Flemington Fairgrounds before my first moto. It had put me in the hospital and then put Kathy Hanna in the hospital and the NBL decided ooops. The regrets way heavy on my mind when I relive those years.
1981 now racing all ABA all the time. Started the year off racing a R&R for some reason I bought it from Action Wheels who ran the Woodbury, NJ track. Started racing for Action Wheels. Made just one National and fell in first place all three motos! First moto got taken out, the other two two times my lame bike (Patterson nickle) and tires (Cycle Pros) washed out in corners. Lesson No. 108. Never show up to a national on a bike you have never raced before on tires you bought cause they were blue. (BTW I have pics from that race). After the race up in NY I traded that patterson for my second Quadangle a black one, with black graphite Tuff Wheels.
In 1981 I also started traveling teaching BMX clinics in NY and MA, had help from NJ Pro Bryan Gaburo (Pedalers East/Kuwahara national Team) and NY’s first Pro racer Paul Washington.
1981 I rode my BMX bike across America. Bryan had told me he was thinking about doing it and I was worried if both him and me wanted to do it, who else wanted to? So I wanted to do it before anyone and move to California anyways. Left for California that fall from North Carolina (took a bus down) on my Quadangle. (Pics of me on it in the ABA Action newspaper taken at the San Antonio, TX National. I went across America going from ABA track to ABA track!Basically couldnt afford to race once I got to California and had no car since I rode a bike there. (Didnt think everything thru lol).
1986 I did make 2 USBA Nationals out west in 1985 or 86 and finished National #77 in Cruiser. O yeah I was in the US Navy then, made those races on leave. One was in Utah and one in New Mexico.
1987 Got out of the Navy (active duty anyhow) and started the numberplate company “Jammer Designs” with Paul Washington. We got pretty big and met Clay Goldsmid when he came out for a Bike race. He heard about me from my old sponsor Action Wheels whom he was now racing for for.
1989-90 Returned to New Jersey to work for my dads construction company in Trenton. Made one national in 89? York, PA finishing 2nd in my cruiser class. I started working on a new numberplate company and had protoypes made for “Rocket Racing” and “Atomic Racing” Helped build up the Action Wheels team and designed us a new jersey. Tons of great riders on that team, tons. Including Clay Goldsmid, TJ Taylor, Dave Kapigian, Dave Thompsen, Mike Yeomans and others.
Would go to one national that year in Maryland. Sorta on the way down my Boss cruiser got stolen so I never made it. The team though won the Team Trophy if i remember right. It was around then that Clay and me decided to start up Hyper. He didnt like the names I had come up with originally, but liked the plate and the success i had with Jammer. I then came up with Hyper, think Caveman was at that meeting at a Burger King if i remember right.1990-91 I would return to California and told Clay about a frame builder I had found. We decided to make bikes and not plates. 1992 I toured the USA with NJ’s Rob Dolecki promoting Hyper out west , while Billy Harrison and another NJ rider, Ron Lesnak toured the East. I stayed with Hyper untill the end of 93. In the Spring of 94 the divide between me and Clay was too great and the partnership just dissolved.
1997-98 Started “American Bicycles” and toured the USA in 97, musta hit 15 states doing clinics. The bike was tested in “Snap” magazine and in 97 we had Aero Uniforms (custom) Silver, Black and Red and in 98 Answer uniforms Red, Yellow and Black.
I had an investor that pulled out before Investing a penny, so it all came from me and one freind but we just didnt have enough cash flow. In ’98 it lasted most of the year but couldnt finish it off. I sponsored Pros, Adam Provo (CA), Troy Kendrick (MN), Mike Gul (IL) and Brandon Taylor (TX).2000? Started “Speed Factory aka Speed Tech USA” and again the investor changed their mind with out putting up a penny lol. So I just continued to pour my money into it for about a year. Had west coast and Texas teams and plate got lots of press including ABA cover shot.
Two top teams that ran it were “Team Wildchild” and “Outlaw Cycles” both had huge national teams with mostly NAG riders. I had a few Pros running it the best was Rusty Dial who would get a Factory Redline ride that year and got a few pics of him using it in the ABA paper. But with no Investor I knew it wouldnt last long.2006-7Planning to maybe start the first BMX Sanction in over20 years. http://www.bmxl.org
2006-7Planning to maybe start the first BMX Sanction in over20 years. http://www.bmxl.org
and a bomb was just dropped in NJ. 😀
Rock on…….Certainly got my attention!! 😯
was that hyper rider ron lesnak?
I remember Adam Provo, when he worked for the ABA. He used to live off sardines, ketchup, and mustard packets, all while sleeping in a tent to get to races. He was funny
Yeah we met in Ohio, on the infield, I think you know Kevin from Cedar too!!! At the time I was working Nats and built a few tracks, the ABA guys were always good to deal with and made the races fun whether you worked them or was just there riding
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