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National BMX Hall of Fame - Class of 2018
Here is the prestigious Class of 2018:
Pioneer: CLARENCE PERRY
• Started racing BMX in 1977 in San Francisco, California
• Moved to Tacoma, WA in 1979
• Was a member of the first Factory Sekai Team
• In 1980, Clarence was recruited to Roger Worsham’s CW Factory Team
• Perhaps the biggest, most powerful rider to ever come out of the Northwest, earning him the Oz-given nickname “Earthquake”
• Was a Top-ranked AA-pro in the 80’s - with an average career ranking of #20 (over six seasons)
• In ABA, was ranked #12 Pro in 1979 and broke into the Top-10 (at #10) in 1983.
• Was among the invited American Pros to compete at the 1984 Bercy BMX spectacular in France
• From 1995 to 2001, Clarence worked at Seattle Bike Supply and raced for the late-90’s Factory Torker team (revived-by-SBS)
• Then rode for Factory Redline from 2002 to 2004
• Earned District #1 three times in WA-02 District
• Multi-time ABA World Cup Cruiser Champion - in 1997 and 2002
• Is a 4-time NAG No.1 Cruiser champion (1997, 1998, 2000, 2002).
• 1997, 1998, and 1999 Redline Cup Champion
• 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 ROC Champion
• Earthquake’s racing career spanned four decades - touching on the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s
• Clarence was also a part of the Big Brothers Program inhishomestateofWashington - helping kids get involved in BMX racing. Clarence currently volunteers athislocalYMCa, teaching (appropriately) Spin classes.
• Has been sponsored by Sekai, CW, TorkerandRedline.
Racer: BRIAN FOSTER
• Known for being one of the sport’s most versatile riders - often competing in both the AA-pro class and King of Dirt contest on the same day.
• At 6’1” and weighing 165, Brian broke the “typical” mold associated with AA-pros, when it came to strength and size
• In 1992, BMX Plus! Magazine named him one of the ten hottest and fastest Rookie Pros
• 1992 ABA Gold Cup Champion
• 1994 ABA Pro US Open Champion
• 1995 ABA “Pro's in Paradise” Champion
• Winner of the BMXer Magazine's Golden Crank Award in 1995 - for Pro of the Year
• 1995 UCI Elite Men’s Silver Medalist
• 1996 and 1997 ABA King of Dirt (KOD) Champion
• 1998 X-Games Dirt Jumping Champion
• 2001 X-Games Downhill BMX Racing Silver Medalist
• Made 107 ABA Pro mains in his career, with 14 Pro Wins from his49lifetimepodiums
• Airwalk made a Foster Brothers signature shoe in 1996, a first for BMX racers
• Schwinn made a Brian Foster Blue Falcon signature frameset in 1997
• FIT BIKE Company made a Brian Foster signature frameset in 2003
• Sponsored by S&M, TNT, CycleCraft, Hyper, Airwalk, Schwinn, and Fit Bike Company
• BMX Racer, Freestyler turned promoter, designer, inventor and business executive
• Began racing BMX in 1977
• One of the first SoCal locals to begin racing Cruisers - 26” beach cruisers
• Started his first BMX business at 14 years old, selling stickers at local races, and named it BME (Bob Morales Enterprises)
• As a founding member of the 1980 Haro freestyle team, Morales toured all over the U.S. alongside Bob Haro, spreading the word on freestyle BMX.
• Promoted Freestyle BMX competitions and formed the Amateur Skate Park Association (ASPA) in 1982
• The ASPA eventually turned in to the AFA (American Freestyle Association), the first freestyle sanctioning body that paved the way for the Too Hip Series, the BS Series, and modern-day competitions
• Teaming up with Eddie Fiola, the MF (Morales-Fiola) team was formed. MF also sponsored a young, talented up and coming kid named Mike Dominguez.
• Bob organized the King of the Skateparks competitions (named after the title of a BMX Action article on Tinker Juarez) held at legendary SoCal skateparks such as Pipeline (Upland, CA) and Del Mar (Rancho Del Mar, CA)
• Morales and Fiola performed at the 1982 AMA Supercross at Anaheim Stadium in front of 40,000 spectators
• Appeared in the first action-sports themed television commercial for Mountain Dew soda with fellow pro freestyle BMX riders Eddie Fiola, R.L. Osborn, Ron Wilkerson and Pat Romano
• Renamed BME to form Dyno and began making number plates, race pants and freestyle accessories
• Sold Dyno to GT Bicycles and was hired on as the chief designer for both GT and the new GT-funded Dyno bike brand
• Founded Mor Distributing and designed the Auburn 2-piece bike frame - with bolt-on rear triangles.
• In 1994, introduced the Morales flatland frame - welded by John Severin, which would forever change flatland frame geometry.
• Would go on to found KORE Bicycle Components, MORALES Bicycle Company and currently runs motorcycle-lever company ASV Inventions, Inc.
Woman: DEBBI KALSOW
• Originally from Michigan, before her family moved to Arizona (in order for her dad to work for ABA)
• Competed between 1979 and 1985
• One of many female riders to advocate and lobby for the ABA girls to have their own separate points ranking and National No.1 title
• Winner of multiple ABA, NBL, USBA national series events - such as:
• 1979 NBL 11 Girls National No.1
• 1980 ABA Intermediate Powder Puff Grandnational Champion
• 1981 NBA 11-13 Powder Puff Champion
• 1981 ABA 13 Girls US Gold Cup Champion
• 1981, 1982 ABA AZ-01 district Girls No.1
• 1981 NBA 13-14 Powder Puff Grandnational Champion
• 1982 ABA National No.1 Girl. This was the first year that the ABA added a National No.1 title for the Girl’s class, so Debbi was the first girl to ever be crowned with this newly-formed No.1 title.
• 1983 ABA 15 & Over Girls U.S. Gold Cup Champion
• 1983 JAG BMX World Championship Las Vegas No.2 13-14 Girls
• 1983 U.S. Gold Cup Championship Las Vegas No.1 15 & Over Girls
• 1984 USBA National No.1 Girl
• 1984 USBA 15 & Over Girls 7-Up World Champion
• 1984 NBL National No.1 Girl Pro
• Currently runs the Tuff GIrls BMX team program, sponsoring and supporting many girl riders around the country.
Early Freestyle: Rick Moliterno
• Began his BMX career as a racer - competing in the A-pro class,
before turning to freestyle.
• Pioneered modern skatepark and mini ramp riding, inventing tricks that are still staples of the sport - including some that have never been duplicated.
• After injuring himself on the Helltrack movie set, Rick is the only BMXer with a speaking part in the movie RAD. “Cru, will you sign my cast?”
• 1985 NFA Grands Overall and Ramp Champion
• 1986 AFA 16 & over Flatland Champion
• 1987 AFA 19 & over Flatland & Overall Champion (undefeated in flatland).
• 1988 AFA #2 Pro Overall Champion
• First and only rider to win a Pro BMX Race, Pro Flatland, and Pro Ramp contest.
• Toured with Hutch and Haro Freestyle Teams from 1985-1989.
• Opened the first rider owned and operated “modern” skatepark - Rampage, in 1989.
• Owner/operator of Standard Byke Company (founded in 1991 and still going strong to this day).
• Introduced threadless fork/stem combo to BMX with the S.T.A. (jumping bike) and Bicycle Motocross (race bike) frame, fork, stem combo in 1993/94.
• Appeared in countless riding videos dating back to 1988’s Team Haro Video to the 2007 Standard DVD “Stronger Than All.”
• Voted Top-25 Most Influential Riders of the 1990’s in RideBMX Magazine.
• Owner of skate and BMX shop Goodtime Superstore since 1995.
• Co-founded the Midwest BMX Donation Program, which gives underprivileged children high-end BMX bikes from racing to freestyle, and donates a lot of his bike company parts and time to the program.
• Featured in numerous magazines, such as BMX Plus! Magazine, Freestylin’ Magazine, American Freestyler, Go, Ride BMX US, and Ride UK.
• Currently sponsors two national-caliber factory race teams.
Modern Freestyle: TIM "FUZZY" HALL
• Competed in his first BMX race in 1978.
• Got a job at Bingham’s Bike Shop in 1985 and rode for the Bingham’s BMX.
• Was one of the first jumpers to bring freestyle variations to the dirt scene - and could be credited for bringing the Nac-nac to dirt.
• Fuzzy first burst onto the dirt jump scene with his BMX Action Magazine cover in March ‘87.
• Would go on to race Pro - making it up to Double-A rank.
• As a BMX Action Magazine test rider, Fuzzy test-rode many of the top BMX bikes throughout the 80’s.
• With his Robinson sponsorship, he was THE first full factory “dirt jumper” helping to carve the way for the modern day dirt jumpers.
• He gave the term “backyard track” a whole new meaning, setting the standard for all top dirt jumpers today.
• ABA King of Dirt series winner.
• One of the first stars of the X-Games.
• He was the first to throw down a 720 at X-Games XII.
• Has been a jump/course builder for the X-Games, Gravity Games, and Vans Triple Crown events.
• Was co-owner of a bike /skate shop in Sandy, Utah, appropriately named “50/50”.
• Fuzzy is credited with being one of the first BMX riders to have his own website.
• His signature line with Mongoose, The Fuzz, was one of Mongoose's longest running lines of signture bikes (sold in Walmart).
• Was F/S Team Manager for Redline Bicycles in the late 00’s, assembling their most solid crew of riders, and worked for Red Bull and Ogio on their BMX sponsorship programs.
• Fuzzyisthefrst-ever Utah rider to make it into the BMX Hall of Fame.
We look forward to the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Sept 8th, in Chula Vista,CA.. This year's annual Induction Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Dk-sponsored Gold Cup Finals Southwest - which is also a Pro Series event.