2014 National BMX Hall of Fame inductees announced

Once again, the Sport of BMX will gather under the Olympic Flame at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California – on Saturday, September 27, for the National BMX Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and dinner.

After taking public nominations since last October, five different Hall of Fame committees narrowed the list down to the Final 5, which was voted on by more than 400 specially selected individuals. The final result of this process are the following five Inductees, and a special recognition induction, who make up the Class of 2014:

PIONEER: TRACER FINN
It’s safe to say that Tracer Finn is responsible for putting Las Vegas on the BMX map. With his top-notch jumping skills and Factory CW sponsorship, Finn put Sin City in the spotlight with his numerous Hot Shot features in BMX Action magazine – including the iconic photo of him skying over his family’s Vaudeville piano act, complete with Vegas showgirls and card dealers.

Finn followed up his successful racing career by promoting and running mountain bike races, doing Police Athletic League events, organizing BMX skate park programs, mentoring BMX riders, and even owned his own bike shop that supported a race team. For four years, Tracer was Team Manager for the Specialized BMX program – which included team riders T.J. Lavin and Christophe Leveque.

It could also be said that Tracer Finn has given more to the sport than most; namely – half of his pinky finger, which he lost in a tight battle with a chainring during a crash at an ABA Gold Cup Championship.

RACER: CHARLES TOWNSEND
You can call him Chuck, Charlie or Charles. You can call him Amtrac or Choo Choo. Or, in his early days, you can do like Boss and Free Agent did and call him Black Magic. But the one thing you could never call Charles Townsend is SLOW.

With an incredible 15 year Pro career, Northern California’s Amtrac steam-rolled the AA pro ranks and racked up 32 wins, 297 mains and 138 podiums between 1987 and 2001 – giving him a career average ranking of #8. During Chuck’s illustrious racing career he was the first of three riders to ever earn the ABA No.1 Pro plate in his Rookie year. He also won the IBMXF World Championships in 1989, and was voted BMX Plus!’ Racer of the Year.

Riding and representing major brands throughout his career – such as Hutch, CW, Revcore, Diamondback, and Powerlite, Townsend even had his own signature frame – the Amtrac, put out in the mid-90’s while racing for Robinson. Charlie’s fun personality and sense of humor always made him a fan favorite.

WOMAN:
DEANNA EDWARDS-JAMIESON
Michigan’s Deanna Edwards raced her way to the top of the sport from 1980 to 1988, and then – like so many, made a triumphant return to BMX racing as an adult in the 00’s.

During the 80’s, her wins at the Jag World Championships and Murray World Cups, followed up by 6-straight NBL No.1 rankings and Grands wins, caught the attention of GT team manager “Doc” Scofield and she became one of two flyin’ fast factory females on the GT squad.

In her new millennium return to the sport, Deanna captured wins and titles at the UCI World Championships, USA Cycling National Championship and a NAG No.1 plate in the ABA after winning the Grands’ 36-40 ladies cruiser class. Deanna had come full circle, as she was one of the first girls to ever race (and win on) a cruiser when it was introduced at the 1986 ABA Grands as an exhibition event.

Totaling over 100 national class wins from 1980-1988, during a time when there was no mixed open and no girls cruiser class available, Deanna set the bar – and set it high, for all of the girl BMX racers of the future.

INDUSTRY: JOHN KER
Starting his love for photography on the shores of Southern California, John Ker went from capturing surfers to BMXers on 35mm film when, in 1979, he began freelancing at a fledgling publication called BMX Plus!

Eventually, John would land as Editor of BMX Plus! In fact – he still works for Hi-Torque publications to this day – mostly shooting for Mountain Bike Action, Motocross Action and Electric Bike Action.

When it comes to singling out the most memorable images in BMX, you can count on one hand the people who had their fingers on the shutter button – and Ker is partly responsible for making almost every racing and freestyling Hall of Famer famous through his photography and stories.

Often seen with no less than three cameras dangling around his neck, John Ker has been one of those iconic people in the infield of BMX competitions, capturing our sport’s history on film since 1979 to the present digital days. John is well known by both riders and industry figures as a person of unflagging integrity, fairness, creativity and love for our sport….and his convincing “just one more” encouragement at every photo shoot.

FREESTYLER: MARTIN APARIJO
Longtime GT freestyler Martin Aparijo was a pure showman from the moment he arrived on the fresh freestyle scene of the mid-80’s. As one of the first riders to specialize in flatland, Martin is credited for creating tricks such as “The Cherry Picker,” “The Lawnmower,” and “The Grasshopper” – and took those moves to an AFA Masters Finals Championship in 1987. His status in the flatland freestyle scene is summed up by his nickname – “The Chairman.”

Mentored by his good friend and riding partner Woody Itson, Martin’s first taste of competition came in 1982, at the Redline World Almanac Skills competition, where he set the long-distance jump record.

But he is perhaps best known for his work in the movie “RAD” – where he not only cameo’d as himself, but also did most of the stunt-doubling for the female lead character Christian Holly (played by actress Lori Loughlin).

Aparijo can also be spotted acting and performing stunts in the Kevin Bacon fixie film, “Quicksilver.”

Having starred in thousands of freestyle shows all around the World, there is no doubt that Martin Aparijo left his mark on the sport and helped spread its popularity to the outside masses.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION: TODD KINGSBURY
Like many kids his age, Michigan’s Todd Kingsbury lived and breathed bicycle motocross (BMX) 24 hours a day. In the early part of 1980, he was the leader in the American Bicycle Association’s BMX district points competition.

By 1981, the avid 12 year old BMX racer was diagnosed with having Leukemia. Like many racers, he had dreams of someday becoming a top pro in the sport, but unfortunately, this dreaded disease would keep Todd from reaching that goal.

When Todd`s friends and the American Bicycle Association learned of his diagnosis, it was decided that an organized effort should be made to help in Todd`s “Race for Life” – and the first RFL events were formed. Although weakened by leukemia, Todd continued to ride and worked harder than anyone to support that first Race For Life event at his hometrack – Waterford Oaks BMX. Todd was made the honorary race director for that race and infamously told a reporter, “This (event) might help keep other people from getting it (leukemia).”

Over 130 tracks participated that first year and raised over $223,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®. The Race for Life is a tradition that still stands today – as ABA and USA BMX members have helped raise over $3.6 million since that day, all in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Tragically, Todd passed away on September 13th, 1981 and was laid to rest in his BMX uniform. He is remembered in the hearts of all BMXers each year, as every BMX track in the U.S. and Canada hold a Race For Life in the hope that someday, there will be a cure for Leukemia, and that children like Todd will have the opportunity to live full lives.

HALL OF FAME CEREMONY
This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 27th – outdoors, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

The annual ceremony and dinner is part of the USA BMX Hall of Fame National weekend, and will follow right after the UCi Supercross Finals race on the London Olympic-replica track.

Early bird tickets at $75+fee are available until August 5th. Tickets will then sell at the regular price of $100+fee, until September 20th. VIP Sponsor tables are also available and include 2 gold VIP SX tickets and 8 regular VIP SX tickets for the UCi Supercross. Seating is limited to 400, so get your tickets early before they are gone.

To purchase your BMX Hall of Fame tickets, go to: https://2014bmxhof.eventbrite.com