bump

Who watching from the bank? This is at Kettering.




Mike

well thats j-dog and jenny hembury behind the bike,and that looks like me standing on the bank but im not shure

Wow! another great photo & great memory from Mr. Mike R. That's my Black Chrome GT (#04) on the bank! Standing:I'm pretty sure it Shane Hughes on the left (bike #33H on the ground), myself on the right & Steve Paul is behind us behind us. Damn...I wish had half the fitness now that I had back then. The jumper looks like Doug Zimmer or maybe Billy Danishek? I remember Storming Gene Norman attempted a back flip on this jump and almost clipped his head on that metal retaining wall on the bank! That dude was nuts!
Thanks again Mike!

Hell, I thought this thread died...............working on page 13




I think my Dad may still be waiting on his refund

I remember that day of jumping into that lake. It was after a state race. It must have been like 100 degrees out. I was so frickin hot!! Jumping in that water felt really good. We were sharing 3 or 4 bikes between all of us I believe. Lots of FUN!!!

Me and billy norman was talking about the lake jump early this past year at dayton indoor .I asked him if his dad still had the magazine with the parting shot of his dad trying the loop [i think it was bmx plus?]I think he said he does id like to see it again.

Frozen in time huh ?funny looking back now that lil did we know mike r was going to take us all back 25 years later ...
Im definatly going to have to be investigater and get in touch with doug z for the old school get together this year .Thanks for the good times /memories .

Jrad,
I knew that was you, I was just glad I finally posted a photo with you in it. I do think that is Doug Zimmer.

Speaking of Gene Norman and lake jumping ...



I'm pretty sure this is him in a safer landing. I could very easily be wrong though.

Mike

Here are a few more old photos My brother wanted me post. Enjoy.


various


1


[quote name='jeffschrader' date='Jan 6 2009, 06:15 PM' post='690661']
Here are a few more old photos My brother wanted me post. Enjoy.


various



Hmmm.

It won't seem to post them?

Hey Mike,

if this doesn't work you're on your own. File size of the other two is too big.

Jeff,
I love that Hilliard staging photo. Is the last track an early Ft. Hamilton photo?

Mike

I knew it was only a matter of time until Mr. Hines put a picture of himself on this thread.

SNAP

That pic is hamilton ....

cool pic, who's the dude in the ATARI kit?

even stylish by today standards!

Jeff (or Mike),
That looks like me standing in the middle of the track.

Mike

He's the only one I don't remember............Hines, Ling, Vonderhae, and Bender (I think)



I think there are some others around page 4 or 5

An Ohio BMXer was killed while racing at Loretta Lynn's last summer. I hope some of you remember Ray Lang, he was from Marietta. RIP Ray.


http://the-tackledbox.blogspot.com/2008/07/rip-ray-lang.html


http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content....4.html?nav=5025

I believe that is my brother-- Mike Flora. I will find out for sure tonight. Shawn Redmon also rode for Atari.

Angie

Very sad news. Best wishes to his family.

Mike

Here's another Matt Ling photo:



Mike

Wow, cool to see a photo of Matt. I believe number 21 is Chris Hendershot. in the other photo with the Atari guy. The guy next to him might be Scott Toth. They are both from the same area as Matt Ling. There were a lot of good rider from right there just south of Akron.

Jeff

Hey Mike sr.

If you were a regular at burbank Indoor it could be?

I loved those doubles too

Some more old photos bicycles Today.

Thats bill zdicham right jeff with joe spurer right behind?he schredded .
That one with billy the kid also has chris applegate just behind him .btk had a bell helmet like mine i remember ....
I forgot all about that bt photo thats rad!
bitd we got combined with 1 age up or down i never was same age as bill but in cruiser we were combined 14-15 cruiser.

WHO SAYS THEY DIDNT HAVE BIG DUBS BITD?

That Akron track was fun. It strange to look at the picture from the top of the starting hill and its nothing but a long drag strip with doubles at the end. I ate dirt on those doubles many times until I finally learned to jump them. I thinks they were they first set of doubles I successfully cleared BITD. After coming out of the first turn I remember a big step up that was alot of fun as well.

In July of '86 I would have been all of 10 years old. LOL. Seems like yesterday

I talked to my brother Mike and he said that his number was 66F , so now you know who is the "unknown rider". He also rode number 04 as pro.

They need to post thier pics angie .I raced with marc til 84 i think when he quit .Get them in here too

Our dad didn't really take any pics of us racing.I have a few of me.I will check and see if Marc's parents have any. I told Mike that his pic was on here, so he might jump in.

I'm to lazy to look that far back in a thread. I do like seeing those JMC bikes.

I think that may be Les Lynch behind Matt in this pic. Les was a fast dude from the Mansfield area.

Doug Jicha rode in CW gear for a bit too. I think I have some other pictures of Les...........

Steve, forgot you had a Bell Mag 4 helmet also. Man that thing made my head look HUGE!!! Anyone here race at the original Akron track that was in Stow?? Great track. I remember the annual "Chili Classic" every year. A lot of fun, and great chili too.

Yea, Steve, raced in the winter in the cruiser class down in Columbus every year with ya. It was great come October. All the guys had their birthday (Au, Heir,Cline, and a few others) by then and got a little break from having to race against them in the 20" class. Then come April with my birthday it always became one great summer racing (in my mind) against the best the country had to offer in BMX racing!! I do honestly believe that per rider and class, Ohio had the most competetive group of guys across the board. You look at any main class gate sheet and you were almost guaranteed to have at least one person from Ohio in it! And a lot of times they had on a Whitmans jersey!! Hell Yea!!!!

I have family in Kent and when that Stow track was built I was in heaven. They had a national there too in like 82 I think. It's a High School now right? It was a great track. I used to go visit Eddies Bike shop when it was a little store on the corner now its like a bike grocery stroe with hardly any BMX bikes but lots of high end road bike stuff.

I pretty sure it's Flora, Hines, Ling, Vonderhae, and Billy Hughes (i remember Billy having #2 and that plate).

You're too old to remember that

Mike K. on a 20" ...



Mike

I raced at stow for a few years before it moved to Akron. I remember when i finally was able to jump the big doubles out of the second turn. i wonder if they would still seem big today?

I also used to get BMX stuff at Eddy's in the back of the deli I remember them as the place to all the see nice frames actually in the shop. I had a Diamond back then a JMC from there.

jeff

Here is a photo of James Pahud (#1 DK):



Mike

Mike you have notes, or just a mind like a steel trap? Really enjoy the pics, thanks.

That is me back there 85C. Must have gotten the worst start of my life. LOL!

where's the pics of the older guy's
Jim Porter, Donnie Dillon, Jim Cowley, Wayne Chernaga?

Wow, those are some great names from the past. I'd even go so far as to say idols of Ohio BMX. Most of my photos have been lost through the years other than what I have already posted there are very few photos especially of the early pioneers of the sport. Most everything that I have left is of my kids so I have a lot of photos of them with people they raced with like Billy Au, Doni Heir, Chris Cline, Nikki etc.

But I bet other people have photos earlier than mine.

Mike

Chris,
That is the problem with a still photo it doesn't always tell the entire story. I am also always reminded when I look at these photos of how competitive Ohio BMX was. I know if I took a two week break from competing I lost the edge and it would cost me positions when I got back on the track. One slip of a pedal on any race day and it was difficult to win at even a local race.
Mike

Man I wish my memory was good. There were a lot of great times and people. We were fortunate to be a part of the racing community and have the memories we do.

Mike

Another example that these photos are just a moment in time, here are two photos. Either one by itself would give a different impression.







BITD you always wanted to win but at the end of the day it always seemed more about friendship. I don't think you guys (or gals) would have spent so much time running in the dirt without the friends you made.

Mike

"BITD you always wanted to win but at the end of the day it always seemed more about friendship. I don't think you guys (or gals) would have spent so much time running in the dirt without the friends you made."

Mike
[/quote]

I could not agree more! 99% of the guys I raced BITD I really considered friends. I ALWAYS wanted to win and was very competitive, but was always happy for the other guys when they did well. (I would be upset with MYSELF if I did not do my best...)

There were only a very few racers who really "got to me" and I just wanted to beat no matter what...

It is great how many BMX friends I have caught up with over the last few years.

Mike - I am sure I can speak for many on this thread that the pictures you are posting are GREAT. I love seeing the racers AND the tracks. Keep them coming!!! -L8R

I've been following this thread with a smile on my face. I was going through a box of old BMX mags and ran across issue 1 of BMX OHIO. Good times.

I had a little spare time this morning, so I scanned the first 10 pages or so along with the front/back covers. If I come up with the time, I'll scan the rest of the pages if anyone's interested.