Steve.. your going to run what you got with clips huh.. you want that SE frame this time over tommy..

Hi Chris its nice to hear you are doing well!

-Lisa Vonderahe

Word on the street is that is getting a make over.. maybe a bit longer too..

Gotta say this has been a great read. Lots of familiar names and places. I found out that I have an ABA track near by and it may be enough to get me out there after around a 20 year lay off from racing! If I ever get back to Ohio I'm going to have to look around my moms house, think I may still have a lot of vintage parts laying around there, and I really want to find my President's cup trophies, I was really proud of those guys! Hopefully my brother doesn't see this site first!

Here's a pic from a state race in OH, I remember my bike pretty well (37G) but can not remember the track for the life of me. I think that was the only time that I raced at that track. Anyway, finding this site has given me the bug to get out and ride again for sure.
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Morgan Graves

Here's a pic from a state race in OH, I remember my bike pretty well (37G) but can not remember the track for the life of me. I think that was the only time that I raced at that track. Anyway, finding this site has given me the bug to get out and ride again for sure.
Click to view attachment

Morgan Graves

I don't know why....but I didn't make it to Vermilion very much. I remember they raced on Saturdays and some would race Mr. Dirt (Monclova, OH) in the morning and run over to Vermillion for the afternoon race. After that we could blast up to Milan MI for the night race. Three in a day...and we still had energy to spare...I know Mike Carr and his dad did this quite a bit.

I didn't "find" the Avon Lake track until 85 or 86. I liked the big downhill first straight and the night racing. Good times!!

Those are the best photo's I have seen in years.......thanks for sharing!

The 26" cruisers are great, put a tag on Steve Bender on one of them!! Just saw him a month ago.

Old School Bmx photos......look and see if you are in them!

I raced Vermilion from the time that it opened until the first time that it closed. There were a lot of really good racers there. That track was about 2 miles from my home. I started racing there at 8 and I believe I quit around 13, maybe 12. I also raced Avon Lake and Akron. A few times I would race in Michigan at a track in Waterford. I believe that one is still open. The original owners of Vermilion had a last name of Wallace. They had a son named Scott. He raced for Powerlite, I believe. The first time that I met him we were riding the trails that about 1/2 west of the track and here comes this kid on the kick a$$ bike wearing a helmet, I had a Sears special. Scott let me ride his bike and I felt like I was flying, I came around a corner and forgot it did not have coaster brakes and ran right into a tree, (I was not wearing a helmet). Needless to say I spent the night in the hospital and thought man I need a bike like that. Worked my butt off and bought my Race Inc the next spring. I raced that bike in every race that I could afford. Someone said they raced on Saturday afternoon. I remember many night races at Vermilion and Wednesday races too.

What a blast from the past. So I'm sittin' here searching for "chrome pitting" (for some project I'm working on), and I find a link to vintage bmx. Then... I find this thread. This thread certainly brought back memories. Going to make a post here, hope it doesn't stretch out too long. Here goes...

My first 3 races was in '78 with a neighbor whom was acquaintances with 'somebody', the "Ohio Express" and we hit this track in PA someplace 3 times. Then the next year was Hubbard in '79 and 3 races. No kidding, that first flat to downhill (and with the freakin' dual 180/180 'S' turn at the bottom), talk about hurry up and stop, then to an uphill, that was a killer. After Hubbard, that next year when 11, my old man and I spent the next four years weekly up at Norwalk. My dad was a sales guy so he/we only had time to race pretty much once a week, that was Norwalk. Later came some other tracks inbetween and one of my favorites, Vermillion, Wallace's track.

All those old names- Bender(s), Jason Thompson, Mark Hardy, Doug Minear, Scott Wallace, Billy Au, Billy Morris, Riggles, Tom/Tim Janes, Forest, Dean Reynolds, Rodney Conley, Denny Phaler (his dad was the show!), Scott Setta, Bill Bader, Brad Thomas, and whomever else was out there. For the one post, Setta had the trophy shop. In fact in the later 80's after I no longer raced, Setta's shop caught fire, saw it in the news. Don't know if it was an accident or arson, don't know if they rebuilt.

Over the years got to race at Norwalk, Avon Lake, Elyria, Hubbard, Vermillion, Madison, Kettering, Wapakenetta, Mansfield, Marietta, Burbank, Stow, Akron, the Ohio State Fair, and some tracks in Michigan (Endless Summer, Waterford Oaks (i think), and some place at a Friday night race where we ran into the Wallace's.) Also did two indoor National's in Mich, (whichever one that indoor one was; Eddy King and Harry Leary signed my Diamond Back crank bag there, that was pretty cool.) Oh yeah, and that downtown Cleveland indoor race at the Convention Center. Ran the state series in '82 13x, raced with Doni Hier, just remember the name, don't remember much else or where he placed. In that series by end, in lead for #3, myself and the rest could not touch 1/2, by the main at Kettering, got a lousy start and tied for the plate by end; got #4.

I spent my time coming up with and racing against Mark Hardy, Doug Minear, Billy Au, Scott Setta, Dean Reynolds, Greg Lynch, and whomever else was there (and names I've yet to remember), specifically at Norwalk. Mark Hardy was #1 for a reason back then, nobody could catch Mark, and everyone else was in a shootout for 2nd when Mark was around. I was friends with Mark at the races, I liked Mark, I remember when he buried his dad with his #1 plate (I heard about later.) Had no idea about Billy after my racing years, and to find out a few years back now that he became a National Champ and stayed in the sport, that's pretty cool. Way to go Billy . Billy and I were at each other's heel's during our years, we had alot of good races between us. All in all I raced 11n-12n-12x-13x-14x. The track in Vermillion was way fun and in the Wallace's BACKYARD! The starting gate Mr. Wallace had was awesome, and looked forward to and raced there a number of times. The after season Norwalk banquets and the acquaintances met racing bmx those years was really great stuff. When 15 I ran three races at Akron, then hung it up. I'd guess I'd say now later and not 13, -THANKS- to all the 'parents' and interested 'folks' that created, provided, and -ran- the 'tracks' that we all (back in the day) got to race at because of these folks. -THANK YOU-.

To find this site/thread really brought back memories. My dad took some pictures over the years, whichever ones are still around my folks have someplace. A couple I kept for myself are just me, figure I'll post 'em up and in 'em there's a couple more shots of tracks. After my time in racing bmx, I then moved on to other interests. But back then, in the day, I loved the competition and the racing week in and week out. Then and now today 'grown up', racing (I guess in almost any context), to me is the only pure form of sport, it's an individual thing, 'team' sports just can't compete.) I'm a big fan of supercross/motocross today and follow each series's races, each year. Cheers to everyone.


Chris Keller
Raced out of Cleveland, OH


(apparently there is another Chris who raced(es) out there someplace, I'm not him, and he's not me )


Burbank - winter 81/82'. Fun track, good racing there. Man, was it cold in the winter at Burbank. Behind my left arm is Billy Au in the SE jersey. Scott Setta is in the Black/Red coming in to the turn.


Norwalk - 82', a shot over the doubles in practice.


Norwalk - '83, first turn

WOW.....what a cool site....i was feelin nastolgic this mornin and was looking for the old school GT bmx bikes like used to have......and

i came across this site....how feekin awesome.

I am 44 yrs old, raced in 78-81...ummm...maybe 79-80....ahhh afew years in there...mostly ELYRIA, the one that was north of putt

putt...avon lake, norwalk, medina a couple times and one called stratos supercross park...I can get better info from the old trophies

still collecting dust in my garage....i raced from 13 or 14 to 16 (gave up at 16 to chase chicks....doh!)....my name is jeff minnich,

i hung around mostly with Todd mounts, dont remmeber manyother names, i do remember cullin thompson, todd mounts, rich houser, danny

contrerous,the joe and jim (cant remember names...from sheff lake..a year older than me) ahhh....bender seems familiar...
my first race was at elyria, i was that poor kid with worn tires, wearing jeans that were duct taped on the leg...freekin kids were

making fun of me waiting for the start...never looked back (took first place...and the rest was history)...won most of my races but

could never get to the big nationals to get a spoonsor...i did end up like top 20 ABA for ohio with only a half year of races (the

year i quit) but of course i quit and had to only dream about it as I got older. I got back into riding MTB'2 in 91'...raceed MTB's

for the next 10+ years,still ride a bike like i stole it and absolutely love it every time!!!....i goto rays MTB(i helped build it

from day 1)....you can always catch me there...full face helmet, 26" jumper...going fast as hell and never stopping.....anybody go

there??? stop me and say hi!
i'm prob gonna make some bmx races this year (akron?), been wanting to for a couple years now (rays MTB is like bmx training). Been

training to race MTB again(been many years off the reace circuit but have never quit riding)...I will definately make the next outing

for the old guys, seems like a ton of fun....thanks to all who have written the stories here and posted pics...shure puts a smile on.
Jeff[/size][/size]

I found out at my parents 1985 video from Hillard indoor race. The likes of Todd Lyons,Billy Norman,Billy Jones, Billy Au, Doug Zimmer,and all the other great Ohio riders from the 80's are in it. It's not the entire race just various classes. I'm in the process of converting it to DVD.

Ohio state races back in the 80's was like a mini national. It was not impossible to have a main with at least 4 or 5 top 10 national riders in a state main race.