Anyone here race in Ohio back in the day during the 80's? Check in!

I raced from 82-87.

Anyone remember Lagonda in Springfield? How big and fast the Kettering Delco track used to be? How Brookville BMX was one of the first tracks in the nation to have a paved first berm? Remember the huge turn-out that we used to have at the Hilliard Indoor track?

A few names from back in the day: Nate Cheever (ran into him last year, he's doing good), Chad Lumpkin, the Danishek's (Bill and Niki), Billy Jones, Ted Jackson (ran into him last year, he's a police detective now), Dave Bordewich (sp?), Chuck Fugate, Doug Jicha, Jared Raflick, Steve Smith (he's on here now) etc, etc.

80's Ohio guys check in!

I raced Nikki Danishek back in the day. The whole family was just great people. Would love to see them again someday.

Doug Jicha was one of my teammates on World Class. He married Denise Carter. Heard he passed away several years ago. RIP Doug.

Mike Kiniyocolas (I know the spelling is way off) is another that tore it up on the BMX track. He posted a few years ago on this site.

Todd Lyons has got to be the most famous of the Buckeyes.

I raced quite a bit in Ohio. Anybody remember the International race in Dayton? Phyllis from Huffy sending her roadbike team on the BMX track. Man a few of those guys crashed hard.

I am also an 80's Ohio racer. I am familiar with all the names you mentioned. Some of the people we traveled with (and I know I will forget people, sorry!) are Billy Au, Jammi and Bobby McClead, Zimmer's, Greg and Tim Boring. I certainly remember the Danishek's, and had heard the same thing about Doug Jicha. Very sad to have heard that. Also remember Mike and Tom K.

I'd have to dig through tons of pictures from back then, but I have many from Hilliard, Brookville, Akron, Springfield (remember the egg toss at the fall race?), Celina, Hamilton, West Jefferson, Lexington, etc.

Chris Cline

Hey Deanna how are you doing?
I was on the ABA tour with Clearence Perry in 1982.We hopped a ride with Jason Jenson,his dad and Brian Barlow with the Jag Team to race that IBMX Worlds in the cow palace arena.That gate was so steep! The Huffy road bike team hit the first jump clipped in and ATE it.I think the guy broke his shoulder or something like that. have a good one........Tracer

I had hear about Doug too, but I wasn't certain if it was true because the person that told me didn't have any details.

Deanna I talk to Bill Danishek every once in awhile. He moved DK's offices into my old building in Springboro. When I talk to him next I'll tell him you said "hey".

Jeremy

I have so many stories i would bore everyone to death...
I do remember the springfield track well they was the only ohio track with a tunnel from what i remember.I drove around the silloette of it a while back in my car on the way home from columbus
West jeff ,marietta,stow ,brookfield...Was telling the guy at columus last weekend about racin in madison[columbus]in 82 they used 5 fire trucks to water track!
Bob said marietta just got plowed several years ago bummer...Didnt hear about dj bummer!
I talked to mike and toms dad a few weeks ago they are doing well with kids -tom jr had some kind of tumor or something and lost hearing or vision from what i heard but is doing ok now?

The # of nat'l champions and quality riders from 80-90 in ohio is staggering even from dayton area too even today per riders out here theres a handfull of up and coming superstars -must be something in the ohio water..Hilliard indoor was like a small national nowdays as far as motos and comp.
This outta be fun to hear others talk about what i witnessed first hand in ohio...

Steve, I remember that Madison race - so hot and dusty, where they had the fire trucks watering the track. Wasn't that a state race?

Hilliard used to draw from all over the place - killer races in the winter.

Yes it was a state race ,nbl states froze you in your class back then and my dad signed me up in the wrong class i was 10 but my birthday is in may and he signed me up in 9 year olds i remember smoking the class that day! i have pics somewhere ill post em if i ever find them .
I remember something funny ohio wouldnt open its classes to outsiders -i remember lawan cuningham coming in and racing 2 clsses higher in like 16 over open at west jeff and he was 14 i think and won?

I remember having quarter finals in my 20" class at almost every indoor race at Hilliard.

Wayne /andy golobic,billy woods,billy jones,steve murphy,donny hier,spike hammond,marty yockle[his dad was the starter at all states and hilliard remember him?]greg beam i forget his bros name,jarrod pine,shawn bone,MARK DOLBY[ever hear from him?]doug zimmer seen him a few years ago,arron hido -forgot his bros name,jd finney,bobby miliken,billy norman and dad,mark flora,vince cowie ,troy hines and bros,kelly merryman,mike strachanski,yes big n lil nard,brian eversole,brad leach,matt henry, ill post more as they come to me

Man, there's some names from back in the day!

Remember Big Nardie and Little Nardie?

I seem to remember also racing some guy named Blane Bradds a lot.

I heard Chuck Fugate came back to race a couple years back at Dayton Indoor but didn't race for very long.

Jason Schroyer lives down the street from me in Bellbrook. He came back last year and raced a few cruiser races.

Yeah remember them both well,i remember when i was like 14 i think racing billy au and shroyer[rockin patterson duds] at springfield i got combined and i snapped and beat them both thru the first turn....billy passed me outside the first turn and jason passed me in the last turn after the tunnel-a highlight /kodak moment!

No Doubt Ohio had some fast riders,,sad to here of DJ,,I'm sure Steve when I send you the rest of this DVD more names will come to mind there are a ton of Buckeye Boys who made the mains, I remember racing quite a few races in Ohio the comp was always great loved going there to race,,

Big Nard and Little Nard---weren't they with Whitmans??

I remember racing a NBL Nat'l back in I think '88 in Ohio. It was freakin' spitting snow with a good wind chill. It was in the Spring time but alot of us stayed holed up in Shan Hatfield's parents' motorhome--only coming out in time just to race.

But Galen it shouldn't have been that cold for ya,,you had your mullett to keep ya warm,,

Hey wait a minute i think i beat you there!A bunch of you's gay-be -a- s came out -i beat dave milham in all my motos both days ...Thats also the race they paved the turns at on friday ....
I ruled til main time i drew 1 and 8 in all 4 mains and there was mudd bogs on both lanes ill have to break out a old bt but i know i stunk in the mains ...i had a photo of me smokin dave in one of the motos in a mag-never seen him change his gears so often at a race lmao-
Yep they were whitmans team coach
I remember this story was funny i told bob the other day ,we were in pompano fla at a nibbler natl and he took his son ryans lil 50 dirtbike and he let me ride it after my motos -i rode it all day and missed a moto and nard went off mike ky told on me cause i was riding the d bike and thats why i missed the moto.
I also remember my bullseye hubs were loose from my wheel being off on the trip down and raced with it finger tight -lucky the forks were small enough where it couldnt fall out unless the bolt came all the way out..

We raced at Brookville just about every weekend during the season, raced at Kettering a little. Raced at the indoor track at Springfield during the winter. That would have been 80-83 or so. Little brother raced for Whittmans, we lived right by he original shop, was there just about every other day.

Steve...Speaking of Whitmans I talked to Mike lausmans Father the other day he is a member at the golf course I'm at, he said he would look around for some old pics and see if he still has any,,,when I get em i will post em I'm sure you are in quite a few

I think hillard replaced the springfield track in 81?Scott morgan was telling me about it too i started in 81 but never raced there but did race in hillard from 82-90 what was your brothers name im sure ill remember him if he was on the expert or national team?
I posted up a 84 whitmans team photo at dayton indoor a few weeks ago here it is again thanks to todd lyons....



Heres a pic of me at the old kettering track id say in 84 or 85?look at the checkerboard grips lol...

Prove it!!!!!!!!!!!!

That would be cool ,galin may be in a few too....mostly indoor pics or before may cause i bumped up in may

Doh!!!!!!!
Don't hate the player--hate the game!!

Hey Steve--in that team photo--is that your normal bent over position........

Sorry-- couldn't resist!!!!!!

Im uploading a bunch of pics asap stay peeled!
Stow ohio 1983 wos ,lawan cunningham pre sponser he doubled that weekend ,me in the middle with schwinn gear,arron hido ,dylan spears,and i cant remember the other guy but he was fast big name ?

Scan 1 is me and matt henry in pataskala app.85?
#2 is ft hamilton bmx in 82 im in the schwin garb and green helmet...
#3 arron hido in 1st me in second with jay clauss in 3rd at kettering 84
#4 pros at brookville in 83? notice no pavement on the hill?
#5 billy norman im prolly in the back of the pack somewhere ...i think its wapakoneta od madison?
#6 madison [columbus ]in 82 i think i think they had a state in 83 as well?
#7madison
#8ft hamilton
#9brookfield me in 1st todd lyons in 2nd
#10 madison billy norman in 1st ,todd lyons in second ,im in last!
#11 me and todd at brookfield state finals 85

Too slow and painfull to add each to each post .....

Here I am at Brookville - 1985ish in GHP Colors


A pic from the paper at Brookfield (state finals)


Akron in 86. I am 85C in all black.


Christmas Classic - guessing 86 on cruiser. 54C out front.


Heer Park - 2007!!! Yep, on the left in pic in gray t-shirt. That is a 1989 Free Agent Limo getting track time!


I have a stack of pics about 12"+ tall - many pics from so many of the tracks in OH and around the country. I'd love the take a day and scan them all.

I see chris applegate behind you at brookville ,and steve murphy next to you at akron rock on!

ssmith my brother was Darren Wolff, I dont know for sure what team he was on but were only local for sure. He was actually really good, while I was pretty bad. At Rford one year I introduced myself to Jim Melton and he asked where I was from, lo & behold he asked if Darren was my brother from that area, he remembered him.

I cannot recall one single person from the picture. I guess our racing dates would have been closer to79-82. I dont even remember a white jersey. Darren had an orange & black one. The only people I can recall off hand from the team are Darren, Mark Talley, Bruce Brockert and maybe a few else will come to mind. I think John Grant was also a Whitmans team guy? Mark Talley ended up marrying Sandy Whittman and I still see him around the neighborhood every now and then.

I may have a few pics of Springfield indoor somewhere, that place would pack them in on a good Sunday.

We also were locals at the trail scene locally from that era. Mercy Woods and Shiloh being the 2 mainstream ones. The motor cross guys pretty much ran all bmx out circa 82? from Shiloh but we retained Mercy for as long as I can remember. Well truth be told the trails at Mercy werent really big enough for motor bikes.

Actually I started hschool in 83 and was out of bmx for at least 2 full years by then, so we were done with bmx late 81 probably at the latest.

i remember the name vaugly[your brother] i remember bruce brockert ,the early shirts were orange and black ...im trying to think of more riders that were on the team very early i think the kinyalocts got on on 81 or 2 i didnt get on til 84
Marty yockle was one from early team i think spike was too.

You will eventually remember Mark Talley, he raced the cruiser class for Whittmans very early. He is the only one I think who did. He was probably a good 5 years older then all the rest of us. Tall guy with a blond mustache. John Grant was the short/stocky kid with a full beard/mustache at like the age of 15. Did Marty have fair blonde hair and glasses? I think I remember him. If that is him he would have been about the same age as J Grant. Grant was in the same age group as my oldest brother David who raced at Brookville real early. I'm talking when the race bike locally was either a Mongoose or Concorde Demon, both with a coaster brake mind you. Man that would have been 77-78?

I have seen all of those guys within the past 3 years except for Bruce. My brother still talks to him though, he started a welding shop somewhere around here, dont know if he is still around, his dad retired from GM then moved somewhere up north on Lake Erie. Bruce's mom was my mom's best friend all through grade/high school. I used to stay over there for long weekends a lot and went to the Jag at Indy with him and his mom and sister way back when.

the other names dont ring...marty was a dark haired guy and his dad was very dark complected kinda looked like a black richard simmons

How Brookville BMX was one of the first tracks in the nation to have a paved first berm?

Wow, I remember when Brookville's first 2 turns had no berm at all. The second turn was the make it or break it point of the race, lot of elbows rubbing and people going down on that one. We loved that track as compared to Kettering. I remember when they introduced trophys at Brookville too, they used to give out just ribbons. Red, white and blue if I remember right. Probably have some still floating around.

So.......do any of you Ohians know this guy.....
Click to view attachment

Hey Tracer!
Good to hear from you. I'm doing well, hope you are too! Funny you remember the IBMXF race like I do with the roadies trying to get around the track. What a joke that was, I would have sued Phyllis from Huffy for making me ride that track on a road bike! Do you still talk to Clarence? He was a fixture at our house for many years for months at a time. I miss him and would love to track him down. Let me know if you know how to get in touch with him. deannajamieson@comcast.net

Tifo, Please tell Bill I said hello. Although it will probably be Nikki that remembers me the best.

Galen, got your message. I will call you when I get into Vegas on Sunday or Monday. I should have time before my flight on Wednesday to meet up if you'll dump me off at the airport.

Sorry for the somewhat hijack on the thread.

so instead of sweating to the oldies,,,,,he was jiving to the juke joint sounds of the 60's

I have a good friend that looks just like em....Cleaveland sux! i mean rocks !

He worked his [please review the site FAQs] off ,remember bitd you had to lift the gate by hand.......he had the curly hair goin though...
Do you remember brookville having a big european turn near the first turn/where the snack stand is now?I think i remember that?

Wow, i had forgotten alot of the guys you've mentioned in here. The only tracks i got to hit BITD were Phase IV, Wapak, Marietta, and of course Hilliard. Anybody remember Mike Barnhart or Craig Kister? Those were my racing buddies from back then.

Yes i remember mike barnhart he was a tall guy cant remember alot about him-but he does stand out in my mind as a very cool guy and he was pretty fast too!i Bet cc has some photos with him in them?

I havent been to the brookville track in a long time so I dont know where the snack stand is. When we raced it the first turn was just a slight bend to the right then you were basically into the second turn which was a good sized 180 degree turn towards the table top. That turn was wide enough to let you still gain speed, but with no berm it was pretty much everyone jockeying for the inside line. That turn would usually put a couple people into a wreck then leave a couple more losing time behind that. So if you could stay ahead or out of the wreck, you were looking pretty good. After the table top came turns 3 & 4 which if I remember right were usually heavily loaded with sand, so you had to be real, real careful about what line you took or else the others were liable to catch up and pass you at that point.

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.

I seen bill ross lurking around in the for sale section on this site im trying to lure him in here ....need to add him to the ohio list of fast guys too!

Hey Chris, have you been back to that indoor/outdoor BMX park at all? if so, any new video?

I raced around Toledo in the late 70's-early 80's at a track called Dux, as well as the speedway. I can't believe nobody has mentioned Norwalk yet. It was a track right next to the dragstrip. I remember coming down the second straight there one day and got hit from the side by another rider as I was going over the whoops. My hands came off the bars and the back of my head hit the lip of the jump. I say I remember this incident, but I actually don't remember much about it other than waking up in the hospital with a concussion.

That darn ProTec helmet!

n2o

Yeah I know a few of the folks mentioned in this as well. I started in 1980 (8 years old) in the Toledo area as well. Raced all over Ohio. Nobody has mentioned Burbank indoor, Mansfield, Marion, Toledo Speedway, seems like we were all over that state. There is a group of Toledo folks who are in the Michigan post.

I tell ya, back in the 80's Ohio and Michigan gave California, Arizona and Folrida riders all they could handle.

I have not been back to Ohio Dreams since last summer, but hopefully they get the track together!


I remember Norwalk! Also, my first race ever was at Burbank, I think 81? I raced alot at the Mansfield track "Midway" (if I recall).

Hello one and all. Mr. Smith suggested I come on over here and check things out. Must say, it brings back a lot of memories. The 84 Whitmans team photo really was a memory knocker. I remember all the tracks everyone is talking about. I raced my very first race in 81 at Burbank and raced there for many years. Even raced and Mr. Thompson's outdoor track he had up there in Avon Lake, Ohio. I remember Todd Lyons was staying at my house for a week and we were launching off the berm from the last turn into a jump on the second straight. Getting like 15 feet of air, crazy!! Those races down in Hilliard were like nationals. If you lived in a 250 mile radius and raced BMX you had to race at Hilliard! That really was a great time. And I am sure all you guys remember the "Chili Classic" at Stow. That was always such a great time. Usually freezing cold, eating chili, and racin!! And on a final note, If anyone runs into Nikki Danishek, tell her I said hello, she was a great kisser!!

You should be at the top of the names list as you were a fast oh rider !others i remembered this morning:
john caruso,eddie nelson,ron sutton ,jon carr?,jim wahl[how could i forget the ironman]

Youall with nicknames need to tell us who you are cause i got a good memory im sure ill remember your names!

Steve,
was it brookville where we all were jumping into that lake after a race? Someone set up that huge jump off of a picnic table. Think you, me, lyons, golobics, zimmer, and a few others went nuts, it was so hot that day??