Welcome to Retro Racer 31
The Trials and Tribulations of an unfit, overweight guy, that decided to take up Retro BMX racing at the age of 43. More »
Knox Thunderdome 2016
Results and images from Knox Thunderdome 2016 held over the weekend of 5th and 6th of November at the home of retro racing Knox BMX track. More »
Victorian State BMX Championships
Friday 18th of November will see the first time that the retro class has officially been added to the Victorian state titles, with 48 entries over 3 classes. More »
Nutrition and Training go hand in hand
Getting your nutrition right is just as important as your training and to be honest I have not quite got it right lately. More »
Welcome to Retro Racer 31
Brutal punishment by the evil one, James Tait
In a flash of inspiration earlier this afternoon, I decided to head down to Knox BMX track and do a training session under the tutelage of AA Pro rider and coach James Tait, oh how I wish I stayed home or maybe I should have taken up lawn bowls. The session started off well, with the request from James to do a couple of warmup laps, after 2 laps I was gassed, I knew I was in trouble and it was going to be a long hour, the training session starts and we are divided into two teams, two relay teams that is, which involved relays of running, side ways running, kicking in yourself in the butt with your heels running and high knees running. Immediately I felt bad for my team as I was quite obviously going to be the weakest link and I apologise to tall the 8
Frankston Helltrack series, finishes on a high.
Friday night, 25th, November, 2016 saw the Frankston Helltrack 7 round series finish up and with that, it wraps up the 2016 retro racing season for the year, with only the fun Knox Christmas clubby to go, it is time for most of us to enjoy a well earned rest and give our bodies a chance to recover and go into the 2017 season raring to go. Back to Friday nights racing though and the retro class had its biggest numbers for the series, with a number of newly plated Victorian championships riders coming out for a last hit out, the field for the night, included the 4V, 5V, 7V and 8V, add to that 2 semi finalists and a return to retro racing of Gordon MacRae and Layne Riches we were in for a fun night and some fast racing. 16 entries but by the time the gate dropped,
From criterium racing to retro BMX racing
What a difference, 4 years makes, back in 2012 I was racing 1 hour criteriums on a road bike and loving it, the criterium is a very tactical race and is not always about the person that has the fastest sprint. Break aways are common as are spells of hard riding, that are designed to take the sting out of the sprinters leg. I personally had a decent sprint, but couldn’t mix it in the end with the pure speed demons, but I could take out a race from along way out and make the race difficult for those behind me, I also loved breaking away out on my own and challenging myself, most often my solo break aways would not work out, but from time to time I would spring a surprise and hold on. With these tactics I found myself at the pointy end of the field
Frankston Helltrack Final round.
Over the past 14 weeks, the Frankston Sharks BMX Club, have held a 7 round race series which they dubbed Helltrack, held every second Friday night from early September, November 25th marks the last round of the series and the awards night for those that have qualified with both attendance and the points earned through out the series. From a retro stand point, the series has been well supported with an average of 8 to 10 riders each round, a fast flowing track, Frankston is one of my favorite tracks to ride and it also happens to be the closest to where I live, which is handy. Thanks to Ash, we do have some footage from Round 4 of the Helltrack series, enjoy. With the 2016 race season fast drawing to a close, Fridays racing is one of the last opportunities to get out there on the Old School
Rider Bio: Danny Booby
Name: Danny Booby Home Club: Knox, Vic. Classes: 40+ Retro Bike: 1992 Powerlite P61 (but I do change bikes frequently) Best Retro Results: 4th Australian Championships 2014 7th Australian Championships 2015 8th Victoria Championships 2016 3rd Frankston Summer Series 2015 4th Retro Cup Wyndham 2016 Numerous other wins and small titles along the way. About Me: I started racing in 1989, Lalorpark BMX Club was my home track, I raced through to 2005, riding for Mongoose, ELF, S&M along the way, I got to 1 Victoria in age and 2 Victoria on cruiser, also 6 Australia in age and 4 Australia on cruiser, I started back racing in 2013 as my son wanted to start racing and have been racing in the retro class since then, BMX for me is more than just the racing it’s about the experiences and places you get to see and also the people you
Rider Bio: Brendon Marshall
Name: Brendon Marshall Home Club: Knox, Vic. Classes: 30+ Retro and 35-39 men 20 inch Bike: 1993 Gt pro series xl Best Retro Results: 3rd Polaris open Shepparton 5th Knox Thunder Dome 9th Victorian State Titles About Me: I raced as a kid from 10 years old till 17 in 20 inch and cruiser. I won quite a few Victorian plates over those years including 4V in cruiser and 5V in 17 boys during my last year of racing. I also won the war of the stars series 3 times in cruiser class and once in age class. I stopped at 17 years old when I started working as a baker / pastry cook. During my 22 year break from BMX I raced speedway sidecars for 7 years. But BMX was always in my thoughts and after speaking to a few guys decided to come back and have a go.
Rider Bio: Ashley Grange
Name: Ashley Grange Home Club: Knox, Vic. Classes: 40+ Retro Bike: 1983/84 Profile Champ Best Retro Results: 3rd Lilydale back to the valley 2016 3rd Frankston Helltrack series 2016 4th Frankston Helltrack open 2016 6th Vic riders cup Wyhndam 2016 6th Park Orchards open 2016 8th Knox Thunderdome 2016 12th overall Victorian State Titles. About Me: I’m 40 years old and started racing bmx in 1982. Numerous race wins and state plates between then and when I stopped racing in 1988. My best effort was 4th in the 9 boys expert state title and 7th in my last state titles in 1988. Raced Australia titles in SA in 1986 and missed out on a spot in the final due to a heavy crash in the semi while leading. Fast forward 28 years to 2016 and I’m back out on the bike racing and loving it. Sponsors: Old School BMX Progressive