FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

freedombmx Rider of the Year Awards:
Favourite park rider: Paul Thölen
Favourite street rider: Bruno Hoffmann
Favourite international rider: Kriss Kyle
Favourite flatland rider: Waldemar Fatkin
Favourite dirt rider: Michael Meisel
Favourite brand: wethepeople
Favourite park: Mellowpark
Best talent: Vangeli Katsiakis
Gnarliest crash: Janek Wentzky

Bangers Freestyle Film Festival top 10 video results:
1. Sebastian Nitsche (Moritz Nußbaumer)
2. Ben Francke (Eddie Baum)
3. Marc Reschke (Hood Antics in Amsterdam)
4. Felix Dorsch/Johannes Dreyer (STND Mixtape)
5. Fabian Bader (Globetrotters)
6. Christos Katsiakis (Vangeli Katsiakis)
7. Lukas Häusler (Colognes Crispiest)

When injured from the crash at the Dew Tour Simon Tabron received get well wishes from Terry Jenkins and Dave Young, two of the UK's vertical aces in the '80-s, people that Simon looked up to when he started out riding. Simon took the opportunity to send both of them some questions to see what they've been up to and how they see vert riding how it is today. Here's what Dave Young has to say and enjoy the pics. Name: Dave Young

In the early 1980’s, The Haro BMX Freestyle team was in high demand. Ron Wilkerson, Brian Blyther, Dave Nourie and Mike Dominguez were living the dream, travelling to the four corners of the world demonstrating the progression of a sport that was fast becoming an international phenomenon. Over an action packed ten year period, and a blur of intense progression, they took the slams, broke the bones, bent the steel and destroyed the vehicles on a campaign of ground breaking energy that covered almost every civilised and uncivilised country on earth.

The opportunity to reform the team and follow up on the success of the 2009 reunion show was discussed with a wider group of stakeholders, including Haro Bikes Chief Operating Officer; Joe Hawk, who commented... “When Dom and Stephan approached me with the idea in Vista, the timing was perfect. At Haro, we truly recognise the value and efforts of the Old School BMX community and were keen to pledge our support and resources towards a great and exciting project”.

Name: Haha!! Mike Canning.
Hometown: East Grinstead, UK.
Occupation: Aquarium manufacturer.

What is you earliest memory of BMX bikes on ramps?
Canning: Mmm ,okay ....Bob Haro came and did a show at the NEC in Birmingham. I'd only just started riding. It was televised on channel 4, as it was in its infancy, we could only get a fuzzy picture, but I was mesmerised. Not long later I met Carl Alford, he was a bmxer with a track and a 6ft q/p in his garden. He invited me round and told me to do a 180 on the ramp. "Don't turn too much ,or you'll crash" he said .So that's what I did....crashed! I went home and started building my first q/p.

Did you have mates to ride with from the start?
Canning: For sure, I was a Grifter boy, always jumping that heavy bike, I wanted to be Evel Knievel. Some guys from school had a bmx mag, BMXplus! I think. Well they had set up a track on their housing

Name: Jason Ellis
DOB: 27/07/71
Hometown: Retford, Nottinghamshire, England
Occupation: Song writer/Producer

Riders like Harry Main today left school to become a pro BMX rider. When did you end school to go ride bikes professionally?
Jason Ellis: 1989, straight out of school I had a couple of crap jobs to make some money before I went riding shows.

Back then you guys were the first ones to do something like this. Do you have any advice to the riders who want to quit school and ride fulltime?
Jason Ellis: Ride as safe as you can whilst still getting the job done. The first shows I rode were with Mike Canning, he's an awesome rider who got to the top of his game riding very little