POINEER: TRACER FINN
It’s safe to say that Tracer Finn is responsible for putting Las Vegas on the BMX map. With his top-notch jumping skills and Factory CW sponsorship, Finn put Sin City in the spotlight with his numerous Hot Shot features in BMX Action magazine – including the iconic photo of him skying over his family’s Vaudeville piano act, complete with Vegas showgirls and card dealers. Finn followed up his successful racing career by promoting and running mountain bike races, doing Police Athletic League events, organizing BMX skate park programs, mentoring BMX riders, and even owned his own bike shop that supported a race team. For four years, Tracer was Team Manager for the Specialized BMX program – which included team riders T.J. Lavin and Christophe Leveque.
It could also be said that Tracer Finn has given more to the sport than most; namely – half of his pinky finger, which he lost in a tight battle with a chainring during a crash at an ABA Gold Cup Championship. |
RACER: CHARLES TOWNSEND
You can call him Chuck, Charlie or Charles. You can call him Amtrac or Choo Choo. Or, in his early days, you can do like Boss and Free Agent did and call him Black Magic. But the one thing you could never call Charles Townsend is SLOW. With an incredible 15 year Pro career, Northern California’s Amtrac steam-rolled the AA pro ranks and racked up 32 wins, 297 mains and 138 podiums between 1987 and 2001 – giving him a career average ranking of #8. During Chuck’s illustrious racing career he was the first of three riders to ever earn the ABA No.1 Pro plate in his Rookie year. He also won the IBMXF World Championships in 1989, and was voted BMX Plus!’ Racer of the Year. Riding and representing major brands throughout his career – such as Hutch, CW, Revcore, Diamondback, and Powerlite, Townsend even had his own signature frame – the Amtrac, put out in the mid-90’s while racing for Robinson. Charlie’s fun personality and sense of humor always made him a fan favorite. |
WOMAN:
DEANNA EDWARDS-JAMIESON
Michigan’s Deanna Edwards raced her way to the top of the sport from 1980 to 1988, and then – like so many, made a triumphant return to BMX racing as an adult in the 00’s. During the 80’s, her wins at the Jag World Championships and Murray World Cups, followed up by 6-straight NBL No.1 rankings and Grands wins, caught the attention of GT team manager “Doc” Scofield and she became one of two flyin’ fast factory females on the GT squad. In her new millennium return to the sport, Deanna captured wins and titles at the UCI World Championships, USA Cycling National Championship and a NAG No.1 plate in the ABA after winning the Grands’ 36-40 ladies cruiser class. Deanna had come full circle, as she was one of the first girls to ever race (and win on) a cruiser when it was introduced at the 1986 ABA Grands as an exhibition event. Totaling over 100 national class wins from 1980-1988, during a time when there was no mixed open and no girls cruiser class available, Deanna set the bar – and set it high, for all of the girl BMX racers of the future. |
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INDUSTRY: JOHN KER
Starting his love for photography on the shores of Southern California, John Ker went from capturing surfers to BMXers on 35mm film when, in 1979, he began freelancing at a fledgling publication called BMX Plus! Eventually, John would land as Editor of BMX Plus! In fact – he still works for Hi-Torque publications to this day – mostly shooting for Mountain Bike Action, Motocross Action and Electric Bike Action. When it comes to singling out the most memorable images in BMX, you can count on one hand the people who had their fingers on the shutter button – and Ker is partly responsible for making almost every racing and freestyling Hall of Famer famous through his photography and stories.
Often seen with no less than three cameras dangling around his neck, John Ker has been one of those iconic people in the infield of BMX competitions, capturing our sport’s history on film since 1979 to the present Digital days. John is well known by both riders and industry figures as a person of unflagging integrity, fairness, creativity and love for our sport.
…and his convincing “just one more” encouragement at every photo shoot.
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FREESTYLER: MARTIN APARIJO
Longtime GT freestyler Martin Aparijo was a pure showman from the moment he arrived on the fresh freestyle scene of the mid-80’s. As one of the first riders to specialize in flatland, Martin is credited for creating tricks such as “The Cherry Picker,” “The Lawnmower,” and “The Grasshopper” – and took those moves to an AFA Masters Finals Championship in 1987. His status in the flatland freestyle scene is summed up by his nickname – “The Chairman.”
Mentored by his good friend and riding partner Woody Itson, Martin’s first taste of competition came in 1982, at the Redline World Almanac Skills competition, where he set the long-distance jump record. But he is perhaps best known for his work in the movie “RAD” – where he not only cameo’d as himself, but also did most of the stunt-doubling for the female lead character Christian Holly (played by actress Lori Loughlin). Aparijo can also be spotted acting and performing stunts in the Kevin Bacon fixie film, “Quicksilver.”
Having starred in thousands of freestyle shows all around the World, there is no doubt that Martin Aparijo left his mark on the sport and helped spread its popularity to the outside masses.
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