Milwaukee BMX 2007 Schedule Progress:

John Mittelstadt has arranged a meeting with Milwaukee County Parks, Trails Coordinator, Guy Smith, to move forward with the contractual language that will allow us to race in 2007.

We've also had continued discussions with other local track operators to coordinate schedules, and, by the time you read this, John will likely have submitted to the ABA a schedule that includes racing on Tuesday nights and every other Saturday next summer, during the months of June, July and August. We have no weeknight races scheduled for September, but, plan on a couple of Saturday races to close out the season. Gate practice will be run on Thursday evenings. We plan to get things started with a couple of new rider clinics in late May and early June.

Bench racing:

I've been a part-time competitor, but mostly full time observer of BMX racing for decades. Looking back, the most memorable moments in BMX racing involve rivalries. In the formative years of PRO racing, it was all about Stu Thomsen (#1) and Greg Hill (#3).

It's not like the supporting characters in pro racing we're giving Stu and Greg anything easy. Scott Clark, Brent and Brian Patterson, Kevin McNeal, Anthony Sewell, Tommy Brackens (the Powerlite rider leading the pack in the image above) Frank Post, Clint Miller, Turbo Harry Leary (amazingly still at it in Vet from time to time ... Leary was the "old" guy then!) and Perry Kramer were all amazing riders that could kill it on any given day. But, consistently, race after race, for year after year ... it was “Stompin'” Stu and the "Business Man" Hill that always seemed to factor in for the number 1 plate.

There have been other classic duels between then and now. Pistol Pete Loncarevich and Ronnie Anderson is one example that comes to mind, as do: Gary Ellis and Charles Townsend; Mike King and Eric Carter; Danny Nelson and John Purse ... all good battles. But, none really consistently measure up to the wars held between Hill and Thomsen. Maybe it's because they are actually family (through the marriage of Hills' sister to Thomsen). Perhaps it was that they were once team-mates on Redline. Whatever the reason, these two clearly set the pace for several years in the early 80's.


Fast forward to this moment. For several years now, Bubba Harris (Redline) and Randy Stumpfhauser (GT) have gobbled up the #1 or #2 plates in the two major sanctions. This year at the ABA Grands was an absolute classic showdown between the two. Harris was hurt for a while early in the season, but steadily worked his way back up to (his normal) speed. Stumpy, on the other hand, had been killing it at pretty much all the NBL races and always in the mix at the ABA events that he made. We invite you to check out the mains, captured by Millineum BMX by saving the files to your hard drive with a right mouse click and "save target as".

The pair split the first and second rounds of the mains, setting up main #3 with the two tied at 3 points each. We can only imagine how that third lap would have gone down if it were not for Bubba clearly coming unclipped right out of the gate. Yeah, Harris finishes the lap fourth, but, down the first straight, the pack has hit the big double by the time Harris is at the drop off.

Harris, who is now the first three-peat #1 AA Pro in the history of ABA racing, has been a phenom since he was a kid, and has been a consistent winner throughout his career. We’ve seen him grow up in BMX, and noticed his work ethic and commitment a long time ago so it’s really no surprise that he’s achieved so much so quickly.

Stumpy, predominantly a player in the NBL until the last year or two, on the other hand, seems to have clearly stepped up his game.

Looking back, it seems evident that Hill and Thomsen were the first to recognize and fully capitalize on the rapid growth of BMX in the early 1980’s. When Stu was on Redline and Hill was on GT from late ’81 through sometime in ’83, the two were the first six figure salaried pros in the sport.

Today, it seems pretty evident that the addition of BMX Racing as a medal sport at the 2008 Olympics is playing some role in the continued commitment of these two riders. Harris and Stumpy both want it … and it shows. Not to take anything away from other contenders, Donny Robinson finished third at the Grands, and Kyle Bennett is a consistent front runner when he’s healthy.

Stumpy and Harris, at the moment, however, just seem to want it more. That’s what rivalries are made of, and theirs is a good one for sure. There’s a lot to look forward to in 2007.