ALANS WOODS - I started racing motocross at age 11 on a Suzuki RM100, but was always into bicycles too, I had MkI and MkII Raleigh Choppers and a "Wheel King" (motorcycle-type bicycle with plastic "fuel" tank and full m/c style front and rear suspension). At a motocross race around 1978 I saw a copy of "BMX Racer" a mag from Hi-Torque publications (Dirt Bike, MX Action, etc) and was blown away by guys doing tabletops and guys racing sidehacks. By 1980 BMX was starting to make some impression in the UK, Ammaco were importing Mongoose's and Puch Murray's were turning up in the high street. We hooked up with some guys in Little Lever near Bolton (of all places!) and made a makeshift BMX track there, I rode a Mongoose Supergoose at that race, I even have some pics which I'll post up here sooner or later. Soon after that we heard of a race at Chatham in Kent (about a 6 hour drive south). We all piled into the back of our van (no windows in the back) and headed down - we were up at like 7am riding 'round the track and no-one showed till about 10am, it was sooo cool though. Rumour had it that the starthill was built on an old Ford Transit van.

So that was it - we were hooked! Nothing else mattered - only BMX.

And the rest is history!