Andy Irons Rehab

Racing career milestones

Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.

Milestone

Event Details

Started racing:

At 5 years old in 1969 at a local boys club. but this wasn’t the true start of his career. Over five years later when he was 11 years old in late February 1975 was the true start. His father had brought him a Dan Gurney monoshock bicycle for Christmas. Approximately two months later he found a track while riding in his bike in Little Lake Park in Norwalk, California. He told his father and he started taking Andy racing. He raced about once a month for a year, then when the LaMiranda Regional Park open up he started racing twice a month.

Sanctioning body:

Sanctioning body district(s):

First race bike:

A Dan Gurney monoshock he got for Christmas (Christmas 1974 when he was 10 years old).

First race result:

Fourth in 11 Novice. Indeed, he got fourth in his first seven races.

First win (local):

After seven consecutive fourth place finishes he won on his eighth race. Then he got seven consecutive wins and move up to Expert. He then won his first Expert race..

First sponsor:

First national win:

In 1979 in 16 Expert at a national in San Antonio, Texas at the post race. In the National itself the day before he got a fourth.

Turned professional:

November 27, 1982 at age 18.

First professional race result:

Second in “A” pro at the 1982 American Bicycle Association (ABA) Grandnationals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on November 28, 1982. He won USD0, the equivalent of USD2.64 in 2007 (Cost of Living Calculator). He also came in seventh in Pro Open. He won US, 6.58 in 2007.

First professional win:

In “A” pro at the 1982 Jag BMX World Championship of Bicycle Motocross V (ABA sanctioned) in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 27, 1982. He won USD0, which is USD,598.70 in 2007.

First Junior Men/pro* race result:

See “First Professional race result”.

First Junior Men/pro win:

See “First Professional win”.

First Senior pro** race result:

Seventh in “Pro” class at the 1983 International BMX Federation (IBMXF) World Championships in Slagharen, Overijssel, Netherlands. No pro purse was awarded. In the Pro class he raced against Senior pros like Clint Miller. There was no “B” pro or Superclass category at the time. However, this probably didn’t count since upon return to the United States he returned to racing in the junior pro class. There his first Senior Pro race was the 1984 ABA Supernationals in late January. He did not make the main.

First Senior pro win:

Height and weight at height of his career (1981-1984):

Ht:6’3″ Wt:185 lbs.

Retired:

Faded out after the 1986 season. He raced a few times after that but not seriously, similar to Stu Thomsen’s once or twice a year pro races at nationals after he officially retired early in the 1987 season. In 1990 Andy Patterson had him reclassified as a single “A” junior pro with the ABA and raced the ABA U.S Nationals in Lemoore, California on April 21, 1990. He won

*In the NBL “B” Pro/Super Class/”A” Pro/Junior Elite Men depending on the era; in the ABA it is “A” Pro.

**In the NBL it is “AA” Pro/Elite Men; in the ABA it is “AA” Pro.

Career factory and major bike shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer’s primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous and ever-changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor’s advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are used.

Amateur

Addicks Engineering:

TW Racing: -June 1979

GT (Gary Turner) Racing: June 1979-December 11, 1981

Skyway Recreations: December 12, 1981-June 1984. He changed sponsorship to Skyway Recreations just before the third day of the 1981 NBA Grand Nationals. He raced for GT on the December 10 & 11 then showed up and raced for Skyway on the 12th.

Professional

Skyway Recreations: December 12, 1981-June 1984. Andy Patterson left Skyway because Skyway wanted him to continue doing European racing circuit tours and promotionals. Patterson for his part felt like he was missing out on the big money races and the high competition level of the American racers. The lack of coverage of European races by the BMX press in the United States was another factor. According to Patterson, lack of coverage lead to the perception by American readers that he was out of BMX. Patterson felt out of touch due to this and wanted to return to the American circuit.

JMC (James Melton Cyclery) Racing Equipment, Inc.: June 1984-Early April 1985. JMC Racing shut down in July 1985.

MBK (Motobecane): 1985. This was his sponsor when he raced in Europe.

ODI: Late Summer 1985. Not only Patterson was sponsored by ODI he worked for them during the week.

(largely retired between late 1985 and 1990)

Cal Custom: 1990

Career bicycle motocross titles

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. “Defunct” refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer’s career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.

Amateur

National Bicycle Association (NBA)

1979 15 Novice Grandnational Champion

1981 16 & Over Expert & Overall Race of Champions (ROC) Champion*. He won a moped for this victory.

1981 16 & Over Expert Grandnational Champion. This was the last NBA Grandnational before the NBA merged with the NBL.

*The NBA ROC was a yearly one shot Invitational collection of the nation’s top amateur 16 Experts chosen through a BMX industry poll who race for the title to nominally to see who is the best older amateur in the country. It was held in conjunction with the NBA Grandnational just as the NBL’s Presidents Cup today is held before its Grandnational and the ABA’s US Gold/Redline Cup were periodically held before its Grandnational.

National Bicycle League (NBL)

None

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

1981 16 Expert, 14-25 Cruiser, and 15 & Over Trophy Dash Grandnational Champion (triple)

1982 17 Expert Northwest Gold Cup Champion

United Bicycle Racers (UBR)

1981 14-22 Cruiser and 14 & Over 16″ Pit Bike Grandnational Champion (double)

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

None

Fdration Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)**

None

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)**

1981 16 & Over Cruiser International Champion

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)**

None

Independent Invitationals and Amateur Series Championships

1982 Anglo/American Challenge Cup Champion*

* The Anglo/American Challenge Cup II was an Invitational Exhibition race held in Redditch, England at the Hartfords track. It was a way for the English racers to gauge themselves against the Americans. In the second main of a three main final British racer Tim March became the first English racer to beat any American in any head to head race in a moto.

**See note in professional section.

Professional

National Bicycle Association (NBA)

None

National Bicycle League (NBL)

None

United Bicycle Racers (UBR)

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

1982 Jag BMX “A” Pro World Champion (ABA sanctioned)

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

None

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*

1982 20″ Superclass & 16 Expert Invitational Class Open European Champion (double)

1983 20″ Superclass Invitational Class Open European Champion

Fdration Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*

None

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*

None

*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC, the amateur cycling arm of the UCI, had been holding joint World Championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993. Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI. Beginning with the 1996 World Championships held in Brighton, England the UCI would officially hold and sanction BMX World Championships and with it inherited all precedents, records, streaks, etc. from both the IBMXF and FIAC.

Independent Invitationals and Pro Series Championship

BMX product lines

Skyway Recreations Andy Patterson Signature Tuff Wheels

Product Evaluations:

JMC “Andy Patterson Series” frame and fork set introduced August 2, 1984. Only 333 made.

Product Evaluations:

BMX Plus! March 1985 Vol.8 No.3 pg.24

Notable accolades

Significant injuries

Broke foot during practice at the Harbor BMX track in San Pedro, California in early October 1983. The starting gate slammed down onto it. It happened approximately five weeks after he won the