Interview with Perry Kramer 14-04-2010
Posted: 15-04-2010 20:12
[color=orange]Het is wederom weer gelukt om een kort interview te doen, dit keer met niemand minder dan Perry Kramer!
Enjoy reading!!
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1. How did you get into BMX racing and where was your 1st local track?
Perry: I got into BMX late in 1973. We were always riding at a vacant lot on 12th St. in Santa Monica and one morning a guy rolled up driving a school bus and asked us if we raced those bikes. The guy was Ron Mackler and he put on the races at Palms Park in West LA. We all rode up there the following Thursday night and signed up. So Palms Park was my local track.
2. Who was your toughest competition in those days?
Perry: Well back then it would have been Dave Clinton, Rick Collins, Marvin Church, or Byron Friday. The top racers (Lund, Palfreyman, Stu, Breithaupt) were all in an age class above me.
A few years later when I was competing for the NBA National Title it was Stu Thomsen, Scot Breithaupt, Bobby Encinas, Neil Bonds, Jeff Bottema, & David Clinton.
3. We know you still race, but where could someone find you when you are not at your local track or riding your bike or do you have another hobby besides BMX?
Perry: Well actually I haven’t raced BMX for some time but every now and then I do get out on my 24” and ride the track. I do ride a lot, but mostly mountain bikes. I work for Giant Bicycle as an Account Executive in San Diego & Orange County so I’m in bike shops every day. I also like to golf and I play on a men’s softball team.
4. What was your most memorable moment in racing?
Perry: I do have quite a few but it would either be when I won the 1976 NBA Winternationals or winning the Pro class at the 1979 Jag World Championships. The 1976 Winternationals was the first national of 1976 and it was really the first year that the NBA said they would have a national series. I just got a sponsorship riding for the NBA with Mongoose and Shimano supplying me with bikes and parts.
The 1979 Jag World Championship race was huge as BMX was just starting to get big internationally and there were riders there from all over the world. I won $1500 at that race and back then I believe that was one of the largest Pro purses around. It was also the first year (1979) when we (SE Racing) were making and selling the “PK Ripper” so it was cool to win that race riding my own model bike.
One other memorable trip I made was in 1980. Gerrit Does brought David Clinton and me over to the Netherlands to race the AVRO Championships. It was a race that was presented on TV. On that trip Gerrit took David and me to Luxembourg to see the finals of the motocross season and we saw Roger DeCoster win both motos in his final race. I ended up winning the BMX race as well. Gerrit was a great host and I got to be good friends with his family, including his brother in law Pierre Karsmakers.
5. Do you still have some bikes, parts or souvenirs left from your old riding days?
Perry: I do have some stuff but not a lot of old bikes. I moved around a lot in the early ‘80’s and somehow or another a lot of stuff got sold, traded, or just left at some of the places I lived. I do have all of my old BMX newspapers and magazines, and at my moms house there are still the trophies from the major races.
6. What have you being up to since your riding days and how is life treating you?
Perry: Well like I said I still ride bikes a lot and I’m sure I will all of my life. I’ve been married for 22 years to my wife Connie and have 2 teenage kids (Sarah – 19 and Conrad – 16). I work for the best bike company in the world – Giant Bicycles so I get to ride the best bikes in the world. So I would have to say life is treating me good.
Dutch Bmx Squad Nl:
Thank you very much for this interview Perry, its great to hear that life is being good to you and your family. I wish you the very best and hopefully a get together with Gerrit Does at the Jag BMX event next year!
"all the best"
Serge
(forum owner of the DUTCH-BMX-SQUAD at http://www.bmx-forum.nl)
Stu Thompson Scott Breithaupt Perry Kramer
[img]http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff23 ... 7163b6.jpg[/img][/color]
Enjoy reading!!
***********
*************************************************************************
1. How did you get into BMX racing and where was your 1st local track?
Perry: I got into BMX late in 1973. We were always riding at a vacant lot on 12th St. in Santa Monica and one morning a guy rolled up driving a school bus and asked us if we raced those bikes. The guy was Ron Mackler and he put on the races at Palms Park in West LA. We all rode up there the following Thursday night and signed up. So Palms Park was my local track.
2. Who was your toughest competition in those days?
Perry: Well back then it would have been Dave Clinton, Rick Collins, Marvin Church, or Byron Friday. The top racers (Lund, Palfreyman, Stu, Breithaupt) were all in an age class above me.
A few years later when I was competing for the NBA National Title it was Stu Thomsen, Scot Breithaupt, Bobby Encinas, Neil Bonds, Jeff Bottema, & David Clinton.
3. We know you still race, but where could someone find you when you are not at your local track or riding your bike or do you have another hobby besides BMX?
Perry: Well actually I haven’t raced BMX for some time but every now and then I do get out on my 24” and ride the track. I do ride a lot, but mostly mountain bikes. I work for Giant Bicycle as an Account Executive in San Diego & Orange County so I’m in bike shops every day. I also like to golf and I play on a men’s softball team.
4. What was your most memorable moment in racing?
Perry: I do have quite a few but it would either be when I won the 1976 NBA Winternationals or winning the Pro class at the 1979 Jag World Championships. The 1976 Winternationals was the first national of 1976 and it was really the first year that the NBA said they would have a national series. I just got a sponsorship riding for the NBA with Mongoose and Shimano supplying me with bikes and parts.
The 1979 Jag World Championship race was huge as BMX was just starting to get big internationally and there were riders there from all over the world. I won $1500 at that race and back then I believe that was one of the largest Pro purses around. It was also the first year (1979) when we (SE Racing) were making and selling the “PK Ripper” so it was cool to win that race riding my own model bike.
One other memorable trip I made was in 1980. Gerrit Does brought David Clinton and me over to the Netherlands to race the AVRO Championships. It was a race that was presented on TV. On that trip Gerrit took David and me to Luxembourg to see the finals of the motocross season and we saw Roger DeCoster win both motos in his final race. I ended up winning the BMX race as well. Gerrit was a great host and I got to be good friends with his family, including his brother in law Pierre Karsmakers.
5. Do you still have some bikes, parts or souvenirs left from your old riding days?
Perry: I do have some stuff but not a lot of old bikes. I moved around a lot in the early ‘80’s and somehow or another a lot of stuff got sold, traded, or just left at some of the places I lived. I do have all of my old BMX newspapers and magazines, and at my moms house there are still the trophies from the major races.
6. What have you being up to since your riding days and how is life treating you?
Perry: Well like I said I still ride bikes a lot and I’m sure I will all of my life. I’ve been married for 22 years to my wife Connie and have 2 teenage kids (Sarah – 19 and Conrad – 16). I work for the best bike company in the world – Giant Bicycles so I get to ride the best bikes in the world. So I would have to say life is treating me good.
Dutch Bmx Squad Nl:
Thank you very much for this interview Perry, its great to hear that life is being good to you and your family. I wish you the very best and hopefully a get together with Gerrit Does at the Jag BMX event next year!
"all the best"
Serge
(forum owner of the DUTCH-BMX-SQUAD at http://www.bmx-forum.nl)
Stu Thompson Scott Breithaupt Perry Kramer
[img]http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff23 ... 7163b6.jpg[/img][/color]