STU THOMSEN / SCOT BREITHAUPT (Corona 1979) | The Jarvis BMX Archive |

STU THOMSEN / SCOT BREITHAUPT (Corona 1979) | The Jarvis BMX Archive |
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The Stuntabiker Channel is proud to bring you some amazing ‘never before seen’ archive footage shot by British BMX Hall of Famer Malcolm Jarvis in 1979. Malcolm is pretty much responsible for kickstarting the incredible rise of BMX in the UK, he was the first to bring in American BMX bikes and BMX Plus Magazine. On his USA trip in 1979 Malcolm shot some incredible footage of Bob Haro and Stu Thomsen and now we can bring it to you in several parts, this is part two, ‘Introducing Stu Thomsen’.
Here’s the story as it happened in 1979.
In December 1979 Malcolm Jarvis, decided to go and look for BMX, Malcolm tells the story “The next day at the US Embassy, there were very long lines, so I took an official to one side and explained I was going to California, to sign a contract for ten thousand USA made Mongoose BMX Bikes. I was ushered through a side door and on the long flight to LAX worked out how to bring the sport of BMX back to Britain. Colour was the answer! I had to find a US BMX magazine and import it. The Motocross mags were excellent so there must be a decent BMX Mag.”
At LAX the taxi driver took him to several close by hotels, but all fully booked, so he headed South twenty-five miles to Torrance and a Ramada Inn with space. The Next morning Malcolm flicked through the telephone directory, (just in case) and was lucky, bingo! BMX Plus Magazine was listed. Malcolm waited for his rental Mustang and called BMX Plus. “Where are you in California? It was fate, my hotel was 200 yards from their offices. So, by pure chance, I was walking distance from a good Colour BMX Magazine” Malcolm met with Jim Stevens, and promptly ordered 4000 Magazines a month and secured the European Rights.
Next was a meet with SE Racing’s Scott Breithaupt, “He was the Father of BMX and a wild, dynamic PR genius. It was a small factory where the riders also worked, Stu Thomsen, Perry Kramer, and a couple of others. I ordered three bikes to take home with me.”
Malcolm then went on to Bicycle Motocross Action. “A better mag than BMX Plus, seemed more authentic with a proper working team. Bob Osborn, his son RL and a couple of others and a gifted artist ad man / graphic designer called Bob Haro. They said Bob could do amazing tricks which I had to see, but he had a sprained wrist. No complaints or excuses from Bob though, he just got on with it and played for my Super 8, Canon pocket movie camera. All in their car park.”
Sunday Malcolm headed off with Breithaupt and Thompson a long way South to Corona Raceway. “Corona was a track that ran downhill all the way, it had a long steep run down to the first corner, a tight left. You could go quite fast over the whole course without having to pedal and I took part in one of these `coaster races i.e. no pedaling! This was the day Scott built a soil ramp and jumped over my head to make a record leap. We measured it with a tape he was carrying. I took a movie and shot some stills.”
A highlight of the trip was getting back from Corona, when Scott Breithaupt suggested they go racing something different. “It was his full beans 2 stroke kart, there was no track around Long Beach, but Scott had several traffic cones. Three-man job, one person blocked off the traffic with the cones, one person handled the stopwatch and the third raced the course on this three-way junction. I couldn’t beat the lightweight Scott, but at least I left his mate well behind.”
Next there were visits to the NBA and a meet with Skip Hess at Mongoose up in the North Hollywood area and put that order in for 10,000 bikes. “From Mongoose I obtained a mass of ad and promotion material which we used in the mail shots at home a few weeks later. The Haro track designs and other promo stuff he had done were invaluable.”
In terms of the birth of British BMX, the rest they say, is history!
➡️ The Stuntabiker Channel is a journey back to the 80s & 90s. It’s the world’s greatest library of Old School BMX Racing and Freestyle videos. Our Channel Features over 1,000 videos of legendary BMX Racing & Freestyle riders. Stars like Andy Ruffell, Eddy King, Stu Thomsen, Eddie Fiola, Craig Schofield, Tim Judge, Richie Anderson, Gary Ellis, Tim March, Geth Shooter, Andy Patterson, Brian Patterson, Nelson Chanady, Eric Rupe, Harry Leary, Tommy Brackens, Mike Miranda, Clint Miller, Greg Hill, Mike Dominguez and many more.
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[@darrenrogers5735]

He was crazy and wide open. Would have taken a lot of guts to ride BMX at those speeds downhill. Much respect!

[@tomhurstdrums]

Man… these videos make me want to make a trip out and drive around to the locations where these tracks once existed. (I know, they’re all subdivisions now. 😅)

[@nyemartin5737]

Was that Scott Briethapt on the OM Flyer? 🤔

[@melbournechugging2999]

Yes it's him

[@staffh3815]

Put the mx back into bmx😂 great footage❤

[@MrMLD1972]

👍🏾

[@mikehagen3785]

This is super bitchin!