Spark BMX Launches Training Group

Local teams are due for an innovative shakeup. There are some good ones out there, in the new style, that provide services other than discounts and/or free product. This can mean training, coaching, dedicated practices at a local track, and other such innovative methods. Read more

Podcast: George Costa on His Team Retirement

It has been a long road of ups & downs, with some big successes along the way for George Costa, owner and team manager of Factory Answer/Rennen for the past seven seasons. Before that, he was title sponsor for Rennen-Intense, and got a feel for how the Factory Team scene works. Read more

2018 Factory Answer-Rennen News

OK Riders, set ‘em up! The gate is about to drop on the 2018 season. And as we get every-lastbit of photo gear we have packed up and on its way to Vegas, we get an early peek at the freshened-up, and oh-so-fresh Factory Answer Rennen rider kit for the new season. Read more

Bryce Batten Moves to Haro/US Devo Team

After an awesome year on Factory Throdwn, Arizona star, Bryce Batten announced, on social media, that he was moving to the Dale Holmes and Jamie Staff-led “Haro/US Development Team” for 2018.

The team had a great start in 2017, with Read more

Korea’s WIAWIS Teams Up With Donavon Long

Donavon Long’s eight-time ABA/USA BMX National Champion Factory Team will get a makeover for 2018.

The new year will see the formation of Long’s Sport Group, LLC – a sports marketing agency that Donavon and his wife, Traci, founded. The team will be under the LSG umbrella, and will also act as a service provider for brands wishing to get more deeply involved in the sport of BMX Racing.

BMX News caught up with Big D after the Grands for some details. Here’s what he said:

“With all the experience we have in developing winning athletes and championship teams, it’s a natural progression for us to make that experience available to outside brands that want to plug-in to BMX Racing, or existing industry brands looking to take things to the next level.”

In 2018, Long’s 20-rider-plus squad welcomes Korea’s high-end carbon fiber craftsmen, WIAWIS (pronounced “WeeYa Wiss”) to the program as title sponsor of the WIAWIS/LSG Factory Team. “WIAWIS” stands for “WInning Action, WInning Spirit.”

Though relatively new to the BMX scene, WIAWIS is the world’s leading producer of carbon fiber archery products for competition and sport.

The company has had a carbon BMX frame for two years now and, apart from the LSG tie-in, supports a few Elite riders—most notably, Sylvain Andre of France (above, at the 2017 Grands).

Donavon gave News a little backstory on how the relationship came about, saying:

“Traci and I met up with Hyun Suk Edward Jung (Eddy) at Interbike this year. After talking with Eddy at the show, Traci and I felt that WIAWIS aligned perfectly with our plans for LSG, and the future of the team.”

Watch for the debut of the WIAWIS/LSG Factory team at the 2018 USA BMX Silver Dollar Nationals in Las Vegas on January 13-14.

2018 WIAWIS/LSG Factory Team Co-Sponsors
Promax Components
IRC Tires
Stantec
Box Components
KMC Chains
6D Helmets
HT Pedals
Gaerne Shoes
ODI Grips
Phenom Nutrition
Seven Apparel

*Links added for companies that are also BMX News advertisers

Main Photo (Top):
The WIAWIS “Rokon” Carbon Fiber BMX Race Frame. Sizes: Pro, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL
Main Photo (Bottom):
A post-Grands group shot with 22 members of the team, plus Donavon and Traci (far right)

Stick with BMX News for more on the 2018 WIAWIS/LSG Factory Team, including new additions to the roster.

—Mike Carruth

Spencer Cole Returns to DK

Spencer Cole Returns to DK

On January 20, 2015, BMX News ran the story of Midwestern hotshoe, Spencer Cole’s move form Factory DK to the Dan’s Comp squad. Just-shy of the three year point, and now based in Florida, we learn today that Coletrain is heading back to DK, effective immediately Read more

Answer/Ssquared to Expand Factory Team Westward

Shawn Pischke has run the SpeedTech grassroots team for the past several years from his home base in North Carolina. The team is one of the top grassroots teams for Answer and Ssquared, and influences a lot of racers in the region by their presence at the local, state and regional races—to say nothing of select nationals they hit each year.

Shawn just accepted an awesome new day-job, for which we offer big congrats. The only issue is that it requires a cross-country move, to Southern California.

It would be tough to run a North Carolina team from So. Cal so, after much thought about it, he posted the following on Facebook over the weekend.

After thinking long and hard over it, I’ve decided the final chapter for SpeedTech will come to a close at the Grands. This team has been a huge part of my life past few years, and has given me much more than I’ve given to it.

I wanna thank all the riders who’ve put on the SpeedTech colors over the years, and the sponsors who”ve supported the team.

This will not be the end of the road for me with BMX, and I’m very excited to get started with my new opportunity. I’ll share details with everyone when the time is right.

Sometimes life deals the cards, and you have to play them just-so to turn them into an even-bigger win.

Shawn and Ssquared/Answer jefe, John Sawyer got together, and hatched a plan to make some exciting new plans that will leverage Shawn’s new location to plant the Ssquared and Answer flags on the West Coast, with a new expasion arm of their Answer/Ssquared Factory Team.

Alongside the new plans, Shawn told News the following:

In a month full of changes I’m excited to share that I’ll be staying in the SSquared and Answer BMX camp as team Manager for the soon-to-be-launched West Coast eddition of the Answer Factory Team.

I’ll be at local tracks, gold cups and state races to work with teams and riders interested in joining the SSquared and Answer bmx family.

I’m looking forward to getting out to California, and getting things kicked off.

I’m stoked for the opportunity John Sawyer, Blake Sawyer & Michelle Senger have given me to help expand the factory team and grow SSquared / Answer team and grassroots footprint in California.

Shawn also told us that they want to get the word of the coming expansion team out now (hence this article), so they can talk to riders as their 2017 commitments are coming to an end (between Grands and Jan 1), and get them suited up for the first National of 2018 (wherever that is, since we do not yet have the new schedule).

If you’re a top-hand West coast rider looking to make a move in 2018, or an out-West grassroots team interested in talking to Shawn about making a switch, hit him up at ssquaredwest@gmail.com.

A big BMX News high-five to Shawn for the new West Coast gig, and for making BMX work out as he and his family start their new life in the BMX epicenter of the universe.

—Mike Carruth

Links

Answer BMX Website

Ssquared Bicycles Website

Kevin Pauls Signs With Newly-Reincarnated Formula

If you are a News fan, you know we have been following Kevin Pauls and his 2017 program pretty closely. After a brief stop in the Supercross team pit, Kevin moved to a jersey promoting his own “KEEV” line of products (BMX News March 28, 2017).

Within hours of that announcement, Kevin sustained an injury at the Carolina Nationals in Rock Hill that sidelined him for a few weeks. That’s all behind him now and, as the Las Vegas Nationals get started out-west, Kevin gave us an early peek at the new sponsor deal he will announce on Saturdasy.

Formula BMX is a brand that dropped off the radar more than a few years ago. There is no consensus around the office on a “last-seen” date, but it feels like it was 2010 or 2011 (again, we could be wrong about that, especially if you factor-in outside the US markets, but that is our best guess).

No matter. Formula is back for the modern era, under the command of John Chou—a name you may not recognize, but someone who is a major behind-the-scenes industry figure.

Both Kevin and John spoke to News exclusively about their new partnership. First, Kevin:

In 2009, about a year after I started racing, my dad purchased my first custom BMX bike: a Formula Nucleus. Knowing that Donny Robinson was previously on a Formula frame, I thought it was the coolest frame on the market, and I wasn’t disappointed. Unfortunately, only a couple years later, Formula seemed to disappear from the world of BMX. And that’s how it was for several more years, until now.

Fast-forward to 2017 after riding for Factory Mom and Dad under my “KEEV Products” name for the past three months. While chilling at the hotel after a long day of racing, I received a message from John Chou at Formula BMX. I couldn’t have been more surprised at seeing that same brand name reaching out to me as the one that I had idolized way back in 2009. Learning that this was to be a solid revival of Formula from years before, I couldn’t have been more honored to secure a spot on the new Formula International Factory Team as the first rider from the United States.

I’d like to thank John Chou for giving me such an opportunity as this to wear the orange and black colors of Formula BMX. Make sure to keep an eye out for when I test new Formula parts on my bike, and follow @formulabmx on Instagram for updates on the team and future products. The Formula brand was great in the past, but I believe that this revival will only make it more prominent in the BMX world than ever before

—Kevin Pauls

Is Formula BMX REALLY coming back?! Well, comeback stories are always nice and fuzzy to hear about, but what this really is about, is a NEW beginning. Formula BMX started out 12 years ago with a simple purpose and pure passion. And while it may seem that for a time, under the previous regime, that we had lost our way, Formula is on a mission to bring back what is really important to the sport we love and live. It is the sport that brings the kids, their family, and their love of riding into one ultimate life experience.

As the cliché goes, action speaks louder than words, so starting in 2017, Formula BMX has quietly yet aggressively put together a core of the best young and bright stars across the world to represent our brand and our mission.

In the United States, where the stars shine the brightest, we are so stoked to be able to bring on board one of the best young riders in the world – Kevin Pauls. Not only is he talented and super fast, he’s a wonderful role model to young riders, carries awesome academic prowess, and his family has always been there 100% – now if that’s not the best rep for Formula in the US, I don’t know who is.

So Formula BMX is extremely proud to officially announce that Kevin will be a part of the Formula International Factory Team, and we are totally excited to be able to work with him on all aspects, from race support to product development for years to come. Welcome to the Formula family Kevin!!

—John Chou

If you’re in Vegas this weekend, you’ll be among the first to see KP rockin his fresh Formula jersey, as of Saturday. We will be bringing you updates to this story, including more on the “new” Formula, as info comes in to the BMX News Global Command Center.

A big BMX News congratulations to Kevin and Formula for putting things together!

Taylor Riedemann Joins Haro Promax

Haro Promax rang-in to the secret BMX News ScoopLine with news that a new Factory jersey has been ordered-up for Taylor Riedemann, high-flyin 17-18 Expert from Cambridge, MN.

News has been known to call him “Reel-em-in-Riedemann” for his artful third and fourth straight charges Read more

Cameron Moore Joins Factory Yess

The BMX News “Big Ears” ticker never rests, not even when the Easter Bunny is visiting. We picked up a Sunday scoop that’s so sweet, it would put any Cadbury egg to shame.

Cameron Moore—one of the most notable A-Pros joining the class in 2017 will be touching down at the Lone Star Nationals this weekend in Factory Yess colors. That is a way-solid pickup for Lisa Motley and her East Coast team. Such an addition is all-the-more newsworthy when it comes mid-season.

News caught up with Cam in the late hours of the weekend, and he had this to say:

I’m super-excited to be joining one of the best teams out there. Factory Yess has such a great atmosphere and I’m happy to represent such an influential company!

Thanks to Donavon and Traci Long for the support for the past three years, I wouldn’t be the person and rider I am today without them.

Lisa said the following of adding Cameron to the crew

We at Yess BMX are thrilled to have Cam join the family. Like most of the BMX community, I have been watching Cam win races with style and grace since he’s been a little kid.

He has had a spectacular start in his pro career. Cam has been the most consistent rider in the class and is currently leading the A pro point standings.

Cam brings a lifetime of racing experience to the Yess BMX pro line up. We are looking forward to having Cam and his family in the Yess BMX pit this season.

As we noted up-top, watch for Cam in his new gear this weekend when the 2017 USA BMX national series stops in the Austin, TX area for the Lone Star Nationals.

A big BMX News congrats to Cameron on the new ride, and also to Lisa, Renny, Bill and the rest of the Yess BMX family on adding a true hotshoe, and all-around great guy to the roster.

Links

Yess BMX Website

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