Bobby Encinas
Encyclopedia
Bobby Encinas is a former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1980. He was one of the first superstars in BMX and one of its most savvy promoters. Raised in the barrio
of Canoga Park, he had a juvenile criminal record for theft
and was on probation for consuming alcohol and drugs before he was 12 years old. He credits BMX for saving him from a life of crime. As a result he devoted much of his BMX career and after to promoting the sport at the grass-roots level, training kids in his BMX clinics, of which he was a pioneer, and launching future BMX careers and winning the respect and love of the BMX world.
Started Racing: Officially in mid 1973 at age 12 at Soledad Sands Park BMX track in Acton, California
. According to the July 1974 issue of Bicycle Mototcross News he was racing by the time of publication 10 months. He was one of the children that were pretending to be racing Motorcycle Motocross (MX) an MX promoter, Ernie Alexander, noticed one day during the summer of 1973. That experience led Alexander to eventually start the National Bicycle Association
(NBA) some six months later. Prior to that, it was David Clinton
and Marvin Church who introduced him into the sport prior to racing in sanctioned races. As with many of the very first BMXers they were devoted Motorcycle Motocross (MX) fans and like to pretend they were racing motorcycles, attaching various accoutrements like false fuel tanks and fenders, emulating their favorite MX idols.
First racing bike: Schwinn Stingray
Sanctioning body: Independent.
Sanctioning body district(s): NBA Southern California District X (1975–1981).
First race result: Last.
First win (local):
First sponsor: Peddler's West Bike Shop in mid 1973.
First national win: He won the very first Sidehack class with Thom Lund at the very first National on March 29, 1975 at the NBA Winternationals in Phoenix, Arizona
. In the individual 20" class he came in second place to John George
in 14 & Over Expert class. His first solo 20" win was in the 14-17 Expert Class at the National Pedal Sport Association
(NPSA) Eastern Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia
on September 7, 1975.
Turned professional: 1977
First Professional race* result:
First Professional** win:
Retired: He had essentially went into semi retirement in 1979 after winning the NBA Southern California District No. 1 title in 1978. Starting in the 1979 season he concentrated mostly on the Public Relations aspect of BMX to promote it nationally and internationally. He retired from 20" racing in after the 1980 racing season, but he would race in the 20" pro class again to aid in his teaching tours and to keep in shape, restarting with the 1981 National Bicycle Motocross Association (NBmxA) (formerly known as the National Bicycle Association (NBA)) Western States Championship in Fresno, California
. He continued to race Cruisers competitively until 1983.
Height and Weight at the height of his BMX career (1977): Ht:5'4 (approx) Wt:135 lbs.
National Bicycle League (NBL)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
(NBA)
National Bicycle League
(NBL)
American Bicycle Association
(ABA)
United Bicycle Racers
(UBR)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
(USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Pro Series Championships
As far back as the summer of 1974 when he had only been racing for ten months, Bicycle Motocross News predicted that he would be the Henry Kissinger
of BMX:
Several BMX superstars have followed in Bobby Encinas's footsteps, including Perry Kramer
and Mike Poulson
. Greg Hill
's Speed Clinics are a modern descendant of Bobby's first works.
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action: & Go
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt: (ABA Publication)
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication under two names):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three different names):
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1980. He was one of the first superstars in BMX and one of its most savvy promoters. Raised in the barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
of Canoga Park, he had a juvenile criminal record for theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
and was on probation for consuming alcohol and drugs before he was 12 years old. He credits BMX for saving him from a life of crime. As a result he devoted much of his BMX career and after to promoting the sport at the grass-roots level, training kids in his BMX clinics, of which he was a pioneer, and launching future BMX careers and winning the respect and love of the BMX world.
Racing career milestones
----Started Racing: Officially in mid 1973 at age 12 at Soledad Sands Park BMX track in Acton, California
Acton, California
Acton was founded in 1887 by gold miners who were working in the Red Rover Mine. It was named after Acton, Massachusetts by one of the miners. Two of the best-known gold mines located in Acton were the Red Rover mine and the Governors mine. Mining of gold, copper, and titanium ore continued into...
. According to the July 1974 issue of Bicycle Mototcross News he was racing by the time of publication 10 months. He was one of the children that were pretending to be racing Motorcycle Motocross (MX) an MX promoter, Ernie Alexander, noticed one day during the summer of 1973. That experience led Alexander to eventually start the National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle Association
The National Bicycle Association , later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association was an United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie Alexander in 1973 and ceased operations as an independent body in 1981...
(NBA) some six months later. Prior to that, it was David Clinton
David Clinton
David Clinton is an "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "Dynamite" early in his career David Clinton could be truthfully said to be the sport's first true superstar...
and Marvin Church who introduced him into the sport prior to racing in sanctioned races. As with many of the very first BMXers they were devoted Motorcycle Motocross (MX) fans and like to pretend they were racing motorcycles, attaching various accoutrements like false fuel tanks and fenders, emulating their favorite MX idols.
First racing bike: Schwinn Stingray
Sanctioning body: Independent.
Sanctioning body district(s): NBA Southern California District X (1975–1981).
First race result: Last.
First win (local):
First sponsor: Peddler's West Bike Shop in mid 1973.
First national win: He won the very first Sidehack class with Thom Lund at the very first National on March 29, 1975 at the NBA Winternationals in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. In the individual 20" class he came in second place to John George
John George (BMX racer)
John George was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from .-Racing career milestones:----Started racing: September 1972...
in 14 & Over Expert class. His first solo 20" win was in the 14-17 Expert Class at the National Pedal Sport Association
National Pedal Sport Association
The National Pedal Sport Association was a South Eastern USA regional Bicycle Motocross sanctioning body originally based in Palm Harbor, Florida. It then soon after moved to Dunedin, Florida for most of its existence. Then in its last years Pinellas Park, Florida was its headquarters...
(NPSA) Eastern Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
on September 7, 1975.
Turned professional: 1977
First Professional race* result:
First Professional** win:
Retired: He had essentially went into semi retirement in 1979 after winning the NBA Southern California District No. 1 title in 1978. Starting in the 1979 season he concentrated mostly on the Public Relations aspect of BMX to promote it nationally and internationally. He retired from 20" racing in after the 1980 racing season, but he would race in the 20" pro class again to aid in his teaching tours and to keep in shape, restarting with the 1981 National Bicycle Motocross Association (NBmxA) (formerly known as the National Bicycle Association (NBA)) Western States Championship in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
. He continued to race Cruisers competitively until 1983.
Height and Weight at the height of his BMX career (1977): Ht:5'4 (approx) Wt:135 lbs.
Amateur
- Pedaler's West Bike Shop: Mid 1973-July 31, 1974.
- Kawasaki Motors: August 1, 1974-Late 1974. Apparently left Kawasaki under poor circumstances—. There seemed to be a hint of friction between Kawsaki and its team if this quote is to be any guide:
"Anonymous rumor: Kawasaki, you'd better bridge the communications gap with your team or... ----reported by Bob Osborn in the September 1976 "The California BMX Rider"
- Rick's Bike Shop: Late 1974-1975
- Shimano Sales Corporation: 1975-December 1981. He was their very first sponsored racer. He would turn pro with this sponsor.
Professional
- Shimano Sales Corporation: 1975-December 1981. He was also the team Captain
- Scorpion BMX: February 1982-December 1983
- Larry Wilcox Actionline: January 1983- . Strictly speaking this was not a sponsorship as much as being an employee. Encinas became a teaching pro and spokesman with this BMX apparel company that Larry WilcoxLarry WilcoxLarry Wilcox is an American actor, best known for his role as Officer Jonathan "Jon" Baker in CHiPs, an American television series.-Military service:...
, the former costar of the 1977-1983 American television show "CHiPsCHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
" (Wilcox left the show in 1982) fame owned. He continued his touring BMX teaching clinic that he had conducted for the previous five years under the Wilcox name.
Amateur
National Bicycle Association (NBA)- 1975 National No.2. It was a controversial finish since Bobby won two nationals and came in eighth in a third while David ClintonDavid ClintonDavid Clinton is an "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "Dynamite" early in his career David Clinton could be truthfully said to be the sport's first true superstar...
came in with a second, an eighth and a first. In spite of the record David Clinton received the no.1 plate, even after Encinas was declared winner of it originally.
- 1976 Sidehack Western States Champion with partner John GeorgeJohn George (BMX racer)John George was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from .-Racing career milestones:----Started racing: September 1972...
.
- 1976, 1978 Southern California District No.1 and California State Champion.
National Bicycle League (NBL)
- 1980 29 & Under Cruiser Grandnational Champion*
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- None
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
- None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
- None
Professional
National Bicycle AssociationNational Bicycle Association
The National Bicycle Association , later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association was an United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie Alexander in 1973 and ceased operations as an independent body in 1981...
(NBA)
- 1979 Southern California District No.1
National Bicycle League
National Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio...
(NBL)
- None
American Bicycle Association
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA...
(ABA)
- None
United Bicycle Racers
United Bicycle Racers Association
The United Bicycle Racers was a short-lived Bicycle Motocross racing sanctioning body based in Modesto, California which was started by John Valdez, a bike shop owner, on his 18th birthday that lasted from 1977-1983. At its peak it had 34 tracks in California and Nevada...
(UBR)
- None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
- None
Pro Series Championships
Notable accolades
- He had once owned the very first BMX Products/Mongoose racing frame. Unfortunately he lost it after it fell off the back of a truck.
- With Thom Lund, he won the very first Sidehack class at the very first NBA National on March 29, 1975 in Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
- Received the Sportsmanship Trophy in 1975 after Scot BreithauptScot BreithauptScot Alexander Breithaupt is an entrepreneur, "Old School" former professional Motorcycle MX and Bicycle Motocross racer and a founding father of BMX in 1970 whose prime competitive years were from 1970 to 1984...
accidentally knocked him into a mud hole during the NBA Tri-State Championship in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, ArizonaTucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
on March 30, 1975 (the second day of the very first nationals ever held), almost drowning in the process.
- Bobby had the original idea of not only becoming an active spokesman for BMX while sponsored by a major BMX component maker, as was Scot Breithaupt previously, but to become one at the grass roots level. Shimano Sales Corporation sent him to bicycle trade shows on Public Relations tours around the nation. While doing so, he hit upon the idea of helping directly introducing children to the world of BMX directly since he was one of the first pioneers of BMX, there was no one to help him when he was a beginner. He promoted the sport of BMX at schools and BMX tracks across the country feeling that nationals were for the "bigger and wealthier kids" and the sport need to remember the "little guys". His Bobby Encinas Tour in 1980 was the first major coordinated swing around the country making 30 stops at schools and BMX tracks traveling 22,000 miles. It was his idea to tutor up and coming racers in the sport he loved. Donny AthertonDonny AthertonDonald Atherton is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1978-1982.-Racing career milestones:----...
was one of his first and most famous disciplesStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
in 1977. The culmination of his Tours was the international 1981 Bobby Encinas World BMX Tour and Pro Racing School in which he held training schools in several nations including SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as well as making time for a United States summer tour leg before going to JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and back to EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
- Encinas was the very first winner of Bicycle Motocross Action's Number One Rider Award (NORA) in 1978* He won a Bell RT open faced helmet that was custom painted by Mike Vils plus US$150 cash prize from the magazine itself. No voter totals or breakdown provided.
- He was one of the founding members of the Professional Racing Organization (PRO) racers guildGuildA guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
in 1977.
- He is a 1987 ABA BMX Hall of Fame Inductee.
Significant injuries
- Two broken wrists in 1976. The first while trail riding his Yamaha YZ-125 motorcycle. Someone cut him off and he grabbed his front brake too hard, reacting as racing a bicycle. The second happened on a bicycle track in approximately September. He raced the last months of the 1976 season in a cast.
BMX product lines
- Product Evaluation:
Racing traits and habits
- He never won a National Bicycle Association (NBA) national during his career on the 20 inch bicycle. He did win several sidehack races at nationals with his partner John GeorgeJohn George (BMX racer)John George was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from .-Racing career milestones:----Started racing: September 1972...
. He also did win the Cruiser Class at the 1980 NBA Grand National on the 26 incher but he never won on the twenty on the national level with the NBA. He did win a $3,000 purse at a 1980 National Bicycle League (NBL) National in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
on the 20 inch bicycle, earning him an interview on the evening national news magazine program P.M. Magazine. He never felt that he had missed something never winning a title and only a few individual races on the national level. He once said:
"I've never won an NBA National, but I've won plenty of championships. You don't have to be a National champ to be a winner." --Super BMX April 1981
Post BMX career
For the rest of the 1980s Mr. Eincinas continued his career as a teaching Pro instructing young BMX racers at various tracks across the country as he did as an active competitive pro. He always reached out to kids to get involve in BMX to possibly keep them from falling into the same type of trouble he did as a young boy, being involved in petty crimes including shoplifting and stealing bicycles. As noted, he credits BMX for saving him from a life of crime."If it hadn't been for BMX I'd probably still be in the barrio smoking, lying, drinking and stealing."
"We all need to remember the little guys, the small kids. They're the future of this sport. That's who I'm really doing it all for." --Both Bobby Encinas Super BMX April 1981.
As far back as the summer of 1974 when he had only been racing for ten months, Bicycle Motocross News predicted that he would be the Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
of BMX:
"We fell that a manufacturer would not only be getting an expert rider, but a great public relations person - perhaps the Henry Kissinger of bicycle motocross!" --Bicycle Motocross News July 1974.
Several BMX superstars have followed in Bobby Encinas's footsteps, including Perry Kramer
Perry Kramer
Perry Kramer is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1974-1981....
and Mike Poulson
Mike Poulson
Michael Poulson is an American "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981-1987.-Racing career milestones:...
. Greg Hill
Greg A. Hill
Gregory Alan Hill is a former "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1977 to 1989...
's Speed Clinics are a modern descendant of Bobby's first works.
BMX press magazine interviews and articles
- "Personality Profile: Bobby Encinas" Bicycle Motocross News July 1974 Vol.1 No.2 pg.6
- Minicycle/BMX Action September 1976 Vol.3 No.9.
- "Ask the Experts...: 'What type of tires do you use?'" BMX Plus! January 1979 Vol.2 No.1 pg.51 Brief article on what brand and size of tires he uses racing.
- "The Bobby Encinas Story" Bicycle Motocross Action April 1978 Vol.3 No.2 pg.34
- "BMX Is My Life" Super BMX April 1981 Vol.8 No.4 pg.37
BMX magazine covers
Bicycle Motocross News:- October 1974 Vol.1 No.5 with David ClintonDavid ClintonDavid Clinton is an "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1979. Nicknamed "Dynamite" early in his career David Clinton could be truthfully said to be the sport's first true superstar...
- January 1975 Vol.2 No.1 with David Clinton, John GeorgeJohn George (BMX racer)John George was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from .-Racing career milestones:----Started racing: September 1972...
and Jack Shannon. - March 1978 Vol.4 No.3 behind John George. This was the last issue of BMX News published.
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- April 1981 Vol.8 No.4 main image. Racer Tim JudgeTim JudgeTimothy Judge is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1979-1985. When he was a young racer his given name was used in the diminutive "Timmy"...
in top corner insert.(SBMX)
Bicycle Motocross Action: & Go
- June 1977 Vol.1 No.3 (BMXA)
- September 1979 Vol.3 No.7 (BMXA)
- February 1981 Vol.6 No.2 (54) second from right in fourth place behind John Crews (53) leading, Scot BreithauptScot BreithauptScot Alexander Breithaupt is an entrepreneur, "Old School" former professional Motorcycle MX and Bicycle Motocross racer and a founding father of BMX in 1970 whose prime competitive years were from 1970 to 1984...
(23) in second, Kenny Nachman (142) in third, and ahead of Seth Buccieri (5) in fifth.
BMX Plus!:
- None
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt: (ABA Publication)
- None
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication under two names):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three different names):