Jeff Bottema
Encyclopedia
Jeffery Bottema was an American professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1976 to 1981. He had the nickname of "Battling".
Started bacing: Mid 1974 at 14 years old. His father brought him a monoshock BMX bicycle and he tried out racing.
Sanctioning body:
First race result:
First win (local):
Sanctioning body district(s): National Bicycle Association
(NBA) District "X" (Southern California/Los Angeles) 1973-1981.
First sponsor: Two Wheeler's BMX 1974.
First national win: In 14-17 Novice Class at the National Pedal Sport Association
(NPSA) Eastern Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia
on September 7, 1975.
Turned Professional:
First Professional race* result:
First Professional* win:
Retired: At the end of the 1983 season. During the last two years of his career he mostly raced 24" Cruiser Class.
Height & weight at height of his career: (1983) Ht:5'11 Wt:165 lbs.
National Bicycle League (NBL)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Independent race series and invitationals:
(NBA)
National Bicycle League
(NBL)
American Bicycle Association
(ABA)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
(USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Pro Series Championships
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt:
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
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 1976 to 1981. He had the nickname of "Battling".
Racing career milestones
----Started bacing: Mid 1974 at 14 years old. His father brought him a monoshock BMX bicycle and he tried out racing.
Sanctioning body:
First race result:
First win (local):
Sanctioning body district(s): 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) District "X" (Southern California/Los Angeles) 1973-1981.
First sponsor: Two Wheeler's BMX 1974.
First national win: In 14-17 Novice 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:
First Professional race* result:
First Professional* win:
Retired: At the end of the 1983 season. During the last two years of his career he mostly raced 24" Cruiser Class.
Height & weight at height of his career: (1983) Ht:5'11 Wt:165 lbs.
Amateur
- Two Wheeler's BMX: 1974-May 1975
- Webco Inc.: May 1975-March 1976. Webco disbanded its team in March 1976.
- D.G. Performance Specialist (The initials stood for Dan Hangsleben, Gary Harlow): Late April 1976-July 1979. In April 1977 Bottema supposedly briefly "retired" to race motorcycle motocrossMotocrossMotocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
(MX) for D.G., much like how 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...
briefly "retired" from BMX to race MX in Early 1976 for his then sponsor Kawasaki MotorsKawasaki Heavy Industriesis an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
. However, Bottema totally retiring from BMX was an incorrect announcement. He concentrated on MX while racing some BMX. Bottema started racing BMX full time again in early 1978
Professional
- D.G. Performance Specialist: Late April 1976-July 1979.
- Raleigh Cycle Company of America: July 1979-Mid January 1981. Raleigh dropped its racing team in January 1981. According to teammate Toby Henderson Raleigh allegedly strung himself and Jeff Bottema along with false promises of a new contract for the 1982 season only to abruptly dropped by Raleigh:
Toby Henderson: "...I was getting a couple of good contracts coming up, and I turned them all down, because I kept calling Raleigh, and saying, "Well, are we going to do something next year?" "Oh yeah, oh yeah, we're really going to be full force next year." [Raleigh's alleged response-ed.] So I turned some good contracts down, and I let it all slide, until the middle of January, when I called them up and said, "Well, where's the contracts? Let's get some contracts going," and they said, Well, we decided we're going to go TV advertisement," and that's all they said, like "Click." [imitating a phone hang up-ed.] And we [Henderson and Bottema-ed.] said, "Huh?" Here we turned down like three or four good contracts in October, when all the other teams were setting their budgets up and looking for their riders for the next year." ---BMX Plus! October 1982
- Ironically, Raleigh would restart its BMX sponsoring program a year later.
- Mountain Dew: Late 1980-Mid 1981. During the early spring and summer of 1981 he was part of the Mountain DewMountain DewMountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
exhibition team that toured the US demonstrating BMX racing, freestyle and BMX safety. His teammates included Perry KramerPerry KramerPerry Kramer is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1974-1981....
, Harry LearyHarry LearyHarry Clarence Leary Jr. was a "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer....
, Stu ThomsenStu ThomsenStuart L. Thomsen was an American bicycle motocross racer.Stu Thomsen was one of the first of the "Old School" of professional BMX racers who gained fame in the early days of the sport beginning in 1974. His prime competitive years were from 1976-1985...
, Brent PattersonBrent Patterson (BMX rider)Brent Hathaway Patterson is a former American "Old School" bicycle motocross racer....
, Bob Haro and R.L. Osborn (this was concurrent and in addition to their primary sponsor at the time).
- Murray of Ohio Corporation: August 1981-December 1983* Jeff Bottema became road team manager as well as a racer in May 1982. Scott ClarkScott Clark (BMX rider)Scott Clark is an "Old School" former professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1978 to 1985....
succeeded him in that position after Bottema retired from racing.
Amateur
National Bicycle Association (NBA)- 1975 14 & Over Intermediate Grandnational Champion #1 (Tinker JuarezTinker JuarezDavid Juarez is a former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer and current top mountain bike racer whose prime competitive years in BMX were from 1978 to 1984 and in mountain bike racing 1986 to the present. Since 1986, he has been a mountain bike racer and since late 2005, competing...
was the winner of the second Main).
- 1977 16 Expert NBA/Mongoose Exhibition winner (First race; 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...
won the second group of 16 Experts). In 1977 the NBA held an exhibitionExhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
race during the halftime period between the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Los Angeles RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
football game at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in August 1977 (the Rams moved from Los Angeles, California to St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1994). The racers in the mains during halftime were invited after an NBA race at Rancho San Diego on September 19, 1976 in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
National Bicycle League (NBL)
- 1976 Class F (15 Expert) NML/Schwinn Gold Cup winner††
- ††In 1976 the National Motocross League (NML) (the motorcycle motorcross racing parent organization of the NBL) with the sponsorship of the Schwinn Bicycle Company held the final Gold Cup mains races (after having two qualifying events several days before) as an exhibition during the halftime period in a pre-season NFL football game between the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in the Orange BowlMiami Orange BowlThe Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
in Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on July 31, 1976 in front of and estimated 50,000 spectators.
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- None
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
- None
Independent race series and invitationals:
- 1975 Heavyweight* Intermediate Nevada State Champion
- 1976 16 Expert California Cup winner.
- The California Cup was a non sanctioned series of three qualifying races held at three tracks (for a total of nine separate races) in three different regions of Northern California. Then the finals were held. The series was sponsored and promoted by BX-Weekly Magazine, a BMX newspaper and Rick Varner (R&R) Racing Products. The finals were held at the famous Corona Raceway on September 5, 1976.
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)
- None
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 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 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. - In 1980 with then fellow Raleigh teammate Toby Henderson, Bottema became one of the first Americans to be invited to Europe to promote and demonstrate BMX racing.
- Created and manufactured one of BMX's most popular and famous bicycle components: the Bottema Bullet Fork. It was a tubular unicrown fork manufactured by his company that was the most popular and respected component of its type since Redline Engineering came out with the very first unicrown tube fork for BMX bicycles in 1974. The original M-1 Bullet Fork had extra thick chromoly tubing at .065" and extra long fork legs than other tubular forks of that period to reduce flex while the weight was still competitive with the lighter forks on the market. They are also of the "straight design, .i.e the fork legs are parallel with the head tube as opposed to the legs being angled forward slightly giving the bicycle a longer wheelbase. To compensate the Bottema M-1 fork had a one inch axle lead. These first models were particularly popular with BMX freestyle skatepark bowl riders like Jeff Watson and Eddie FiolaEddie FiolaEdward Lynn Fiola in Bellflower, California, USA was a professional freestyle BMX rider in the 1980s and a film stuntman....
for their extra durability. Bottema had also came out in 1979 with C-1 cruiser models for 26" cruiser racing bicycles. In early 1981 he came out with the M-2 racing model with thinner tubing with the axle line further down the tube legs.
- In 1987 he won what was called the 1st Annual Masters Series, an exhibition Veteran's Pro class of old time racers of the early 1970s that was held at the ABA Supernationals in San Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
on January 18, 1987. It was staged and promoted by 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...
a pioneer in BMX racing. It was the equivalent of Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Old-Timers' DayOld-Timers' DayOld-Timers' Day generally refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball of a team, especially the New York Yankees, devoting the early afternoon preceding a weekend late afternoon game to celebrate the baseball-related accomplishments of its former players who have since retired...
exhibition baseball games in which retired stars of the past play a nostalgic friendly game to remember the greats of baseball. This BMX "Old-Timers game" not only featured past stars but their past equipment. The era of 1974-1976 was preferred. No bicycle frame made after 1978 was allowed in the race, although more modern components like Hutch Pedals and GT hubs were allowed for the comfort of the racers. However, for the most part the equipment and uniforms were vintage early to late 1970s. Some looked like they were in storage for years. Past stars like Dennis Dain wore his old Ralph's Bike Shop/Cook Bros. jersey along with his old helmet and number plate. Bottema raced his old DG frame, numberplate and his complete vintage DG uniform complete with helmet from the mid-1970s. Even a Yamaha mono-shock Moto-bike with front and rear suspension ridden by Mark Parerria made an appearance.
- The order of finish for this proto Veterans Pro Class were:
- Jeff Bottema
- Dennis Dain
- 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...
- Bryan Webb
- Jumpin' John Wells
- Pete Harrigan
- Friendly Fred Thomas
- Mark Parerria
- This race was the for runner of the Veterans and Masters classes which started in the early 1990s by the ABA and NBL (respectively).
- He is a 1990 Inductee to the ABA BMX Hall of Fame.
BMX product lines
- 1979: The Bottema Bullet Fork a unicrown tublar Fork manufactured by his own company.
- Product Evaluations:
- Bicycle Motocross Action February 1982 Vol.7 No.2 pg.80
- Product Evaluations:
- 1980 Raleigh Team Issue Bottema Signature series frame.
- Product Evaluations:
Significant injuries
- His most significant-and life threatening-injury happened off the track and a couple of months after his retirement from racing. On March 16, 1984 Jeff Bottema was abducted and stabbed multiple times in a robbery in Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
while traveling with the Murray Bicycle Road RacingRoad bicycle racingRoad bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
team. Police rushed him to Parkland Memorial HospitalParkland Memorial HospitalParkland Memorial Hospital is a hospital located at 5201 Harry Hines Boulevard, just west of Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas . It is the main hospital of the Dallas County Hospital District and serves as Dallas County's public hospital.- History :The original hospital opened in 1894 in a wooden...
(the same hospital that treated a fatally injured President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
on November 22, 1963) where he was placed on the critical condition list after undergoing two operations and given many blood transfusions. By September 1984 he was virtually fully recovered and in good health.
Racing habits and traits
- He was known for his uneven teeth, much like Anthony SewellAnthony SewellAnthony Sewell was a professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1978 to 1984. He was nicknamed "The Panther". He got the moniker jumping curbs in his neighborhood and neighborhood kids likened his jumping to that of a cat. This was soon converted to...
would later be known for his Coke bottle bottom glasses. Bicycle Motocross News once commented with in-joke irony when it announced his position on a new team:
- Colgate was a well known tooth paste manufacture. He would later correct his teeth with braces beginning around 1982.
Miscellaneous and Trivia
- Bottema was the very first advanced subscription holder of Bicycle Motocross Action when he purchase one o September 5, 1976 at Corona Raceway at a coast of US$3.00
- In July 1982 Bottema purchased the industry respected Pedal Power Bike Shop.
Post BMX career
- His immediate path after his retirement from completive racing after the 1983 racing season, he moved to Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and took a position with Murray Ohio as the Murray Race Team coordinator and its in-house BMX specialist. His $35,000 a year position was responsible for both the Road and BMX racing teams. He was also the Race Coordinator of the then-annual Murray World Cup races. In 1985 he quit Murray and went to work for Lee World. He then joined Mor Distributing which manufactured the then-popular Scootster scooter. He also still had his famous fork manufacturing company.
BMX press magazine interviews and articles
- "Win, win is motto" Bicycle Motocross News January/February 1975 Vol.2 No.1 pg.14. Brief profile within article about the Two Wheeler's Racing Team.
- "Jeff Bottema" Bicycle Motocross Action June 1977 Vol.2 No.2 pg.11
- "Interview: Jeff Bottema" BMX Weekly October 1, 1976 Vol.2 No.4 pg.13
- "Jeff Bottema-Superstar" The California BMX Rider September 1976 Vol.1 No.2 pg.2
- "Jeff Bottema" BMX Plus! October 1982 Vol.5 No.10 pg.82 Short mini article.
BMX magazine covers
Bicycle Motocross News:- None
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- October 1982 Vol.9 No.10 (SBMX)
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- August 1977 Vol.1 No.4 (60x) behind Neil Bonds (2) (BMXA)
- May 1979 Vol.4 No.3 (2072) ahead of Harry LearyHarry LearyHarry Clarence Leary Jr. was a "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer....
(35x), tied with Kevin Jackson (7x) and behind Brian "Kronnuts" Curnell (12x) and Denis Dain (173x). (BMXA) - November 1979 Vol.4 No.9 with teammate Toby HendersonToby HendersonToby S. Henderson was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from He was given the nickname...
(BMXA) - December 1981 Vol.6 No.12 (BMXA)
BMX Plus!:
- December 1979 Vol.2 No.11* far left in fourth place behind Clint MillerClint MillerClint Miller 1 is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1976-1984....
(103X) leading (front and near center) and behind Stu ThomsenStu ThomsenStuart L. Thomsen was an American bicycle motocross racer.Stu Thomsen was one of the first of the "Old School" of professional BMX racers who gained fame in the early days of the sport beginning in 1974. His prime competitive years were from 1976-1985...
in second place (far right) and an obscured Jeff KosmalaJeff KosmalaJeffrey Kosmala was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from -Racing career milestones:----Started racing: 1973...
(behind Miller) in third place.
Total BMX:
- September 1982 Vol.3 No.3. This is the issue with Bottema on the cover wearing an American Broadcasting CompanyAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC) television camera equipped helmet at the 1982 Murray World Cup I race.
Bicycles and Dirt:
- None
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):