Andrew Patterson (born January 19, 1964) is an American former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1977 to 1985. His moniker was "Mr. Bigfoot" for his size 13 feet.BMX Plus! March 1985 Vol.8 No.3 pg.24 Patterson was one of the first American racers to compete on the European BMX circuit during its formative years on a regular basis. He developed a large European following.
Racing career milestones
Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Milestone Event DetailsStarted racing: At 5 years old in 1969 at a local boys club.Super BMX October 1981 Vol.8 No.10 pg.44 but this wasn't the true start of his career. Over five years later when he was 11 years old in late February 1975 was the true start. His father had brought him a Dan Gurney monoshock bicycle for Christmas. Approximately two months later he found a track while riding in his bike in Little Lake Park in Norwalk, California. He told his father and he started taking Andy racing.BMX Plus! September 1982 Vol.5 No.9 pg.44 He raced about once a month for a year, then when the LaMiranda Regional Park open up he started racing twice a month.Sanctioning body: Sanctioning body district(s): First race bike: A Dan Gurney monoshock he got for Christmas (Christmas 1974 when he was 10 years old).First race result: Fourth in 11 Novice. Indeed, he got fourth in his first seven races.First win (local): After seven consecutive fourth place finishes he won on his eighth race. Then he got seven consecutive wins and move up to Expert. He then won his first Expert race.First sponsor: First national win: In 1979 in 16 Expert at a national in San Antonio, Texas, at the post race. In the National itself the day before he got a fourth.Turned professional: November 27, 1982, at age 18.First professional race result: Second in "A" pro at the 1982 American Bicycle Association (ABA) Grandnationals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on November 28, 1982. He won US$400, the equivalent of US$852.64 in 2007 (Cost of Living Calculator). He also came in seventh in Pro Open. He won US$50,BMX Plus! February 1983 Vol.6 No.2 pg.51 (race results) $106.58 in 2007.First professional win: In "A" pro at the 1982 Jag BMX World Championship of Bicycle Motocross V (ABA sanctioned) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 27, 1982. He won US$750,BMX Plus! March 1983 Vol.6 No.3 pg.53 (race results) which is US$1,598.70 in 2007.First Junior Men/pro* race result: See "First Professional race result".First Junior Men/pro win: See "First Professional win".First Senior pro** race result: Seventh in "Pro" class at the 1983 International BMX Federation (IBMXF) World Championships in Slagharen, Overijssel, Netherlands. No pro purse was awarded.BMX Plus! December 1983 Vol.6 No.12 pg.36 (race results) In the Pro class he raced against Senior pros like Clint Miller. There was no "B" pro or Superclass category at the time. However, this probably didn't count since upon return to the United States he returned to racing in the junior pro class. There his first Senior Pro race was the 1984 ABA Supernationals in late January. He did not make the main.First Senior pro win: Height and weight at height of his career (1981–1984): Ht:6'3" Wt:185 lbs.Retired: Faded out after the 1986 season. He raced a few times after that but not seriously, similar to Stu Thomsen's once or twice a year pro races at nationals after he officially retired early in the 1987 season. In 1990 Andy Patterson had him reclassified as a single "A" junior pro with the ABA and raced the ABA U.S Nationals in Lemoore, California, on April 21, 1990. He wonBMX Plus! August 1990 Vol.13 No.8 pg.51 (race results)
*In the NBL "B" Pro/Super Class/"A" Pro/Junior Elite Men depending on the era; in the ABA it is "A" Pro. **In the NBL it is "AA" Pro/Elite Men; in the ABA it is "AA" Pro.
Career factory and major bike shop sponsors
Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous and ever-changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are used.
Amateur Addicks Engineering: TW Racing: -June 1979 GT Bicycles June 1979-December 11, 1981 Skyway Recreations: December 12, 1981-June 1984. He changed sponsorship to Skyway Recreations just before the third day of the 1981 NBA Grand Nationals. He raced for GT on the December 10 & 11 then showed up and raced for Skyway on the 12th.Bicycle Motocross Action March 1982 Vol.7 No.3 pg.77&78
Professional Skyway Recreations: December 12, 1981-June 1984. Andy Patterson left Skyway because Skyway wanted him to continue doing European racing circuit tours and promotionals. Patterson for his part felt like he was missing out on the big money races and the high competition level of the American racers. The lack of coverage of European races by the BMX press in the United States was another factor. According to Patterson, lack of coverage lead to the perception by American readers that he was out of BMX. Patterson felt out of touch due to this and wanted to return to the American circuit.BMX Plus! November 1984 Vol.7 No.11 pg.36 JMC (James Melton Cyclery) Racing Equipment, Inc.: June 1984-Early April 1985. JMC Racing shut down in July 1985.JMCbmx.com a site dedicated to the memory of the JMC Racing company MBK (Motobecane): 1985. This was his sponsor when he raced in Europe. ODI: Late Summer 1985. Not only Patterson was sponsored by ODI he worked for them during the week. (largely retired between late 1985 and 1990) Cal Custom:American BMXer April 1990 Vol.12 No.3 pg.53 1990
Career bicycle motocross titles
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.
Amateur National Bicycle Association (NBA) 1979 15 Novice Grandnational Champion 1981 16 & Over Expert & Overall Race of Champions (ROC) Champion*. He won a moped for this victory.Bicycle Motocross Action March 1982 Vol.7 No.3 pg.77 1981 16 & Over Expert Grandnational Champion. This was the last NBA Grandnational before the NBA merged with the NBL.
*The NBA ROC was a yearly one shot Invitational collection of the nation's top amateur 16 Experts chosen through a BMX industry poll who race for the title to nominally to see who is the best older amateur in the country. It was held in conjunction with the NBA Grandnational just as the NBL's Presidents Cup today is held before its Grandnational and the ABA's US Gold/Redline Cup were periodically held before its Grandnational.
National Bicycle League (NBL) None American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1981 16 Expert, 14-25 Cruiser, and 15 & Over Trophy Dash Grandnational Champion (triple) 1982 17 Expert Northwest Gold Cup Champion
United Bicycle Racers (UBR) 1981 14-22 Cruiser and 14 & Over 16" Pit Bike Grandnational Champion (double) United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) None Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)** None International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)** 1981 16 & Over Cruiser International Champion Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)** None Independent Invitationals and Amateur Series Championships 1982 Anglo/American Challenge Cup Champion*
* The Anglo/American Challenge Cup II was an Invitational Exhibition race held in Redditch, England at the Hartfords track. It was a way for the English racers to gauge themselves against the Americans. In the second main of a three main final British racer Tim March became the first English racer to beat any American in any head to head race in a moto.BMX Plus! November 1982 Vol.5 No.11 pg.70
**See note in professional section.
Professional
National Bicycle Association (NBA) None National Bicycle League (NBL) None United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1982 Jag BMX "A" Pro World Champion (ABA sanctioned) United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) None International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)* 1982 20" Superclass & 16 Expert Invitational Class Open European Champion (double) 1983 20" Superclass Invitational Class Open European Champion Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)* None Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)* None
*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC, the amateur cycling arm of the UCI, had been holding joint World Championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993. Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI. Beginning with the 1996 World Championships held in Brighton, England the UCI would officially hold and sanction BMX World Championships and with it inherited all precedents, records, streaks, etc. from both the IBMXF and FIAC.
Independent Invitationals and Pro Series Championship
BMX product lines Skyway Recreations Andy Patterson Signature Tuff Wheels Product Evaluations:
JMC "Andy Patterson Series" frame and fork set introduced August 2, 1984. Only 333 made. Product Evaluations: BMX Plus! March 1985 Vol.8 No.3 pg.24
Notable accolades
Significant injuries Patterson broke his foot during practice at the Harbor BMX track in San Pedro, California, in early October 1983. The starting gate slammed down onto it. It happened approximately five weeks after he won the European Open Championship in France in June 1983.Super BMX May 1984 Vol.11 No.5 pg.59 He was laid up for approximately three months.BMX Plus! January 1984 Vol.7 No.1 pg.68
Racing habits and traits One of the few top BMX racers to stick to the outmoded one pedal start well into the 1980s. He couldn't ever get used to doing the balance two pedal start that became standard in the early 1980s. He just felt more comfortable with the one pedal start and felt if he was able to time the gate correctly he could get out of the gate faster than anyone else, including those who used two pedal starts.BMX Plus! September 1982 Vol.5 No.9 pg.47