Brian Keith FosterBMX Plus!, March 1993, vol. 16, no. 3, p. 63. (born June 29, 1972) is an American professional bicycle motocross (BMX) rider whose prime competitive years were from 1992 to 2000. Had the nicknames "Blue Falcon", BF" and "Dirt"Snap BMX Magazine, May 1999, vol. 6, issue 3, no. 31, p. 5 (table of contents). Brian Foster is one half of one of those sibling combinations that every so often that appear in BMX, usually brothers and along with his brother Alan they were the Mid School era's answer to Old School's *Brent & Brian Patterson and Eddy & Mike King. While neither gained as many titles in racing either collectively or individually as the Pattersons or the Kings (Brian was somewhat more successful in racing than Alan), they soon became respected pioneers and champions in the then new recognized BMX sub discipline of Dirt Jumping that began as an organized sport in 1989.
BMX racing milestones
Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Milestone Event detailsStarted Racing: April 1981 at eight years old. He started a week after brother Alan because he had soccer practice the weekend Alan raced. Alan described how great racing was and Brian went with him the next week.Snap BMX Magazine, March/April 1997, vol. 4, issue 2, no. 15, p. 65.Sanctioning Body: First race bike: First race result: Probably DNF. In his first moto the chain came off his bike and he stood in the middle of the track and cried because he did not know how to place it back on.Ride BMX Magazine December 2007First win (local): First sponsor: 1982 JF&S Plumbing.Ride BMX Magazine December 2007First national win: Turned Professional: September 1991BMX Plus! February 1992, vol. 15, no. 2, p. 9. at 19 years old, shortly after the National Bicycle League (NBL) Grandnationals.First Professional race result: Third place in "A" pro at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Fall Nationals in Yorba Linda, California on October 27, 1991 (Day 2)BMX Plus! February 1992, vol. 15, no. 2, p. 24 (results).First Professional win: In "A" Pro at the NBL Christmas Classic in Columbus, Ohio on December 29, 1991BMX Plus! April 1992, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 18.First Junior Men/Pro* race result: See "First Professional race result" above.First Junior Men/Pro win: See "First Professional win"First Senior Pro** race result: At the ABA Gold Cup Championships West in Reno, Nevada on October 4, 1992. He moved himself up to "AA" pro despite needing an additional $500 to be graduated madatorally. He won his very first "AA" Pro moto.BMX Plus, March 1993, vol. no. 3, p. 63.First Senior Pro win: Height and weight at height of his career: (1992–1998) Ht:6' 1" Wt:165 lbs.(1992)BMX Plus! June 1992, vol. 17, no. 6, p. 28.Retired: Retired: 2001. At a "La Revolusion" freestyle contest he decided to quit racing.Ride BMX Magazine December 2007 According to a defgrip.net interview in 2007 the specific reason he gave up racing to devote full-time to dirt jumping is that racing ceased to be fun. "....it became less about racing and more about doing squats at the gym."defgrip.net June 22, 2007 interview.
*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 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 JF&S Plumbing: 1982–1983 Wheel Power Bike Shop: 1983–1989Go, August 1991, vol. 2, issue 10, p. 52. S&M (Greg Scott & Chris MoellerBMX Plus!, September 1989, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 49.) Bicycles: 1989 TNT/Goodtimes: March 1990-Mid 1990 Cyclecraft: Mid 1990-December 1992
Professional Cyclecraft: 1990 – December 1992 Hyper: January–April 1993 Airwalk: May 1993 – 1994 Schwinn/Airwalk: 1995–1998 Schwinn: 1998-November 2000 Airwalk/Fit Bike Company: November 2000 – 2003 Airwalk drops Foster in 2003.23mag.com Foster bio Fit Bikes/Fox Racing/Primo: 2003–present
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/Junior Men National Bicycle Association (NBA) None National Bicycle League (NBL) 1990 18& Over Expert Grandnational Champion 1991 18 & Over Expert NBL National No.1 American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1988 16 Expert Grandnational Champion Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)* 1990 17 boys Second Place World Champion International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)* None Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)* None
*See note in professional section Championships.
Professional/Elite Men National Bicycle Association (NBA) None (defunct) National Bicycle League (NBL) 1992 Superclass/"B"-Pro Grandnational Champion 1992 Superclass/"B"-Pro National No.1 (Racing) 1994 Summer Spectacular Series Champion 1995 "AA" Pro National No.3 1996 NBL Dirt Circuit Champion (Dirt Jumping) American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1994 "AA" Pro US Open East Champion 1995 ABA "Pros in Paradise" Champion. (Racing) 1996, 1997 ABA King of Dirt (KOD) Champion (Dirt Jumping) United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) None International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)* None Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)* None (FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence) Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)* 1995 Elite Men Silver Medal World Cup Champion
*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC 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 1997 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.
Notable accolades Named one of the ten hottest and fastest rookie pros of 1992 by BMX Plus! magazine.BMX Plus!, June 1992, vol. 17, no. 6, p. 28. Voted the "ABA Pro of the Year" in 1995Snap BMX Magazine, April/May 1996, vol. 3, issue 2, no. 9, p. 20.
BMX product lines 1996 Airwalk Foster Bros. Signature shoes.Snap BMX Magazine, March/April 1997, vol. 4, issue 2, no. 15, p. 11 (advertisement in this and subsequent issues). This product was co-endorsed by his brother Alan. 1997 Schwinn Brian Foster Blue Falcon FramesetSnap BMX Magazine September/October 1997, vol. 4, issue 5, no. 18, p. 28. Product Evaluation: Snap BMX Magazine June 1998, vol. 4, issue 4, no. 23, p. 48. 2000 Schwinn Brian Foster Signature Series complete bicycle. Product Evaluation: 2001 Schwinn Brian Foster Super Stock Signature Series complete bicycle. Product Evaluation: 2003 Fit Brian Foster Street FrameTransworld BMX March 2004, vol. 11, issue 3, no. 89, p. 92. Product Evaluation: 2004 Fit Brian Foster Signature Model Bicycle Product Evaluation:
Significant injuries Broke collarbone in a race in New Jersey when he was thirteen years old in 1985.Ride BMX Magazine December 2007 Tore anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage in left knee on March 1, 1997, at Sheep Hills.Snap BMX Magazine January/February, vol. 5, issue 1, no. 20, p. 37. He damaged it after a failed attempt at a mid air "360" and he landed wrong on his left foot.Snap BMX Magazine August 2000, vol. 7, issue 8, no. 46, p. 80. The wind blew him off course during the Schwinn photography session. As a result, he missed both the ABA Winternationals and the Cactus Cup jumping contest.Snap BMX Magazine May/June 1997, vol. 4, issue 3, no. 16, pp. 14–15. He was laid up for four weeks after surgery.Snap BMX Magazine, January/February 1998, vol. 5, p. 37. Broke hand racing at the NBL Christmas Classic in Columbus, Ohio on December 28, 1997 (Day 1). He sat out the next day.Snap BMX Magazine May 1998, vol. 5, issue 3, no. 22, p. 45. Hurt shoulder in the Pro Open Main in a pile up crash right in front of a jump in the second straight at the NBL Easter Classic National in Sarasota, Florida during the weekend of April 4, 1999.Snap BMX Magazine August 1999, vol. 6, issue 6, no. 34, p. 30. Broke a bone in his wrist at the CFB Round II freestyle contest in the Summer of 2002. He was out for approximately three weeksTransworld BMX, October 2002, vol. 9, issue 10, no. 72, p. 26. Had his bursa sack removed after pronounced infected swelling on his knee after he struck it against his handle bars in late 2002 before he went with the Fit team to Spain. He was laid up for approximately four weeks.Transworld BMX April 2003, vol. 10, issue 4, no. 78, p. 30.
Racing habits and traits
Miscellaneous Foster once held a job painting bicycle frames at one of his past sponsors, Cycle Craft. What makes this unique is that Foster is color blind. He explains how he got the job in an interview in the March/April 1997 issue of Snap BMX Magazine:Snap Magazine: How'd you get a job painting bikes if you're color blind?Brian Foster: (laughter)Side note: I don't think they knew. I went there just to help out working with bikes and the next ting you know they're like, "Do you know how to paint?" "Yeah, sure." And I started painting. The only time I ran into trouble was late at night when I was by myself and there was no purple paint--I just mixed some blue and some red and see what I came up with (more laughter).Snap BMX Magazine March/April 1997, vol. 4, issue 2, no. 15, p. 65.Side note: Cyclecraft knew he was colorblind, and didn't care. They also miss their friend. -CB-