Scot Breithaupt - The Pioneer and Entrepreneur

The Pioneer and Entrepreneur

Scot Breithaupt was one of the pioneers of BMX; perhaps its inventor in terms of giving it its modern infrastructure, after he first organized what was called "pedal-cross" at the time on November 14, 1970 and his establishment of a track in a vacant lot in Long Beach, California. He also founded what could be called BMX's first sanctioning body of any kind, the Bicycle United Motocross Society (B.U.M.S). Breithaupt, who was a teenage MX racer for Yamaha, did set up organizational features around his races very much as the following sanctioning bodies would base theirs; rulebooks, a point system, a skill level structure, a racing season, trophies and promotions of special races that were the prototype for Nationals. He produced the 1st California State Championships in 1972. Scot adapted these structures from those of motocross sanctioning bodies such as the AMA, CMC and AME, as would other pioneers like Ernie Alexander and George Esser both of whom, like Breithaupt, had roots in motorcycle motocross as racers or promoters. Scot was only the first to do it in BMX, at the age of 13.

His nickname was and is "OM" for "Old Man" which was in part derived from him being older than most of the kids at a time when BMX was seen as a pre-teen and early teen activity by the late 1970s; he was doing things usually beyond his young age, like promoting races, nationwide tours, teaching racing clinics, safety seminars for the C.P.S.C., and starting and consulting with companies while he was still a teenager. Later, it became a running gag as to just how old he was. In the January 1975 issue of Cycle Illustrated in its report on the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup Finals (a.k.a. the Bicycle Motocross Championship of California State), which Scot conceptialized, promoted and built a custom track for, has him listed as 17 years old. At 17, his age hadn't become a running gag yet, although he could not participate in the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup series finals-ironically since he was the race promoter-because he was disqualified after a win in the Expert Class in the first qualifying race at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California with Brian Ramocinski declared the winner. This was the first of three preceding qualifying races prior to the final to be held in September 1974. Only those 16 years and younger could participate and he had turned 17 between the time he signed up for the race and the day the qualifying race was actually held, July 20, 1974. He turned 17 on July 14, 1974, six days before the race. This would give him a birth year of 1957 and the age of 13 at the time he started organizing races in Long Beach in November 1970. In fact 9 other riders in the event were over 16. In fact, Ramocinski's sponsor, "Dirtmasters", and it's G.M. Mike Devitt is the one who protested Scot. Further confirmation came in the November 1975 issue of Bicycle Motocross News on page 11 which described Breithaupt as an "18 year old dynamo".

This running joke is done with his complicity. He used to put a "?" mark in the space reserved for the rider's age on the ABA sign up form for when he raced Cruiser class. Also, in part two of a four part series of interviews done by BMXUltra.com profiling Mr. Breithaupt and SE Racing in response to a question "When did you start SE?" he quips "I started SE Racing in Mid 1977 when I was 14." Of course the joke being, if true he helped invent BMX in 1970 when he was seven years old.

Young Scot did not just tend to his own track. He designed the Saddleback Park B.M.X. Track in Orange County, California, Westminister BMX, City of Walnut BMX, Signall Hill BMX, Escape Country, and also collaborated with the municipal government of La Palma, California to design the La Palma Youth Village BMX track, and also Fountain Valley Boys and Girls Club Track. Significant accomplishments for a teenager by any standard. In later years, Scot designed and built "Narler Park" in Long Beach, California, the first to have a separate "pro section". It was also the site of the last ever National Bicycle Association (NBA) Grandnationals in December 1982. It was a story in Popular Mechanics in 1974 by Mike Anson, headlined, "Promotional Genius at 16."

During his early years Scot promoted a bevey of races both independent and in conjunction with the nescient NBA. He was brought on as their National Public Relations Director in 1975 and announced many of their major events, including the 1975 Shimano Grandnationals which he sat out due to injuries. He also produced and promoted the very first Pro BMX @ Saddleback Park in 1975.

Scot Breithaupt had a hand in virtually every aspect of BMX: racing, promoting, announcing, designing tracks, manufacturing, sponsoring and managing teams. He even had a hand in founding and/or guiding the existence of the founding four BMX publications; Bicycle Motocross News where he wrote some of the first articles and was the first racer interviewed by a nation spanning BMX publication. He was a contributing writer and staff product tester on Minicylce/BMX Action,** later to be known as Super BMX, when it began transitioning from combined minicycle and BMX racing coverage to BMX only reporting. He was an on of the first staff writers with Bicycle Motocross Action having a monthly editorial article; and he was a co-founder of BMX Plus! with Jim Stevens. After he gave up racing to devote more time to his company, SE Racing, he turned it to be one of the more innovative in the niche industry of BMX. At least two products bicycle frames conceived in the mid 1970s survive on the market today in modernized form: The Quadangle and the P.K. Ripper the former known for its highly distinctive configuration the other for being the first truly successful aluminum bicycle frame. They are sold by SE Racing-now known as Sports Engineering Racing-to this day, long after many beloved but now obsolete 1970s and 1980s era frames have become beloved museum pieces. Over this was a persistent dark cloud over Breithaupt; that of drug abuse, that has been with him since the l980s and tied to the untimely loss of his father. It has resulted in his incarceration on three different occasions although he is now in his 5th year of recovery as of April 2010. None of that has or ever will overshadow his accomplishments in the BMX world he almost brought into being single handedly in almost all aspects of the sport; organizing, promoting, publishing, manufacturing, track designing. He started the first large wheel (26") Cruiser Classes with the sanctioning bodies, attracting more adults to the sport. He even set bicycle long distant jump (assisted by being towed by a motorcycle) records. He had a hand in starting the first attempt of a racer's Professional Guild in 1976. The list goes on. His being one of the organized sport's first champions (NBA National Champion in 1976) is almost a footnote. Many of the sport's early stars can trace their career beginnings to Scot's Long Beach B.U.M.S. course.

In 1978 at the track in Carson, California called the "Runway" because it was next to the skateboard park, Scot was running races sanctioned by the NBA. He did all the work from promoting to setting up the track along with recording the results. He held the first Pro race at the Runway sanctioned by the NBA which was won by Harry Leary riding for factory JMC. The first National held at Saddleback in 1979 was won by Stompin' Stu Thomsen fresh on the SE Racing team.

He may not have been the very first to put on a BMX race, but it would be very difficult to come up with any other single person who has left a bigger mark on the sport.

As an entrepreneur, Scot ventured into many industries, creating over 25 entities. Most were “sports related” and involved Scot’s passions. Besides being “The founding Father of BMX”, he’s considered a pioneer in promoting, marketing and televising extreme sports such as BMX, Skateboarding, Karting, Mixed Martial Arts, Snowboarding, Mountain Biking and Extreme Sports. Scot’s 400 + TV shows, commercials and videos include: • 1st TV production of BMX racing distributed internationally; 1987 IBMXF World Championships from Orlando, Fl. thru Prime International, HNK, STAR, TSN, BSN, and on Nickelodeon in the U.S. and others thru Scot’s cable syndication of over 60 million homes. • 1st Mountain Bike TV program; 1988 SWATCH World Championships from Mammoth Mountain Resort, distributed through ESPN & international networks. • 1st BMX Freestyle TV show with ESPN & International distribution; The 1987 AFA SOCKO Finals. • 1st to televise the ABA Grand Nationals for ESPN and distribute internationally 1987–1992. • 1st to televise Snowboarding; “1988 SIMS/VISION STREET WEAR - SNOWDAZE”. • 1st to televise Skateboarding; “1987 ESPN/VISION STREET WEAR-ROCK –N-ROLL JAM”, then broadcast through international networks. • 1st to televise GPV and Luge racing; “1987 GPV RAMP JAM” on ESPN, PRIME SPORTS, International distribution. Other shows and TV series include: • “Action Cycle Sports Series” - ESPN -1988–1990 • “Nickelodeon Special Delivery” 1987–1990 • “Kids Sports” - TSN Canada, PRIME SPORTS, PRIME INTERNATIONAL-STAR – 1990–1992 • “Action Karting” – PRIME/FOX SPORTS 1992–1993 • “Boxing at Tony Longval’s Country Club” 1991 • “Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Golf Digest” 1992–1993 • “History of Martial Arts” – SHOWTIME – 1993 • “Adrenaline High” – NICKELODEON, ESPN & INTERNATIONAL – 1991 • “Guinness World Book of Records Day” ( BMX, Freestyle & Skateboarding world records) – NBC WORLDWIDE – 1989 • “World Martial Arts Challenge” – UNLV, SHOWTIME, PAY-PER-VIEW, B-Rolls, Pre-show, commercials – 1993 • Video Catalogs for GT BICYCLES, MONGOOSE, SE RACING, DIAMOND BACK, SCHWINN, IRONHORSE, TIOGA, ATI, FINISHLINE LUBES and others • “IHBA Drag Boat Series” - ESPN – 1991–1992 • “Vintage Grand Prix Series” – ESPN – 1992–1993

“List of Firsts”• 1970 First sanctioning body with rules, points system, classifications and championship events. • 1971 Promoted first California State Championships. • 1972 Promoted & conducted first official-paid BMX racing schools. • 1972 First California State Champion in 16-over Expert Class • 1973 Promoted first 100% trophy race. • 1973 First rider featured on a P.O.P. display in all Sears and Montgomery Ward stores for Matthews Motocross. • 1973 First featured rider in national news…Parade Magazine and CycleNews. • 1973 Built and created first municipal BMX track for cities of LaPalma, Cerritos & Westminster, CA. • 1974 Promoted, conceptualized, created, designed and laid out coursed for the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup Series with Finals at LA Colesium. • 1974 Won Expert Class at first event of the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup Series on July 20 at Birmingham High School. • 1974 First featured rider in premier issue of Bicycle Motocross News. • 1974 Created first BMX trophy figurine used for awards, derived from pictures of the OM on a motobike. Worked with Magestic Trophy in Ontario, CA • 1974 First rider and BMX promoter featured in an international magazine (Popular Mechanics). • 1975 Promoted, conceptualized, designed, laid out courses for the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup II, where there were 6 events over 2 days. ALA ISDT format – Trials, obstacle course, drags, hill climb, BMX race, downhill and Cross Country time clock. • 1975 First BMX rider to be on cover of Shimano World Magazine. • 1975 Promoted, staged and announced first BMX Pro Race at Saddleback Park w/$200. purse. • 1975 Announced first NBA Grand Nationals at Randall Ranch, sponsored by Shimano • 1975 First Nike-sponsored BMX rider. • 1976 First to use tubing shape in alloy frames, “Foiler” teardrop designed for Cycle Pro. • 1976 First NBA Sidehack National Champion with Jeff Utterback. • 1976 Created first full BMX uniform, with coordinated helmet, jersey, pants and shoes; red/yellow. • 1976 First editor of BMX Action magazine and creator of “Scotomania”. • 1976 Created and conducted first national tour of racing clinics, safety seminars and racing NBA & NBL Nationals. • 1978 Created first professional racing organization (P.R.O.) • 1978 Co-Founded BMX Plus magazine • 1978 Created Cruiser Class, getting NBA, ABA and NBL to recognize and expand racing to include larger bikes with classes for kids through adults.

*The BMX Plus! 1988 Calendar has it allegedly happening on October 23, 1974
**This publication is not to be confused with BMX Action that was founded in late 1976