Place: S. Daytona, Florida
PropsBMX.tv, august 2011: Back in the mid-90s Mat Hoffman’s Bicycle Street contests were the shit, with street, vert, and flatland all being represented with both pro (stuntmen) and am (stuntboy) titles. The finals were held in Daytona Beach, FL in the fall of 1995. Featuring Mat Hoffman, Dennis McCoy, John Parker, Josh Heino, Taj Mihelich, Chad DeGroot, Joe Rich, Rooftop, Rick Moliterno, Jay Miron, Michael Steingraeber, Kevin Robinson, Dave Osato, Stuart King, Eben Krackau, Rob Sigaty, Sandy Carson, Jon Taylor, Mike Ocoboc, Trevor Meyer, Chuck D, Rob Nolli, Jimmy Walker, Jason Brown, Todd Lyons, John Englebert, and other top riders of the day. Stew Johnson and Mark Losey even get clips! This was shot in Hi8 cameras 16 years ago so the video might look a little sketchy. Music: Bracket “Green Apples”, Alligator Gun “Sinker”, The Misfits “We Are 138"
Josh Heino; high airs, 540's and tailwhips earned him a much deserved win.
STUNTMEN
Participation de Taj Mihelich. One hand inverts, no hander to table and a clean downside tailwhip.
John Parker 900°.
Jason Davies, Ride BMX UK april 1996: I don't think the contest was quite as busy as they'd expected, but it was still real packed out. Especially the vert class. It was the biggest they'd ever known - sixteen riders. They even had to have qualifying, with the top eight going through. Pretty much everyone was riding good, some of them looked a bit out of practice but they were still doing big tricks. Qualifying was Matt, Jay, Dennis, Taj, John Parker, me, Rick Thorne, and Jamie Bestwick. There were too many people who didn't qualify like Pat Miller: he is so natural, he can get high on any ramp. There was a real fun atmosphere riding there, no seriousness about it. Jay Miron did a decade air - it was hard to see, by the time the finals came round it was dark end when the flashes were going off you saw strobe lights of tricks, I think he did a decade air, or some kind of downside tailwhip like Taj. Dave Mirra was there but he didn't ride, he had his spleen taken out about five weeks before (he crashed on a Iookback). Dave Osato was doing downside toothpicks. John Parker did one hand one foot cross-up and nearly pulled a body-varial and a 900, he's more consistent now. Mat Hoffman hardly rode, he has all the stuff to take care of at the contest. He was doing all the usual Mat stuff, pumping real high, hitting superhigh variations , along with a big high 540, double tailspin. It was weird to watch him sat behind his laptop working, like a desk-job, all padded up, then jump on his bike and take a run and freak everyone out, then sit behind his laptop again back to work.
STUNTMEN VERT: 1.Mat Hoffman 2.Jay Miron 3.John Parker 4.Taj Mihelich
Jason Davies clicks a turndown on the cover of Ride BMX UK april 1996. Photo by Brad McDonald.
John Parker no foot cancan at the 1995 BS finals on the cover of Freedom march 1996.
STUNTBOYS
Sandy Carson excellent superman seat grabs and nothings.
John luc-e Englebert did a no-footer to tailwhip, a big late half barspin and a backflip.
The big man of am street was Joe Rich, ultra high lookdown, flips, and unbelievably stretched superman seat grabbers.
STUNTMEN
Pro street was a little more serious.
DMC almost pulled a 360 flip on the box and won the pro overall belt for 1995.
STUNTMEN STREET: 1.Dennis McCoy 2.Rob Nolli 3.Mike Escamilla 4.Kevin Robinson
Joe Rich
Occasionally people were reminded that cement bowls really aren't a laughing matter like when Rooftop banged his head into the bowl during backflip attempts six times in a row, but he even kept a smile.
Jason Davies, Ride BMX UK april 1996: The big thing in the concrete bowl was mainly the transfer over the flat top. It was a hard line to hit: Rob Nolli would tailspin it, Jay just did the biggest 360s over it, big fat laid-out tabletop ones with a load of air, he had the lines down: he'd do 30 or 40 foot long nosewheelies around the bowl, and it was all just totally linked in. That was real good to watch. Rooftop surprised me with his good lines, it surprised me how much different stuff he could do. In the street section he did really well, he maybe should have placed higher than he did. He could do every trick, jumps and true street stuff, every way, backwards, forwards, opposite, regular, he rode real well.
Mike rooftop Escamilla