Date: august 18-23, 1992.
Ride BMX UK december 1992: The Freestyle Worlds happened this year in Hungary, and by all accounts the whole contest was a major success. It all took place at a pretty hot skatepark near Budapest, and the set-up was top notch: large smooth flatland area, small mini ramp, larger mini ramp, and a big vert ramp which was 11ft tall and about 30ft wide [all the ramps were diagonally sheeted ply and just about perfect] There was a good street area with funboxes, spine ramp, wallride ramp flyoffs, and a concrete bowl with lips, channels, trees to the side [footplants]. Tons of riders went from all over Europe with heavy contingents from Austria, Germany, Holland, and of course Hungary. Only a few ventured the trip from England, as it's a pretty lengthy drive & costly channel crossing to Budapest from here, but those who went did well: Dave Mousley won 18 expert halfpipe for example. Mike Canning didn't do so good, a bailed tailwhip resulted in a badly snapped femur. A number of Americans went, some had their flights paid for by the organiser Matt, DMC, and GT's Jay Miron flew out just for the contest. Highlights included Albert Retey's and Chase's ground run, Jay Miron's street, flat, mini and vert runs proving his total all round ability, Matt's vert run [with no handed backflip on a borrowed bike], loads of people doing backflips in street, vert and bowl, and the good weather and atmosphere Good vibes indeed.
PRO FLAT RESULTS: 1-Chase Gouin 2-Albert Retey
tonestojko, www.youtube.com, april 2008: BMX Freestyle Worlds, Budapest,1992, flatland pro; Albert Rettey, Chase Gouin. Video: Tone Stojko, Simon Stojko Falk.
BMX Now Xmas 1992: Mike Canning's trip to the World Championships in Budapest ended in disaster. He's now back in England and has been told he won't be going anywhere near his bike for another 6 months.
Mike Canning: I was really ill while I was out there. It was just too hot to ride in the day. None of us wanted to ride in the day. We were just lightweighting out, everyone else was riding. The ramp was pretty scary. It was varnished and it was in a real dusty area so it was really slippery and it had a lot of flat bottom as well. In practice I only rode for about half an hour and I couldn't ride it at all. When it came to my run I wasn't really bothered about qualifying, some of the Europeans were riding really good. When I rode in though everything came off on my airs, I landed smooth and got quite high. I did a 1-hand 1-footer then a one footed x-up on the other side, then a can can lookback and I was landing them all smooth, I was well shocked. Then I did a lookback that was quite high and I landed smooth again and I thought what should I do next? I'll do a tailspin. I had been having problems with my bars all weekend and as I took off, well I had got it wrong. I didn't even have chance to get the bike round. I tried to throw the bike but I was coming down backwards and I was running in the air I just hit the floor. Apparently I was standing upright, falling with my legs crossed and I landed with one leg underneath the other. It was horrible. I broke my femur and ripped the muscle at the top of my thighs. They put a pin down through my thigh bone, that will come out in a year or so. I can hobble around now. I want to be back on my bike for Christmas, that's what I'm hoping.
Mat Hoffman, The Ride of my Life, 2002: It was in Budapest, Hungary that Dennis McCoy took the worst slam I've ever seen anyone suffer. He slammed a flair and his body bounced at least one foot off the flatbottom after the impact. I joked with him later that it looked like he was trying to do a loop on the halfpipe and reenter down the opposite transition. He somehow got up under his own power, but later at the hospital it was discovered he'd broken his back. During my run I got a flat tire and had to borrow his bike. It was so small and set up so weird I could barely ride. Getting on a strange bike and having to adapt as you roll into a ramp is like trying to do cartwheels through a car wash holding a watermelon: It's awkward. Using Dennis's Mongoose, I dropped in end aired a couple feet out feeling incredibly dangerous. I got a pump off the wall and threw a no-handed 540, half-expecting to go down in flames. I pulled it by some mystery, linked a couple more tricks in my run, and decided it was best not to question that miracle. I ended up winning the contest, and as an odd bonus I was declared the world champion of mini ramps.
PRO VERT RESULTS: 1-Mat Hoffman 2-Dennis McCoy 3-Jay Miron
FAT zine #25 cover: Matt Hoffman (in 1992 it was still written with two T's) tailwhipping in USA shorts.
tonestojko, www.youtube.com, april 2008: BMX Freestyle Worlds, 1992, Budapest, halfpipe pro; Jay Miron, Dennis Mccoy, Matt Hoffman. Video Tone Stojko, Simon Stojko Falk.
PRO STREET RESULTS: 5.Thomas Stellwag
Jay Miron