Send us a text

In this episode Tommy and I talk about winning the Kellogg's series in England, his world title, his retirement from racing, and what's life been like since he stopped racing. 

Brackens says his career didn't end the way he had hoped. He even believes he had a lot more in him to continue. He's thankful for the life long friends he's made from racing. He says being in the hall of fame is a blessing. 

Send us a text

Tommy Brackens was born and raised in South Central LA. His first race was as a 16 and over novice at the Valley Youth Center in 1978. Tommy got second in his first race. 

Tommy says he got good quickly when it came to racing. Here's the thing...Tommy had a very short amateur career. His amateur career only last two and a half years and then he went pro. 

It was a fight for Brackens to turn pro. His sponsor at the time wanted him to stay amateur. Tommy's first pro race he got second. He raced A pro for a short time. He was winning so much they bumped him up to AA pro. 

In 1984 Brackens earned national number three as a pro with the NBL. IN 1986 he won the IBMXF World Championship and earned national number two in the pro class the same year. He would go on to earn the nickname the "Human Dragster" because of his speed. 

During his career Brackens would ride for some iconic teams like Powerlite, Torker to GT. He retired in 1990 and started Brackens Racing Products. 

Today Tommy Brackens is living his best life in Georgia. 

Send us a text

Danny Caluag says he got started in BMX because of his neighbors. He. says coming from team sports he loved the individuality of BMX. Danny says clinics helped with his progression in BMX. He says BMX didn't come naturally to him. Danny is one of the few people I've interviewed to say local racing helped him make a seamless transition to racing nationals. 

In 1999 Danny got his first factory ride 13 years old. He says the offer came after he crashed at Grands and knocking himself out. Danny says the best advice he could give a kid about riding factory is believe in yourself. He says one his crowning achievements is  being Nag 1 in cruiser, in class, and NBL. 

In 2005 Danny turned pro. He turned pro at a time where the field was loaded. Think about it, Christophe Leveque,  Bubba Harris to Kyle Bennett. His first race as a pro was Phoenix. He didn't win. By the beginning 2006 Danny was AA pro. Danny actually went to school then quit and went back to school while racing as a pro. After nearly quitting BMX in 2011 the Philippines reached out to him to help with racing the Olympics and that's exactly what he did in 2012. 

Currently Danny is living in California with his wife and kids. He's working as a full time nurse and going to school for his masters. He's even planning to try and make the 2024 Olympics in Paris. 

Send us a text

March 25th, 2023 Brandon Tehiko announced he was retiring from elite BMX racing. Tehiko says concussions played a big part in his decision. 
 
 He started racing at 8 years old in Melbourne, Australia. His mom took him to a track and he was hooked. Tehiko's dad was all in on seeing his son achieve his goals. By the time he was 13 Brandon won his first national title. He would go on to become a six time Australian national champion and multiple state champion. 
 
 Now that he's retired he's looking forward to his son being born, body building, coaching, and a life filled with Jesus Christ. 

Send us a text

Taylor is back to racing. He took a four year break to explore life, build a career, and plan his future with his fiancé. 

Four months ago after getting the itch to race again he did just that. He dusted off his old Haro and hit the track. Taylor say the conditioning is the hardest part but when it comes to skill it's like he never left. He's been racing the "Fire and Ice Series," at Rum River Bmx in Minnesota. It's a super competitive season long series that actually draws talent from across the country. 

Taylor says he started racing in 2004 at the age of 6 at Rum River. He says it took him several years to move from novice to expert. His first big team was Mike's Bike's, then Shield Team Storm, and eventually on to Haro Promax and Factory WIAWIS. In 2017 he won a cruiser world title. 

The Cambridge, Minnesota native says he's back to racing strictly for the fun in the 21-25 expert class. And the possibility to mentor young riders while racing for "Black Widow Racing."

Send us a text

Michigan native Chris Jeffrey started racing in 1976. He was 12 years old. The track he raced on was Waterford Oaks BMX track. He says the tracks back then were raw, lots of pedaling, flat turns and not a lot of jumps. Chris says the scene back then there was a  high moto count. 

Chris says he lived on his race bike. He wasn't always at a track but you find him riding his bike around town.

Chris' progression was quick in the sport. By 1981 he turned pro at 16 years old. His 1st race as a pro Chris raced Tommy Brackens. It was also Brackens' 1st race as a pro. He says he was more of a skill guy. By 1989 Chris was racing mountain bikes. His journey into mountain bikes would last 12 years. Several friends got him back out to a BMX track and by 2010 he was back racing. 

Chris is currently working on opening his own bike shop " Crank Cycle and Fitness" in his hometown. 

Send us a text

#380 or better known as Anderson Souza from Brazil is in the process of recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered in Colombia last year. His recovery has been difficult with infection, 3 surgeries, and now rehab. Things have finally gotten on track for Anderson. He's back to lifting weights, doing sprints, and by the time you hear this he should be cleared to train on a track. 

Souza started racing at 7 years old. His dad planned for his son to race motocross but that didn't happen. Since his humble beginnings Anderson has won 6 national championship titles, 3 continental titles  and was world #3 in 2018. 

The Orlando, Florida area is where he calls home when he's int he states. 2023 is a big year for Souza because he's chasing Olympic points. 

Send us a text

Race Lee was born in Wichita, Kansas but was raised in Derby, Kansas. He started racing when he was 6 years old. He says he wasn't all that good at it when he started. He grew up racing Emery Park BMX which is the same track his dad used to race when he was a kid. He says the scene in Kansas when he started racing wasn't very big. Yet, it didn't take him long to move up to expert. 

Race says he considered himself a pack rider until he was about 15. He says winning his cruiser main at Grands changed a lot for him. He says that race helped him get picked up by Full Tilt. Riding for Full Tilt has given him a chance to travel to Minnesota to race and live. Now, he's working for Fritz and the gang and living full time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. 

Currently he's racing 21-25 expert. 

Send us a text

Brandon Roharik started learning how to ride a bike at 4 years old. His uncle used to race in Florida so he eventually ended up on a BMX track. At first Brandon wasn't really into the racing side of things. What hooked him on riding and improving his skills was some trails down the road from his house. He says those trails truly helped him improve. In fact he still rides those trails to this day. 

When he did hit a track to race he says Ohio racing was tough. So tough it was hard for him to move up to expert. Brandon eventually began killing it locally in races. He began venturing out to nationals. At 17 years old he got picked up by All-Tow factory team. He began traveling. One year he says he missed 40 days of school because of all the travel. 

Brandon says getting on Standard changed his mindset on racing. He says he was dealing with a bit of burnout. Brandon says Standard gave him the opportunity to not f worry about team sheets to being able to ride what he wanted. Brandon turned pro with Standard. He says his first race was Powder Springs and it was rough. Brandon says it took him a while to feel comfortable where he was at. 

At the moment he's in a transition phase of his pro career. He's in nursing school, doing some coaching and looking forward to the Vet Pro class. 

Send us a text

Dwaylon Carter didn't start racing BMX until he was in his 20's. He would see flyers in a local bike ship about racing. Then a couple of friends got him on the track and the rest is history. According to Carter he wasn't very good when he started. In fact he says it took him about five years to see any progress in his riding. From that time he's won a number of nationals and even earned N.A.G. plates. 

In 2010 Carter and friend started Lethal Threat Racing. He says he wanted a team that was inclusive and family oriented. The team began with around 15 riders and currently has 20 riders. In his words it's quality over quantity. 

Now if you know anything about Dwaylon Carter it's that he's a workout king. If you check out his instagram account you will see him constantly and consistently workout. His nickname around my house is the "plyometric man." 

Currently Carter is working as a firefighter in Maryland. He has 3 kids with another baby on the way with his lady.