Perry Kramer (born October 6, 1959 in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
) is a former American "Old School" professional
Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1974-1981.
Among his accomplishments is his co-founding with
Scot Breithaupt
Scot Alexander Breithaupt (July 14, 1957 – July 5, 2015) was an entrepreneur, "Old School" professional motorcycle MX and bicycle motocross (BMX) racer and a founding father of BMX in 1970 whose prime competitive years were from 1970 to 1984. ...
of Scot Enterprise Racing (
SE Racing
SE Racing was a BMX bicycle company which was founded in 1977 by Scot Breithaupt (Scot Enterprises). The company manufactured the PK Ripper BMX bike and the Floval Flyer.''BMX Plus!'' July 1994 Vol.17 No.7 pg.48 The PK Ripper is the longest runni ...
). His nickname "PK" is a simple derivation from his first and last initials of his name and the inspiration of one of the most popular models of BMX bicycle, the "PK Ripper", that is still in production.
Racing career milestones
Note: In the early days of professional racing, prior to 1976, many tracks offered small purse prize money to the older racers of an event, even before the official sanctioning bodies offered prize money in formal divisions themselves. Hence, some early "professionals" like
Stu Thomsen who turned "pro" in 1975 at age 16, would race for small amounts of money at track events when offered. Even before the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, this was regarded as the first true national BMX sanctioning body and had a professional division. For the sake of consistency and standardization, noted professional firsts are for the first pro races involving prize money offered by official BMX sanctioning bodies and not independent track events. Professional firsts are also on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Started Racing: 1973 or 1974. Perry Kramer himself is vague on this point. His first race was at what was the very first BMX track, Palms Park in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
which was started by Ron Mackler in 1969. In the very first issue of ''Bicycle Motocross News'', June 1974 he is listed in the recap section that listed race results as coming in second on April 24, 1974 in 12-14 Jr. Expert. in the Palms Park Series in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Sanctioning Body: Independent.
First race result:
First win (local):
Home sanctioning body district(s): National Bicycle Association (NBA) District "N" (Northern California);
First sponsor:
First national win: In the Open Main at the
National Bicycle Association The National Bicycle Association (NBA), later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association (NbmxA), was a United States-based Bicycle Motocross (BMX) sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie ...
(NBA) Winter Nationals in
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nick ...
on April 17, 1976.
Turned Professional: 1977 age 18.
First Professional* race result:
First Professional** win:
Retired: 1985
Height & weight at height of his career:
*At the time there was no separate pro class for pros due to the relatively small number of pros. They raced with the 16 Experts, making it a Pro/Am class essentially. This is why, during the early years of the pro division, the national number one racer of a sanctioning body could be either an amateur or professional. This practice continued until the NBA's 1979 season, when the pros earned separate pro points and a separate pro plate from the amateurs. The NBL and the ABA followed suit a year later.
**At the start of his pro career, there wasn't a two-tier system of Junior and Senior Pros, therefore his first pro race and/or win was his first in Senior 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 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 given.
Amateur
*Dan Gurney: 1974
*Dirt-master: 1974-1975
*National Bicycle Association: January 1976 to Late 1976. He was directly sponsored by the sanctioning body.
*Mongoose (BMX Products): Late 1976-Early February 1978 Kramer would turn pro with this sponsor
Professional
*Mongoose: Late 1976-Early February 1978
*SE (Scot Enterprises now Sports Engineering) Racing: Mid-February 1978 - February 1983. Kramer was dropped by SE after the 1983
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) was a US-based BMX sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2011, the ABA merged with the former National Bicycle League and became the current USA BMX. The organization was founded by Merl Mennenga ...
(ABA) Winter Nationals held in
Chandler, Arizona
Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...
.
*Race Inc: March 1983-Mid 1984
*SE Racing: Mid 1984-1985. After Race Inc. went out of business in mid 1984, Kramer rejoined his old sponsor.
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
*''1975 Arizona State Champion''
National Bicycle Association (NBA)
*1976 Winternationals Open and Overall Champion
*''1976 6 & Over Expert and Overall Western States Champion''
*1976 National No.2 (Pro/Am Title)
National Bicycle League (NBL)
*None
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
*None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
*None
Professional
National Bicycle Association The National Bicycle Association (NBA), later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association (NbmxA), was a United States-based Bicycle Motocross (BMX) sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie ...
(NBA)
*1976 National No.2 (Pro/Am Title)
*''1979 Jag Pro World Champion''. (NBA/NBL sanctioned)
National Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League (NBL) was a United States–based Bicycle Motocross (BMX) sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida, but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio. It was created by George Edward Ess ...
(NBL)
*None
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) was a US-based BMX sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2011, the ABA merged with the former National Bicycle League and became the current USA BMX. The organization was founded by Merl Mennenga ...
(ABA)
*None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association The United States Bicycle Association (USBA) was a short-lived Bicycle Motocross (BMX) national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association (ABA): Rich Mann, Dave ...
(USBA)
*None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
*None
Special races, Invitationals and Pro Series Championships
*1980
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
Grand Prix Champion.
*1980 Avro Invitational Fietscross Champion held in
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,[National Bicycle Association The National Bicycle Association (NBA), later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association (NbmxA), was a United States-based Bicycle Motocross (BMX) sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie ...]
.
*He helped Scot Breithaupt in the establishment of SE Racing in 1977.
*Named number five of the top five riders in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
of 1977 by ''Bicycle Motocross News''.
*One of the most respected and pioneering BMX bicycle models is named after him: The P.K. Ripper manufactured by Scot Enterprises (SE) Racing. It was one of the first production BMX bicycles to be made from
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
. It is a metal that was difficult to work with
vis-à-vis
Vis-à-vis may refer to:
* Vis-à-vis, a French expression in English, literally "face to face (with)", meaning in comparison with or in relation to
* ''Vis-à-vis'' (album), by Karol Mikloš, 2002
* Vis-à-vis (carriage), a type of horse-drawn ...
bicycle frame construction and fragile if not manufactured correctly. As a result it was also more expensive than typical
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
bicycles. The P.K. Ripper was one of the first aluminum framed BMX bicycles that was reliable and durable for racing and competitively priced. It was in many ways ahead of its time. The fact that it resembles a modern BMX bicycle is no accident; most modern BMX race bicycles are usually made from aluminum. Like the P.K., modern aluminum bicycle frames have oversized flattened downtubes and toptubes which was called on the Ripper (and a pioneering S.E. Racing BMX Cruiser) "Floval" by the founder of S.E. Racing
Scot Breithaupt
Scot Alexander Breithaupt (July 14, 1957 – July 5, 2015) was an entrepreneur, "Old School" professional motorcycle MX and bicycle motocross (BMX) racer and a founding father of BMX in 1970 whose prime competitive years were from 1970 to 1984. ...
. Also, there is a pro cruiser by S.E. called the "floval flyer," a very unusual-looking bicycle at the time, as was the "exotic" material it was fabricated from. When introduced, most BMX bicycles were made from either hi-tensile steel or more expensive but stronger
chromium-molybdenum steel. Chromium-molybdenum steel, commonly known as "Chromoly", while more expensive than high-tensile steel, it was cheaper than aluminum, in part it was much easier to fabricate and more reliable in terms of durability than most other aluminum framed race bicycles on the market at the time. Aluminum, while significantly lighter and much less subject to
corrosion
Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
than chromoly steel, is more brittle and less resilient than chromoly. The frame must be absolutely stiff or it is subject to failing abruptly,
i.e. snapping in two suddenly. It will succumb from
metal fatigue
In materials science, fatigue is the initiation and propagation of cracks in a material due to cyclic loading. Once a fatigue crack has initiated, it grows a small amount with each loading cycle, typically producing striations on some parts o ...
at a much faster rate, especially if it is subjected to flexing. This is why the tubes of an aluminum frame are both of a larger diameter and are thicker walled than chromoly tubes, to maintain stiffness. Further, aluminum is harder to weld. The welds have to be extra strong and "
double butted" and thorough which gives the aluminum frame with its very obvious beaded welds an "unfinished" look, as if someone forgot to sand them down at the factory to give it the clean, almost one-piece look of a chromoly frame. As a result, the weight advantage of aluminum is reduced significantly, in addition to it higher fabrication cost. For these reasons, the Chromoly steel frame and fork was the standard of BMX racing and freestyle for twenty years. Only in the mid-1990s, as manufacturing advances - many pioneered in the construction of a mountain bike frame - made aluminum cheaper and easier to work with, did aluminum-framed race and freestyle bicycles begin to supplant chromoly. Today the aluminum BMX bicycle frame is the standard, and the modern iteration of the P. K. Ripper is still manufactured by SE (now called Sports Engineering) Racing.
*He was one of the founding members of the Professional Racing Organization (PRO) racers
guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
in 1977.
*Following in the footsteps of
Bobby Encinas
Bobby Encinas (born 1961 in Canoga Park, California) is a former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1980. He was one of the first superstars in BMX and one of its most savvy pro ...
he established Perry Kramer's Pro School of BMX traveling BMX clinic in 1978 teaching hundreds of kids what BMX had to offer.
*He is a 1991 Inductee into the ABA BMX Hall of Fame
*He is a 2004 Inductee into the
United States Bicycling Hall of Fame
The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private 501c3 non-profit organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling. The organization was founded in 1986 in Somerville, New Jersey and has inducte ...
.
Significant injuries
Racing traits and habits
Post BMX career
*He stayed within the industry and worked for various bicycle companies including Giant.
[''BMX Action'' July 1989 Vol.14 No.7 pg.10]
BMX press magazine interviews and articles
*"Perry Kramer's Pro BMX Winners Seminar!" ''BMX Plus!'' May 1982 Vol. No.5 pg.10
*"Perry Kramer on sponsorships" ''BMX Torque'' March/April 1983 Vol.1 No.7 pg.34 Australian publication. It was the last ''BMX Torque'' ever published.
*"Flashback: Perry Kramer" ''Snap BMX Magazine'' Vol.7 Iss.4 No.42 pg.69 Retrospective article.
BMX magazine covers
''Bicycle Motocross News:''
*May 1976 Vol.3 No.5 with
Tinker Juarez
David "Tinker" Juarez (born March 4, 1961) is an American former professional BMX and cross-country mountain bike racer. His prime competitive years in BMX were from 1978 to 1984 and in mountain bike racing 1986 to 2005. Since late 2005, he has ...
and an unidentified racer.
*January 1977 Vol.4 No.1 (holding trophy) with numerous unidentified.
''Minicycle/BMX Action'' & ''Super BMX:''
*January 1981 Vol.8 No.1 (4) leading unidentified racer (164)
*March 1981 Vol.8 No.3 in top insert head shot
Scott Clark in main image.
''Bicycle Motocross Action:''
*June 1981 Vol.6 No.6 with
Scot Breithaupt
Scot Alexander Breithaupt (July 14, 1957 – July 5, 2015) was an entrepreneur, "Old School" professional motorcycle MX and bicycle motocross (BMX) racer and a founding father of BMX in 1970 whose prime competitive years were from 1970 to 1984. ...
and R.L. Osborn.
''BMX Plus!:''
*October 1979 Issue No.8
''Bicycles and Dirt'' (ABA publication):
''Total BMX:''
''NBA World'' & ''NBmxA World'' (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication under two names):
''Bicycles Today'' & ''BMX Today'' (The NBL official membership publication under two names):
''ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer'' (The ABA official membership publication under three names):
''USBA Racer'' (The USBA official membership publication):
Notes
External links
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) Website.The National Bicycle League (NBL) Website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Perry
Living people
American male cyclists
BMX riders
1959 births