Kyle Bennett
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kyle Bennett |
| Born | September 25, 1979 Conroe, Texas, United States |
| Height | 1.83m (6'0 Imperial) |
| Weight | 77.11kg (170lbs. Imperial) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Free Agent BMX, UGP |
| Discipline | Bicycle Motocross (BMX) |
| Role | Racer |
| Rider type | Off Road |
| Amateur team(s) | |
| 1991 1992-? 1994 1995-? |
S&S Racing R&C Racing ODi S&M Bicycles |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 2000 2000-2003 2003-Present |
OPRP/Standard Bykes Nirve Sports Free Agent BMX |
| Infobox last updated on September 10, 2008 |
|
Kyle Bennett (born September 25, 1979 in Conroe, Texas U.S.) is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and Dirt Jumper whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. He has the moniker "Butter" for his smooth riding style.[1] On May 10, 2008 he won an automatic spot on the first US BMX Olympic team, a sport that made its debut in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He made it to the finals and finished sixth of the UCI World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning USA Cycling's year-long series of races as the highest ranking American.[2] and becoming the first member of the BMX Olympic team. Jill Kintner became the second member of the team on 2 June 2008; Mike Day the third member on 15 June 2008; and Donny Robinson the fourth chosen on 25 June 2008. On 22 August 2008 Bennett raced with a reset dislocated shoulder from a quarter-final crash two days earlier and came sixth in his semi-final and did not qualify for the medal round. Kintner won the bronze, first American and third overall to win an Olympic medal in BMX. Mike Day became the second American (fifth overall) and highest ranking American by winning the silver; and Donny Robinson the third (sixth overall) with his bronze.
Contents |
[edit] Racing career milestones
Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
| Milestone | Event Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Started Racing: | In 1988 at age seven when his grandfather took him to the track[3] which was Armarillo Downs in Conroe, Texas but this is most likely incorrect since in from the beginning of 1988, January 1, to September 25, 1988 when he turned nine he was eight years old therefore either the year of his starting racing or his age is documented wrong In June 1988 he began to race at ABA local tracks. In the meanwhile, his name appears in the August 1988 issue of American BMXer in the points listing for Texas District 3 for the points ending June 1988 for the first time. He was in 41st place with 367 points.[4] | |
| Sanctioning Body: | National Bicycle Association (NBL) | |
| First race bike: | A Red Huffy. His grandfather stripped the paint off revealing its chrome finish. "I was STOKED!!" Bennett recalled.[5] | |
| First race result: | Last in 7 Novice.[5] | |
| First sponsor: | S&S Racing April 1991. | |
| First national win: | In 8 Intermediate at the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Lone Star Nationals in Dallas, Texas on July 3, 1988.[6] | |
| Turned professional: | December 28, 1997 at 18 years old (as a racer) at the NBL Christmas Classic.[7] | |
| First professional race result: | First place in Superclass at the NBL Christmas Classic in Columbus, Ohio on December 28, 1997[7] | |
| First professional win: | See above | |
| First Junior Men/Pro* race result: | See "First professional race result" | |
| First Junior Men/Pro win: | See "First professional race result" | |
| Retired: | Still active | |
| Height and weight at height of his career: | Ht:6'0" Wt:170 lbs.[1] | |
*In the NBL it was/is "B" Pro/Super Class/"A" Pro/Junior Men depending on the era; in the ABA it is "A" Pro.
**In the NBL it was/is "A" Pro/All Pros/Pro Class/"AA" Pro/Elite Men depending on the era; in the ABA it is "AA" Pro.
[edit] 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 ever changing 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.
[edit] Amateur/Junior Men
- S&S Racing (bicycle shop): April 1991- The ABA Heartland National in on May 11, 1991 was the first race with this sponsor and this was Kyle's first sponsor for months
- R&C Racing: 1992-
- ODi: 1994
- S&M (Greg Scott & Chris Moeller[8]) Bicycles: December 1995-
[edit] Professional/Elite Men
- ORP/Standard Bykes: -Late November 2000.
- Nirve Sports: Late November 2000-December 2003
- Free Agent BMX: Mid December 2003[9]-Present
[edit] Career bicycle motocross titles
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. Only sanctioning bodies that existed during the racer's career(s) are listed. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles.
[edit] Amateur/Junior Men
National Bicycle League (NBL)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- None
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
*See note in professional section.
[edit] Professional/Elite Men
National Bicycle League (NBL)
- 2004 Elite Men Grandnational Champion
- 2002, 2004 & 2007 National No.1 Pro
- 2006 Elite Men National No.2
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- 2004 AA Pro National No.3
- 2005,'06,'07 AA Pro National No.2
- 2009 "AA" Pro Grand National Champion
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- None (defunct)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None (defunct. FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence).
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
- 2002, 2003 & 2007 20" Elite Men World Champion
- 2003 Intercontinental Pro Shootout Invitational Champion.[10]
*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC had been holding joint World Championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993. Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI. Beginning with the 1997 World Championships held in Brighton, England the UCI would officially hold and sanction BMX World Championships and with it inherited all precedents, records, streaks, etc. from both the IBMXF and FIAC.
USA Cycling
- 2008 Elite Men National Champion
- On May 10, 2008 Kyle Bennett became the first member on the US BMX Olympic Team for the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He earned this first automatic spot when made the finals of the UCI World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark on that date. He won USA Cycling circuit's year-long points race with that finish.[2] Later Bennett would be joined on the Olympic squad by Jill Kintner, who won her spot when she came in sixth at the UCI World Championships in Elite Women on June 2, 2008 and Mike Day, who earned the last automatic spot when he won the Team Trial event held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California on June 14, 2008. The fourth member, Donny Robinson, earned his spot by being appointed to the team on the Team's coach former BMX and Mountain Bike racing pro Mike King's discretion on June 25, 2008 on the strength of his second place finish behind Day and his performances on the NBL and UCI circuits.
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
- Games of the XXIX Olympiad (2008 Summer Olympics)
- USA BMX Teammates: Mike Day, Donny Robinson, Jill Kintner
- Discipline: Men's BMX
- Location: Laoshan BMX Field Beijing, China
- Number of competitors: 32
- Positions:
- Event Results Wednesday August 20
- Men's First Seeding Run‡: 36.491secs
- Men's Second Seeding Run: 36.421secs
- Seconds behind leader: +0.729 (12th place)
- Seeding Run leader: Mike Day
United States - Bennett advances to Quarterfinals
- Men's Quarter Finals (Overall after three motos Run 2): Eighth place Qualifies for Semi Final†.
- Event Results Thursday August 21
- Postponed due to rain. Rescheduled.
- Event Results Friday August 22
- Men's Semi Finals (Overall after three motos Run 1): Sixth place. Did not qualify.
- Semi Final winner (Run 1): Mike Day United States
- Men's Final (Medal Round; one run of Main): Bennett did not qualify.
- Bronze medal winner: Donny Robinson United States
- Silver medal winner: Mike Day United States
- Gold medal winner: Māris Štrombergs
Latvia
Independent Pro Series Championships and invitationals
[edit] Significant injuries
- Broke leg in four different places in a motorcycle accident in 1995 when he was 16 years old (interrupted his racing).[11]
- Broke hand at the Summer X-Games Downhill BMX race in Woodward, Pennsylvania (officially the 2001 location of the Summer X Games was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since most X-Games events (Dirt Jumping, Freestyle) were staged there. Woodward was the Downhill BMX racing venue) during his semi final on August 19, 2001. In the lead, he overshot a set of double jumps coming out of the second turn. He underwent surgery and had two pins inserted. He was laid up for six weeks.[12]
- Suffered a broken collarbone on the step down jump going into the first turn at the ABA Lancaster National in Lancaster, California on May 31, 2003. He was laid up for five weeks.[13]
- Broke collarbone at the 2004 NBL Grand National.[11]
- Suffered a knee injury in October 2006 and had knee reconstructive surgery on a torn ACL in December 2006.[14] His first race back was the NBL Gator Nationals in Sarasota, Florida on March 31, 2007.[15]
[edit] Racing habits and traits
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Kyle Bennett is the stepson of BMX pro racer John Purse.[16] This makes them technically the only father-son combination to win racing titles in BMX, professional or amateur. They both held the NBL National No. 1 pro title. Bennett won in 2002, 2004 and 2007; Purse won in 1995 and 1996. They also both won UCI Elite Men World Championships Purse in 1997 and Bennett in 2002, 2004 and 2007. When Purse was an up and coming pro and Bennet was an amateur at the beginning of his career, they were on the same team; S&S racing in 1991. It was a bicycle shop team.
[edit] BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles
- "American Xpress: Kyle Bennett" BMX World December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 pg.51 (Premier Issue)
[edit] BMX magazine covers
Note: Only magazines that were publishing during racer's career(s) are listed.
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- None
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- None
BMX Plus!:
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
Twenty BMX:
Moto Mag:
- September/October 2002 Vol.1 No.2 in front of Warwick Stevenson.
BMX World:
- December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 Premier issue.
- August/September 2006 Vol.1 Iss.5 (67) behind Robert de Wilde (77) ahead of Jerrett Kolich (198) and Greg Romero (100)
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):
[edit] References
- ^ a b BMXpros.com bio
- ^ a b newsvine.com May 10, 2008 article.
- ^ Kyle Bennett BMXstars.com profile.
- ^ American BMXer August 1988 Vol.10 No.7 pg.59
- ^ a b BMX World December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 pg.51 (Premier Issue)
- ^ American BMXer August 1988 Vol.10 No.7 pg.25(results)
- ^ a b BMX World December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 pg.54 (Premier Issue)
- ^ BMX Plus! September 1989 Vol.12 No.9 pg.49
- ^ December 2003 Cycling News Article; at bottom in "BMX contract News".
- ^ BMXultra.com news page
- ^ a b BMX World December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 pg.55 (Premier Issue)
- ^ Transworld BMX December 2001 Vol.8 Iss.12 No.62 pg.34&63
- ^ June 3, 2003 bmxonline article.
- ^ WorldBoyer.com News section
- ^ Daleholmes.com News blog for April 3, 2007.
- ^ gork-graphics.com Kyle Bennett page. Note: This page states that Kyle Bennett raced A pro in 1998. This is incorrect. The author of the page may be confusing Kyle Bennett and Kyle Bennit, an AA pro at the time.
