MTB and general media interviews and articles
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Loncarevich |
| Nickname | "Pistol Pete" |
| Born | April 8, 1966 Lake Forest, California, United States |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 180–195 lb (82–88 kg) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Bicycle motocross (BMX) Mountain bike racing (MTB) |
| Role | Racer |
| Rider type | Off Road |
| Amateur teams | |
| 1977 | Cook Bros. |
| 1978 | S&S Performance |
| 1979-1980 | TW Racing |
| 1980-1982 | Diamondback |
| Professional teams | |
| 1982 | Diamondback |
| 1983 | SE Racing |
| 1983 | LRP Racing |
| 1983 | Shadow Racing |
| 1983-1986 | CW Racing |
| 1986-1989 | Haro Designs |
| 1989 | Vans |
| 1989-1990 | Vans/MCS |
| 1990-1992 | Vans/Diamondback |
| 1992 | Vans/Hawk Racing |
| 1992-1993 | GHP/Pro Forx |
| 1993-1995 | ParkPre |
| 2000-2001 | Vans |
| 2010 | Redman Rockstar |
Peter Pete Loncarevich (born April 8, 1966) is a former bicycle motocross (BMX) racer. Loncarevich was an "old school" professional BMX racer whose prime competitive years were from 1980 to 1994. He is of Croatian origin.
Nicknamed the "Pistol Pete", Loncarevich received the moniker the way many racers did with the announcer choosing one for him. In 1984 at an American Bicycle Association national, Merl Mennenga, the founder and then President of the ABA, who often also announced "play by play" for the audience at ABA nationals called him "The Pistol" [1] for his penchant in getting the "holeshot" out of the starting gate like a bullet out of a gun. It was also a simultaneous allusion to Loncarevich's similar-sounding name to former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) Guard Pete Maravich who had the moniker of "Pistol Pete". [2]
Note: Professional first are at the national level until otherwise indicated.
| Milestone | Event Details |
|---|---|
| Started racing: | Early 1977 Age 11 at Elk's BMX Lodge in Santa Ana, California. [3] |
| Sanctioning body: | National Bicycle Association (NBA). |
| Home sanctioning body district(s): | American Bicycle Association (ABA) California 3 (CA-3) (1980); (CA-14) (1982) |
| First race bike: | Schwinn Sting-Ray [4] |
| First race result: | Second in 11 Novice. [4] |
| First win (local): | Probably in 11 Novice on April 17, 1977, at the Santa Ana Elks in Santa Ana, California. [5] Records are spotty. |
| First sponsor: | Cook Brothers 1977 |
| First national win: | 1978 NBA Corona National 12 Expert. |
| Turned Professional: | December 1982 at age 17. |
| First Professional race result: | He raced in two local races without winning the mains. [6] In his first pro race on the national level he got a second place in "A" pro on December 29 at the 1982 Jag World Championship (American Bicycle Association (ABA) sanctioned). He won US$500, [7] the equivalent to US$1,074.09 in 2007 dollars. (Cost of Living Calculator) Immediately after the pro main a representative from Diamondback told Loncarevich that his contract with Diamondback was terminated for him turning pro. [8] |
| First Professional win: | In "B" Pro at the National Bicycle League (NBL) War of the Stars (WOS) National in Northridge, California, on May 14, 1983. He won US$300, the equivalent to US$624.40 in 2007 [9] |
| First Junior Men/Pro* race result: | See "First professional race result". |
| First Junior Men/Pro win: | See "First Professional win" |
| First Senior Pro** race result: | Third place in "AA" pro at the ABA Spring Nationals in Fremont, California, on May 30, 1983. [10] He won US$300 or US$624.40 in 2007 dollars. [11] |
| First Senior Pro win: | In "AA" Pro at the 1983 ABA Wheaties Gold Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 9, 1983. [12] He won US$280, the equivalent of US$582.77 in 2007 [13] |
| Height and weight at height of his career: | Ht:6'1" Wt:~180-195 lbs. [14] He underwent a substantial weight gain when he put on muscle during the 1985 and 1986 seasons |
| Retired from Senior pro (A/AA)* circuit: | Unofficially in 1994, but like a lot of pros, they really retired only from the front line AA/A pro points chase circuit for the National no. 1 title. Racing never left his system. He came back to BMX by winning the ABA Masters class, the precursor to the Veteran Pro class, at the 1995 ABA Grand Nationals. He resumed 20" BMX racing on a competitive level in 2000 competing in the ABA's Masters/Veteran Pro class and in "A" pro. This was in addition to and simultaneous with his Mountain Bike (MTB) racing career where he won a Masters World Championship as well as multiple World Cup events. After another hiatus from racing, he competed in the 41-Over Expert class on March 26, 2010. [15] |
*In the NBL it was/is "B" Pro/Super Class/"A" Pro/Junior Men, all depending on the era; in the ABA it has been and is "A" Pro regardless of the era (post 1980).
**In the NBL it is "A" Pro/All Pros/"AA" Pro/Elite Men, all depending on the era; in the ABA it has been and is "AA" Pro regardless of the era (post 1980).
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.
Side Note: "CW" never stood for "Coast Wheels" as it is widely thought. Coast Wheels was a bike shop that Roger Worsham owned. Custom Works was a completely different and independent company. [26] This is in contrast with JMC (Jim Melton Cyclery) which did start out as a bicycle shop and then began manufacturing its own BMX components including entire bicycles.
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.
National Bicycle Association (NBA)
Bicycle Motocross League (BMXL)
National Bicycle League (NBL)
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
†Shared with 13 Expert Kelly McDougall [33]
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
United States Cycling Federation (USCF)*
NBL rules and nomenclature were followed generally, however, no points were awarded and applied to the NBL or any other recognized BMX governing body. The NBL ceased sanctioning the Jag World Championships because by this time it was the US affiliate of the IBMXF which was holding its own World Championships. Renny Roker, the promoter of the Jag World Championship races refused to rename this race. Consequently, the NBL pulled its sanction for the 1981 race and future Jag "World Championship" races. [34]
*The USCF is now USA Cycling.
National Bicycle Association (NBA)
Bicycle Motocross League (BMXL)
National Bicycle League (NBL)
United Bicycle Racers (UBR)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
*The King of Los Angeles was a pro series of seven races held at ABA tracks in the Southern California/Los Angeles area hastily put together on the same weekend to counter the debut and emergence of a new and as it turned out short live sanctioning body called the International Cycling Association (ICA) (which was founded in part by Pro racer Greg Hill) which was holding its first event, the Cowboy National in Dallas, Texas, during that same weekend. The ABA paid some top pro racers including Pete Loncarevich to participate along with putting up a US$7,000 pro purse. Terry Tenette was the only elite top pro to attend the inaugural ICA national. [39]
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
*The Vision Street Wear World Cup was the direct descendant of the Murry World Cup. Murray stopped sponsoring the World Cup after the fifth 1986 edition due to the failure of Murray of Ohio bicycle company and the NBL to come to an agreement about the sponsorship fee Murray would have had to pay the NBL. If Murray continued its sponsor ship, the 1987 addition would have been the sixth (VI) in the series.
Pro Series Championships and Invitationals
The 1986 Paris Yoplait BMX Challenge was an invitational race sponsored and promoted by the Yoplait Yogurt company in which American and English pros as well as French pros were brought together to compete in a single race. As is typical in Europe, the public had greater enthusiasm for BMX than the American public, in part because bicycle racing of any type was and is much more popular in Europe (and in Asia and South America as well) than in the United States. As with the 1985 addition, which Tommy Brackens won, it was a hit in France with tickets sold out two months in advance. [40]
During his amateur BMX career he was a member of a Rockabilly band singing and playing guitar in Orange County, California. [54] Due to racing commitments he had to leave it but he still played during his leisure time. By most accounts he was very good.
In his early twenties he began studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and other martial arts. He is now a 3rd degree black belt in BJJ under Joe Moreira. He has won a couple of titles including coming in first in the Black Belt Senior 1 Male Lightweight class at the 2006 Pan American Championship held by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation under the Brazilian Confederation (CBJJ). [55] Pete Loncarevich now teaches BJJ out of the Lotus Club in Medford, Oregon.
Bicycle Motocross News:
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt:
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication with one name change):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication with two name changes):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
*After the ABA acquired the USBA the ABA printed USBA Racer within American BMXer beginning with the May 1986 issue.
USBA Racer (as an independent publication):
After BMX, Pete went on to have a major career in mountain biking, and after that, he, for a short time, was the team manager for the west coast Razor Scooter pro team, touring the world for such events as the Panasonic Core Tour, and various promotional demos.
Like many of his fellow BMX top amateurs and pros, Pete Loncarevich tried his hand at mountain bike racing (MTB) late in his BMX career. In 1994 Loncarevich moved on in such a manner to MTB after essentially winning everything there was to win in BMX and getting bored as this 1998 Dirtrag.com interview excerpt illustrates:
Fraser:So how come you decided to switch to downhill mountain biking from BMX?
Pete:Ah, because I'd accomplished all the goals that I'd accomplished more than three times. So I was, like, you know, wasn't really accomplishing anything that I hadn't already accomplished so I wanted to move, you know? I didn't want to be just a BMX racer my whole life. So that's where I switched to downhill Mountain biking. It was new to me; it was like BMX when I first started.
Fraser:So you were basically bored riding BMX?Pete:Exactly! [2] ----dirtrag.com 1998
He went on to have a career almost as successful racing mountain bikes as he did racing BMX, earning several titles starting in 1992. His main MTB discipline is in the Downhill category. Started Racing: 1994
Sub Discipline: Downhill
First race result:
Sanctioning Body:
Retired:
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 MTB press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are given.
No amateur status
Note: Listed are Regional, National, and International titles.
Mountain Bike Action:
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2010) |
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Stephen James Veltman is a former American "Old School/Mid School" professional Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1980–1985 and 1987 to 1998. His nickname during the time he first achieved fame as a 12- and 13-year-old was "Spider-Man" due to the posture he had as he speed jumped his bicycle over moguls. He would be tucked all the way back over and just above the rear wheel. His right elbow would be down while his left up as opposed to having them near perfectly level. This along with his red and white Hutch uniform and helmet with mirrored lensed goggles gave an impression of the comic book superhero Spider-Man swinging on his web. His later moniker "V"-Dog" came into being concurrently with him joining the Vans Racing Team in April 1991. He was also known as "Primetime".
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"This guy I know that races motorcycles in Southern California is a real jerk. Every time you did something stupid, we would call you by his last name. 'You're such a Smith.' And at the Super Bowl of Motocross three years ago, he raced and had "Hollywood" on the back of his jersey. From then on, whenever you did something stupid, we would say: 'You're such a Hollywood'. It was meant as a putdown but now I guess it's compliment. I just tell people that they call me that because I like to show off. Steve Giberson started it."
-----Mike Miranda Super BMX April 1983.
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