Robert D. MacPherson (born February 9, 1971 in Norwalk, California) is a retired professional American "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer who competed mainly from 1995 to 2001. His nicknames were "MacFearsome",[1] and "Big Mac".
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population is estimated to be 107,096 as of 2014. It is the 58th most densely-populated city in California.
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general on- or off-road recreation. BMX began when young cyclists appropriated motocross tracks for fun, racing and stunts, eventually evolving specialized BMX bikes and competitions.
Note: Professional firsts are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Started racing: MacPherson started racing in 1976 at the age of four, where crashed on his first lap around the track in practice. He didn't attempt to race again until 1981, and this time he did not qualify. In his third race he got fourth place. He had a successful child amateur career after that, and then left the sport in late 1986 at 15 years of age. He resumed racing in 1994 with the ABA Fall Nationals in Burbank, California on October 21–23, 1994.
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of Southern California, United States, 12 miles (19 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The population at the 2010 census was 103,340.
The American Bicycle Association (ABA) is a US-based BMX sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA. It was and is known for its efficiency in running events known as Nationals, where BMX racers from around the country race in competition for points and in the case of Professionals, money, to determine who will earn the right to run a National No."1" plate in the several divisions the following year. The other leading sanctioning body, the National Bicycle League (NBL) also holds Nationals as do several smaller regional governing bodies.
First race result: Did not qualify in 1981.
Turned professional: November 1995, moments after his victory in becoming National No.1 Amateur at the ABA grand nationals.[2] He was 23 years old.
First professional race result: Eighth place (last) in Superclass at the National Bicycle League (NBL) Christmas Classic in Columbus, Ohio on December 28, 1995 (Day 1).[3][4]
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 Esser in 1974 as first the bicycle auxiliary of the National Motorcycle League (NML) then set up as an independent non-profit organization unlike the earlier National Bicycle Association (NBA) and the later American Bicycle Association (ABA). George Esser played a major part in establishing Bicycle Motocross racing in Florida and shortly after the East Coast of the United States as Ernie Alexander did in California and the West Coast. The organization that sanctions bicycle motocross races in the United States/Canada is now known as USA BMX.
Columbus is the state capital and the largest city of and the most populous city in the U.S. State of Ohio. With a population of 892,533 as of 2018 estimates, it is the 14th-most populous city in the United States and one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation. This makes Columbus the third-most populous state capital in the US and the second-most populous city in the Midwest. It is the core city of the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses ten counties. With a population of 2,078,725, it is Ohio's second-largest metropolitan area.
Retired: MacPherson first retired after the 1986 ABA grand nationals to pursue football. He resumed racing in 1994 after an eight-year layoff at 23 years old. He missed the travel and camaraderie.[5] He retired again in December 2002 to spend more time with his daughter.[6]
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 used.
Amateur
Valencia Schwinn: 1982
Zap Clothing: 1983
Vans: 1983-February 1985
CW Racing:February 1985-November 1986. He retired after the 1986 ABA Grandnationals
retired for 8 years (December 1986-Late 1994)
Mongoose: May 1995-December 1998 He turned pro with this sponsor.
Professional
Mongoose: May 1995-December 1998
Diamond Back: December 1998 – 2001 The 1998 NBL Christmas Classic was his first race for Diamondback.[7]
To Fitness/Diamondback: 2001-2002
Free Agent/O'Neal: 2002
Career bicycle motocross titles
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Only sanctioning bodies active during the racer's career are listed.
Amateur
National Bicycle Association (NBA)
1980 9 Novice Third Place Jag World Champion
National Bicycle League (NBL)
1981 10 Expert JAG World Champion (NBL sanctioned)
1985 14 Expert National No.3
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
1983 California District 9 (CAL-9) No.1
1985 14 Expert Grandnational Champion
1985 14 Expert Winter season* California 22 (CA-22) District age group (DAG) champion.
1985 14 Expert National No.1 (NAG)
1985 National No.3
Retired for eight years
1995 21–25 Cruiser World Champion
1995 19 & Over Expert and 21–25 Cruiser Grandnational Champion
1995 National No.1
*In 1985 the ABA experimented with dividing the district points season from one year lasting from January 1 to December 31 to three four-month-long time periods at which a racer could earn a plate number for that time period and/or their age group and could race the rest of the year with it. The experiment lasted only for a year before the ABA reverted to a single year long points gathering season in 1986.
United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
1984 13 Expert 7-Up World Championships Champion**
**The 7-Up World Championship race was the direct descendant of the Jag BMX World Championship races held from 1978 to 1983. Renny Roker, the promoter of the JAG BMX World Championship gave the rights to the WC to the USBA in 1984 in return for the cable television rights.
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
1984 13 Expert and 13 & Under Cruiser World Champion
1985 14 Boys Bronze Medal World Champion
United States Cycling Federation (USCF)
1981 JAG 10 Expert World Champion
Independent Events, Race Series and Invitationals
1983 12 Expert Second Place Jag BMX World Superbowl Championship Champion
1984 13 Expert Larry Wilcox/Pepsi West Coast BMX Challenge Series Champion.
1996 National No.1 Pro. Prize won: A customized Jeep.
1996 "AA" Pro World Cup Champion
*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.
Injured knee at the 1995 NBL Christmas Classic in Columbus, Ohio on December 28, 1995.[3]
Damaged a rotator cuff in his shoulder at the ABA Lone Star Nationals in Humble, Texas on March 23, 1997 (Day 2) in the first main. He managed to race the next two mains and finish third over all. He eventually went into surgery.[9]
Post BMX career
After his retirement in 2002 he went back to school earn a degree in physical education. He was hired as an instructor at Val Verde USD in 2004. When he mentioned that he was formerly a professional BMX racer, they asked him to set up an alternative BMX-related PE course. He is currently teaching that subject to troubled kids.[10]
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