Re-up: Jason Davies interview about the UK scene. (Re-Up from 2009)

Dec 03, 2014

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 15139 times

Name: Jason Davies
Hometown: Tempe, Arizona
Occupation: Construction

We have been doing a few interviews with riders from the UK ramp scene. Who were you heroes when you started riding?
Jason: Bob Haro obviously, him and Mike Dominguez came to the UK and I was blown away and hooked after I saw them ride.

I used to jump my bike a lot but it changed right there. Later that year the Curb Dogs came to Brighton and I was really impressed by those guys. It went really quick really. Riders like Wilkerson, McCoy, Blyther were heroes at first, then we started riding together and we turned into team mates before I knew it.

How hard was it for you to get around and make it to the contests when you were not able to drive yourself?
Jason: Because we had some free local parks I didn't really have to travel much. They were only 15 miles apart and I rode my bike to all of them. The train system was pretty good so I used that if I had to. Also my friend Howard had a car so that was handy too.

Where did you ride during the week?
Jason: We had three skateparks around Bristol that I rode. Like Southport that was built in 1978. Lockleaze/Beminster had a 10-15 feet deep concrete bowl and we also rode a concrete vert ramp with no flat bottom and no platforms on top. Another one was St. George. Those were skateparks from the first generation. After school I just picked one then went on to the next and then to the next one until it got dark. I was lucky that I could ride everywhere.

Did you make any trips on the weekends to meet up with other riders and ride different ramps?
Jason: In the weekends I sometimes went to Romford and more often to Southsea but there was no shortage of ramps to ride where I lived. Geoff Cain had a vert ramp in his backyard when halfpipes were just getting popular and we would ride that all day.

When did you move away from the quarterpipes to hit the vert ramps?
Jason: The contests were held on quarterpipes but I already rode the cement vert ramp at Bristol and Geoff Cain's backyard vert ramp too.

What was your first sponsor?
Jason: I forget, I think it was I got to ride for Skyway in 1987 and then it was Haro. It's so funny how fast it went from getting into this sport and looking up to these people and then it turned around and you became friends with them.

When did you get hooked up with HARO?
Jason: The year after that. I got a letter from Bob Haro congratulating me on the British Championships in 1988 so I know it was that year. I rode for HARO in 1988 and 1989.

HARO, WAL, GT, Powerlite, KHE, you've had a few sponsors. Which bike did you like best?
Jason: Riding wise it was KHE because I got to design my own bike for them. I had that design in my head for years and when it was done it felt like second skin. Just perfect for me, I loved riding it.

Did you always want to make it to the USA for contests?
Jason: I can't really remember but I guess so. The magazines and the industry were all in the USA and if you see where I ended up you can say that I liked it. The weather is a big plus.

When was the first time?
Jason: At the end of 1987 for the Velodrome finals with Peter Hawkins when I rode for Skyway. I ruptured my spleen in 1987. I went back home and returned to the USA in March of 1988 to ride a contest in Tucson, Arizona and had a great time with Rick Moliterno and Dave Voelker. In 1991 Wilkerson Airlines asked me to join them on their USA tour with Craig Grasso, Ruben Castillo and I had the time of my life.

What are some of your contest accomplishments that you're sort of proud of?
Jason: I don't know. I don't really care. I like to compete for the fun of it. Contests back then were not about results really. Everyone pushed eachother to ride well. The result was just how it came out. I won two world championship titles if you really want to put something down. It didn't really matter, it was just riding. Or maybe my fourth place at my first X-Games where it was half a point between Dave Mirra, Jay Miron, Mat Hoffman and myself. I forget the order. I decided to put my neck on the line and bust the biggest 540 I've ever done on my third air. I was either going to land flat and hard or keep my speed for the rest of the run. I did that and had a great run. When I told Miron, we were real good friends, about my plan after the contest to either crash or land heavy, he just looked to me like I was all stupid and said: "That's the only way." Man I was hoping to get some compliments about my good run and going for broke and it turned out that he did that all the time.

When did you move to the USA permanently?
Jason: 1997. I did a lot of shows for GT back in the day and they wanted you to stay at the GT house in California. I didn't like that and I moved to Arizona. Been here ever since.

What did you do when the pay checks from BMX stopped coming?
Jason: I'm doing construction now. Good weeks and bad weeks.

You're back on the sponsor list with Faction. How's that?
Jason: Huh? What?

I saw your name in an ad that said you're riding for them.
Jason: That's weird. Don't know anything about it.

Where do you ride when you find the moment?
Jason: I built a 9 feet wide spine to wallride in my yard so I can still roll around a little. Also my friend Danny Williams has a bunch of ramps that I can ride. I'm a bit rusty but would like to get into it a bit more again.

Woodward West BMX Reunion?
Jason: Would be good but I don't think I can afford to go. Got work to do and I would need some time to feel better on the bike. I'm a bit rusty now.

BdJ

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