Tomac/Roczen/Craig on using BMX experience for Motocross

Feb 17, 2024

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 1319 times

We asked three leading motocross athletes how BMX has helped them when they made the transition to riding dirt bikes. See what they had to say:

Eli Tomac

FATBMX: Did you ever race BMX?
Eli Tomac: My racing started with bicycles and that was riding BMX tracks, it was the first thing I did. I got on a bicycle and raced BMX probably till I was 7 or 8 years old at the local tracks and then after that I went full motocross but yeah it was part of my life in the beginning.

FATBMX: Do you use something you learnt from BMX for your motocross riding?
Eli: I think the crossover is excellent, just for learning balance, balance is huge in the control of your bike.

FATBMX: Do you think BMX is a good school for motocross?
Eli: Oh yeah, totally! I mean, especially in the Supercross environment it's very similar, well, it's both, it's bike control right, knowing how to pinch the bike, I think there's a lot of similarity between BMX and Motocross.

Ken Roczen

FATBMX: Do you still ride BMX a bit?
Ken Roczen: Not a lot of BMX, I do a lot of mountain biking actually, that and road biking. Here on the West Coast I do a lot of mountain biking.

FATBMX: Did I see you and your kid at a BMX track?
Ken Roczen: Yeah a while ago we went to the Orlando BMX track, I mean that's where I grew up riding dirt jumpers and BMX at the local skateparks and rode around town. I think any time you can let your kids grow up on a bicycle is the best way.

Christian Craig

FATBMX: You used to race BMX, what helped you later on in riding motocross that you picked up from BMX racing?
Christian Craig: I think BMX helped a lot with style, being smooth on the bike, you have to finesse it, you can't clip stuff on a BMX bike, you have to be precise so when you get on a dirt bike it helps with the transition with that and obviously the sprint speed, you gotta bring that over. Obviously the snap out of the gate, the timing of it. I think if I didn't do BMX, I wouldn't be here today.

FATBMX: Where did you race and how long did you race BMX for?
Christian Craig: I raced from 4 years old. I turned expert when I was 5. I raced up until I was 10 and I won the Worlds in Utah when I was 8 expert. My best was NAG 3, so I got close. I traveled all over America. I raced for Factory HARO Bikes when it was Lee Pipes/Haro, then raced for Alliance and Phantom on Nic Long's dad's team. I raced with Dennis Enarson and Chad Kerley. They're all like X Games now. It's cool to see how we went different ways but we came from the same, racing BMX.

FATBMX: Didn't you work with Connor Fields?
Christian Craig: Yes, I still do. He's actually my manager. He has done BMX and is now my agent but he's more of just a role model, someone to lean on. He knows what it takes.

By BdJ/FAT(B)MX