Brent Patterson


Brent Hathaway Patterson is a former American "Old School" bicycle motocross racer.
Brent Patterson is the elder of what was the most potent sibling combinations that bicycle motocross has ever seen. With Brian, the Brothers Patterson are the only brothers to both hold the National No.1 Pro title in any major BMX sanctioning body; Brent in 2010 and Brian in 2013 and 2014 in the American Bicycle Association.

Racing career milestone

Note: Professional first are at the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Started Racing: Early 1976 at 14 years old in Hayward, California. He was exposed to it through his friends in his neighborhood.
First race result: First Place in 14 "Expert". However, at the time classes were determined by size and weight and not proficiency. Brent Patterson, being big for his age was placed with the experts.
First local win: See above. It was the beginning of a three race winning streak.
Sanctioning body: None, unaffiliated track.
Home sanctioning body district: National Bicycle Association District "N" ;
First sponsor: Cyclepath 1976
First National win:
Turned Pro: Late 1977 aged 16.
First Pro race result**: First place at the National Bicycle Association Arizona State Fair race in Phoenix, Arizona on November 6, 1977.
First Pro win**: See above.
Height & weight at height of his career : Ht:6'1" Wt:~200 lbs.
Retired from the senior pro* circuit: Mid 1986, 25 years old. As is usual, many former top pro BMXers do not retire completely but race for fun or if there is a particularly large pro purse, such as the 1987 NBL World Cup. Brian and Brent occasionally raced in several large races for both reasons in 1987, but their days of seriously contending for No.1 racer title in any sanctioning body were over. Brent retired fully from BMX after not making the main at the World Cup and concentrated on Motorcycle Motocross. Patterson Racing Products went out of business in the summer of 1986 due to production problems.
*In the NBL "A" Pro/Elite; in the ABA "AA" Pro.
**At the time there was no separate pro class for pros due to the relatively small number of pros. They raced with the 16 Experts, making it a Pro/Am class essentially. This is why during the early years of the pro division the national number one racer of a sanctioning body could be either an amateur or professional. This practice continued until the NBA's 1979 season in which the pros earned separate pro points and a separate pro plate from the amateurs. The NBL and ABA followed suit a year later.

Career factory and major bicycle shop sponsors

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.

Amateur

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National and International titles. Only sanctioning bodies that were active during the racer's career are listed. 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.

Amateur

National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
American Bicycle Association
Independent race series and Invitationals
The California Cup was a non sanctioned series of three qualifying races held at three tracks in three different regions of Northern California. Then the finals were held. The series was sponsored and promoted by BX-Weekly Magazine, a BMX newspaper and Rick Ankron & Rick Varner owners of Racing Products. The finals were held at the famous Corona Raceway in Corona, California on September 5, 1976. Side note: Brent's brother Brian Patterson came in second in 11 Boys behind Eddy King.

Professional

;National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
;American Bicycle Association
;United Bicycle Racers
;International Bicycle Motocross Federation
;Other Titles
*'In the early years of the NORA cup the year the balloting was done and tallied was the year it was considered awarded. In 1983 it was switched to when the winner of the cup was presented to the public in BMX Action magazine of the following year it was considered awarded and not during the closing months of the previous year when the voting and tally takes place. This was done to give the rider maximum publicity and advantage financially. Therefore, under the new system Brent Patterson was awarded NORA in 1981.

BMX Product lines

Other significant sibling combinations in BMX

Like a lot of BMXers, both Brent and his brother Brian returned to the Motorcycle Motocross roots. Both of them did rather well, with Brent racing professionally. They also raced occasionally in large BMX races in the late 1980s. Brian raced in the ABA Veteran Pro class in the mid-1990s

BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles

Bicycle Motocross News:
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
*Due to a change of ownership, BMX Plus! did not publish a May 1983 issue.
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt:
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
NBA World & NBmxA World :
Bicycles Today & BMX Today :
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer :
USBA Racer :