Jeffrey Kosmala is a retired professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were.
Racing career milestones
Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated. Started racing: 1973 Sanctioning body: First race result: First win : First recorded win records reveal was in 14 & over Novice on September 19, 1975, at the Van NuysYouth Center. First sponsor: Gus Dando's bikes First national win: In 15 Expert at the National Bicycle Association Supernationals in Trabuco Canyon, California on April 3, 1977. Turned Professional: 14 yrs First Professional race result: 1st Beat David Clinton First Professional win: First Junior Men Pro* race result: Not Applicable First Junior Men Pro win: Not Applicable First Senior Men Pro** race result: First Senior Men Pro win: Retired: Effectively 1983 shortly after he left Redline Engineering. Height & weight at height of his career : Ht: 6'1" Wt: 188–210 lbs.
Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever-changing cosponsors. 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
Mongoose : July 1977 March 1982 Kosmala turned pro with this sponsor.
Professional
Mongoose: July 1977 – March 1982 As the biggest, fastest cruiser rider in the world. Jeff would line up on the starting line everyone else would try and figure out who was going to get second, in 1980 Jef won 21 out of 24 Nationals the ABA national #1 and the NBA national #1 and the JAG World Championship in the same year. To this day there is not more of a demonating year in the sport by one rider. The Kos Kruiser is the most winning bike of all time. According to Kosmala Mongoose wasn't going to pay him for his name on the Kos Kruiser which he was owed, it cost mongoose a lot more than Jeff was asking for.
Redline Engineering: Early April 1982 – Early May 1983 Jeff took his talent to Redline Eng, where he designed and raced the "redline PL-24 " which he stayed on his winning ways. His first race for Redline was the NBL Detroit, Michigan National on April 17, 1982. He won Pro Cruiser. In the middle of the summer of 83 Jeff and his long-time girlfriend got married and he decided to hang up the bars.
O'Neal: January 1984 — Kosmala got back into the BMX world by becoming a sales representative for O'Neal, a Motorcycle Motocross apperal company which was trying to break into the BMX market. Kosmala would occasionally race in O'Neal livery much like John George did for Mongoose after his retirement from competitive racing.
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 National Bicycle League
*Note: At this time the ABA Cruiser title was a Pro/Am tile. Racers who were Professionals in the 20" class could race the amateurs in Cruiser class and win the title, but only trophies, not cash rewards. Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme *
1981 Pro 20" & and Pro Cruiser Western States Champion.
National Bicycle League
None
American Bicycle Association
None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation *
None
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme *
None .
Union Cycliste Internationale *
None
*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. Pro Series Championships
Notable accolades
He won the first ABA sanctioned jumping contest in at the ABA Fall nationals in 1982. This jumping contest predated the King of Dirt contest of the late 1980s and the emphasis was distance jumping and not aerial stunts maneuvers and height. He beat second-place finisher Ronnie Anderson by one inch.
His pants motto* was "Just Be Kos/ nice try/ Kid Kos " *Riders often put slogans on the seat of their pants instead of their surname as a small physiological ploy against their competitors behind them to read.
