Kyle Bennett
Encyclopedia
Kyle Bennett is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer and Dirt Jumper whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. He has the moniker "Butter" for his smooth riding style. On May 10, 2008 he won an automatic spot on the first US BMX Olympic team, a sport that made its debut in the 2008 Summer Olympics
. He made it to the finals and finished sixth of the UCI World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning USA Cycling
's year-long series of races as the highest ranking American. and becoming the first member of the BMX Olympic team. Jill Kintner
became the second member of the team on 2 June 2008; Mike Day
the third member on 15 June 2008; and Donny Robinson
the fourth chosen on 25 June 2008. On 22 August 2008 Bennett raced with a reset dislocated shoulder from a quarter-final crash two days earlier and came sixth in his semi-final and did not qualify for the medal round. Kintner won the bronze
, first American and third overall to win an Olympic medal in BMX. Mike Day became the second American (fifth overall) and highest ranking American by winning the silver; and Donny Robinson the third (sixth overall) with his bronze.
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
(NBL)
American Bicycle Association
(ABA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
USA Cycling
International Olympic Committee
(IOC)
Independent Pro Series Championships and invitationals
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
Twenty BMX:
Moto Mag:
BMX World:
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racer and Dirt Jumper whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. He has the moniker "Butter" for his smooth riding style. On May 10, 2008 he won an automatic spot on the first US BMX Olympic team, a sport that made its debut in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. He made it to the finals and finished sixth of the UCI World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning USA Cycling
USA Cycling
USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, BMX and collegiate racing...
's year-long series of races as the highest ranking American. and becoming the first member of the BMX Olympic team. Jill Kintner
Jill Kintner
Jill Kintner is a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross and professional mountain cross racer whose prime competitive years were 1995-2002 in BMX; 2004–present in mountain cross...
became the second member of the team on 2 June 2008; Mike Day
Mike Day
Micheal Day is a professional American "Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 2002–Present. His nickname is a play on a common phrase...
the third member on 15 June 2008; and Donny Robinson
Donny Robinson
Donald Robinson is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. His moniker is "dR", his initials. The use of the lowercase "d" for his given name is perhaps related to his relatively diminutive physical size...
the fourth chosen on 25 June 2008. On 22 August 2008 Bennett raced with a reset dislocated shoulder from a quarter-final crash two days earlier and came sixth in his semi-final and did not qualify for the medal round. Kintner won the bronze
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
, first American and third overall to win an Olympic medal in BMX. Mike Day became the second American (fifth overall) and highest ranking American by winning the silver; and Donny Robinson the third (sixth overall) with his bronze.
Racing career milestones
----| Milestone | Event Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Started Racing: | In 1988 at age seven when his grandfather took him to the track which was Armarillo Downs in Conroe, Texas Conroe, Texas Conroe is a suburban city 40 miles north of Houston in the gulf coastal plains/piney woods region of southeast Texas.It is the seat of Montgomery County and falls within the metropolitan area.As of the 2000 U.S... but this is most likely incorrect since in from the beginning of 1988, January 1, to September 25, 1988 when he turned nine he was eight years old therefore either the year of his starting racing or his age is documented wrong In June 1988 he began to race at ABA local tracks. In the meanwhile, his name appears in the August 1988 issue of American BMXer in the points listing for Texas District 3 for the points ending June 1988 for the first time. He was in 41st place with 367 points. |
|
| Sanctioning Body: | National Bicycle Association National Bicycle Association The National Bicycle Association , later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association was an United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie Alexander in 1973 and ceased operations as an independent body in 1981... (NBL) |
|
| First race bike: | A Red Huffy. His grandfather stripped the paint off revealing its chrome finish. "I was STOKED!!" Bennett recalled. | |
| First race result: | Last in 7 Novice. | |
| First sponsor: | S&S Racing April 1991. | |
| First national win: | In 8 Intermediate at the American Bicycle Association American Bicycle Association The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross 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... (ABA) Lone Star Nationals in Dallas, Texas Dallas, Texas Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States... on July 3, 1988. |
|
| Turned professional: | December 28, 1997 at 18 years old (as a racer) at the NBL Christmas Classic. | |
| First professional race result: | First place in Superclass at the NBL Christmas Classic in Columbus, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city... on December 28, 1997 |
|
| First professional win: | See above | |
| First Junior Men/Pro* race result: | See "First professional race result" | |
| First Junior Men/Pro win: | See "First professional race result" | |
| Retired: | Still active | |
| Height and weight at height of his career: | Ht:6'0" Wt:170 lbs. | |
Amateur/Junior Men
- S&S Racing (bicycle shop): April 1991- The ABA Heartland National in on May 11, 1991 was the first race with this sponsor and this was Kyle's first sponsor for months
- R&C Racing: 1992-
- ODi: 1994
- S&M (Greg Scott & Chris Moeller) Bicycles: December 1995-
Professional/Elite Men
- ORP/Standard Bykes: -Late November 2000.
- Nirve Sports: Late November 2000-December 2003
- Free Agent BMX: Mid December 2003-Present
Amateur/Junior Men
National Bicycle League (NBL)American Bicycle Association (ABA)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- None
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
- See note in professional section.
Professional/Elite Men
National Bicycle LeagueNational Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio...
(NBL)
- 2004 Elite Men Grandnational Champion
- 2002, 2004 & 2007 National No.1 Pro
- 2006 Elite Men National No.2
American Bicycle Association
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross 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...
(ABA)
- 2004 AA Pro National No.3
- 2005,'06,'07 AA Pro National No.2
- 2009 "AA" Pro Grand National Champion
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- None (defunct)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None (defunct. FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence).
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
- 2002, 2003 & 2007 20" Elite Men World Champion
- 2003 Intercontinental Pro Shootout Invitational Champion.
USA Cycling
- 2008 Elite Men National Champion
- On May 10, 2008 Kyle Bennett became the first member on the US BMX Olympic Team for the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He earned this first automatic spot when made the finals of the UCI World Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark on that date. He won USA Cycling circuit's year-long points race with that finish. Later Bennett would be joined on the Olympic squad by Jill KintnerJill KintnerJill Kintner is a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross and professional mountain cross racer whose prime competitive years were 1995-2002 in BMX; 2004–present in mountain cross...
, who won her spot when she came in sixth at the UCI World Championships in Elite Women on June 2, 2008 and Mike Day, who earned the last automatic spot when he won the Team Trial event held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CaliforniaChula Vista, CaliforniaChula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....
on June 14, 2008. The fourth member, Donny RobinsonDonny RobinsonDonald Robinson is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. His moniker is "dR", his initials. The use of the lowercase "d" for his given name is perhaps related to his relatively diminutive physical size...
, earned his spot by being appointed to the team on the Team's coach former BMX and Mountain Bike racing pro Mike King's discretion on June 25, 2008 on the strength of his second place finish behind Day and his performances on the NBL and UCI circuits.
International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC)
- Games of the XXIX Olympiad (2008 Summer Olympics)
- USA BMX Teammates: Mike DayMike DayMicheal Day is a professional American "Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 2002–Present. His nickname is a play on a common phrase...
, Donny RobinsonDonny RobinsonDonald Robinson is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. His moniker is "dR", his initials. The use of the lowercase "d" for his given name is perhaps related to his relatively diminutive physical size...
, Jill KintnerJill KintnerJill Kintner is a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross and professional mountain cross racer whose prime competitive years were 1995-2002 in BMX; 2004–present in mountain cross... - Discipline: Men's BMX
- Location: Laoshan BMX FieldLaoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) VenueThe Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross Venue was one of 9 temporary venues used for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was located in Laoshan, Shijingshan District, Beijing. The venue was used for the men's and women's BMX racing events.-References:*...
Beijing, China - Number of competitors: 32
- Positions:
- Event Results Wednesday August 20
- Men's First Seeding Run‡: 36.491secs
- Men's Second Seeding Run: 36.421secs
- Seconds behind leader: +0.729 (12th place)
- Seeding Run leader: Mike DayMike DayMicheal Day is a professional American "Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 2002–Present. His nickname is a play on a common phrase...
- Bennett advances to Quarterfinals
- Men's Quarter Finals (Overall after three motos Run 2): Eighth place Qualifies for Semi Final†.
- Event Results Thursday August 21
- Postponed due to rain. Rescheduled.
- Event Results Friday August 22
- Men's Semi Finals (Overall after three motos Run 1): Sixth place. Did not qualify.
- Semi Final winner (Run 1): Mike Day
- Men's Final (Medal Round; one run of Main): Bennett did not qualify.
- Bronze medalBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
winner: Donny Robinson - Silver medalSilver medalA silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
winner: Mike Day - Gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winner: Māris ŠtrombergsMaris ŠtrombergsMāris Štrombergs is a Latvian professional BMX racer. In the 2008 Summer Olympics he became the first Olympic champion in BMX cycling. Earlier that year he won the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships....
Independent Pro Series Championships and invitationals
Significant injuries
- Broke leg in four different places in a motorcycle accident in 1995 when he was 16 years old (interrupted his racing).
- Broke hand at the Summer X-Games Downhill BMX race in Woodward, PennsylvaniaWoodward, PennsylvaniaWoodward is a census-designated place in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(officially the 2001 location of the Summer X Games was Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
since most X-Games events (Dirt Jumping, Freestyle) were staged there. Woodward was the Downhill BMX racing venue) during his semi final on August 19, 2001. In the lead, he overshot a set of double jumps coming out of the second turn. He underwent surgery and had two pins inserted. He was laid up for six weeks. - Suffered a broken collarbone on the step down jump going into the first turn at the ABA Lancaster National in Lancaster, CaliforniaLancaster, CaliforniaLancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
on May 31, 2003. He was laid up for five weeks. - Broke collarbone at the 2004 NBL Grand National.
- Suffered a knee injury in October 2006 and had knee reconstructive surgery on a torn ACL in December 2006. His first race back was the NBL Gator Nationals in Sarasota, FloridaSarasota, FloridaSarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
on March 31, 2007.
Miscellaneous
- Kyle Bennett is the stepson of BMX pro racer John PurseJohn PurseJohn Eric Purse is a former American professional "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer...
. This makes them technically the only father-son combination to win racing titles in BMX, professional or amateur. They both held the NBL National No. 1 pro title. Bennett won in 2002, 2004 and 2007; Purse won in 1995 and 1996. They also both won UCI Elite Men World Championships Purse in 1997 and Bennett in 2002, 2004 and 2007. When Purse was an up and coming pro and Bennet was an amateur at the beginning of his career, they were on the same team; S&S racing in 1991. It was a bicycle shop team.
BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles
- "American Xpress: Kyle Bennett" BMX World December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 pg.51 (Premier Issue)
BMX magazine covers
----Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- None
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- None
BMX Plus!:
Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:
Twenty BMX:
Moto Mag:
- September/October 2002 Vol.1 No.2 in front of Warwick StevensonWarwick StevensonWarwick Brian Stevenson Jr. is an Australian professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years are from 1995 to current. Nicknamed the "Warlock" as a play on his given name Warwick.-Racing career milestones:----Started racing: 1990 at age 10 in Australia...
.
BMX World:
- December 2005/January 2006 Vol.1 No.1 Premier issue.
- August/September 2006 Vol.1 Iss.5 (67) behind Robert de WildeRobert de WildeRobert de Wilde is a Dutch professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1990–2003. His nicknames are "The Flying Dutchman" in reference to his speed and his nationality and "Afro-Bob" because of his long wild, uncombed hair...
(77) ahead of Jerrett Kolich (198) and Greg Romero (100)
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):