Scot Breithaupt

Pioneer and entrepreneur

Breithaupt was a BMX pioneer, perhaps the inventor of its modern infrastructure. He first organized what was called "Pedal-Cross" on November 14, 1970, establishing a track in a vacant lot in Long Beach, California. He also founded what could be called BMX's first sanctioning body of any kind, the Bicycle United Motocross Society (BUMS).

Breithaupt, who was a teenage MX racer for Yamaha, set up organizational features around his races much as later sanctioning bodies did: rulebooks, a point system, a skill level structure, a racing season, trophies and promotions of special races that were the prototype for nationals. He produced the first California State Championships in 1972.

Breithaupt adapted these structures from motocross sanctioning bodies such as the AMA, CMC and AME, as would other pioneers like Ernie Alexander, founder of the National Bicycle Association (NBA) and George Esser (founder of the National Bicycle LeagueA (NBL), both of whom, like Breithaupt, had roots in motorcycle motocross as racers or promoters. Breithaupt was the first to do it in BMX, at the age of 13.

His nickname OM stood for "Old Man" was in part because he was older at a time when BMX was seen as a pre-teen and early teen activity. By the late 1970s, he did things beyond his young age—promoting races, nationwide tours, teaching racing clinics, safety seminars for the C.P.S.C. and starting and consulting with companies while still a teenager. Later, it became a running gag as to just how old he was. In the January 1975 issue of Cycle Illustrated in its report on the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup Finals (a.k.a. the Bicycle Motocross Championship of California State), which Breithaupt conceptualized, promoted, and built a custom track for, has him listed as 17 years old. At 17, his age hadn't become a running gag yet, although he could not participate in the Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup series finals. Ironically since he was the race promoter he was disqualified after a win in the expert class in the first qualifying race at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California, with Brian Ramocinski declared the winner. This was the first of three preceding qualifying races prior to the final to be held in September 1974. Only those 16 years and younger could participate and he had turned 17 between the time he signed up for the race and the day the qualifying race was actually held, July 20, 1974. He turned 17 on July 14, 1974, six days before the race. This makes his birth year 1957, and makes him 13 when he started organizing races in Long Beach in November 1970. In fact nine other riders in the event were over 16. In fact, Ramocinski's sponsor, Dirtmasters, and its general manager Mike Devitt protested Breithaupt. Further confirmation came on page 11 of the November 1975 issue of Bicycle Motocross News, which described Breithaupt as an "18-year-old dynamo."

This running joke is with his complicity. He used to put a "?" mark in the space for the rider's age on the ABA sign-up form for when he raced Cruiser class. Also, in part two of a four-part series of interviews by BMXUltra.com profiling Mr. Breithaupt and SE Racing in response to a question "When did you start SE?" he quips "I started SE Racing in Mid 1977 when I was 14." Of course the joke being, if true he helped invent BMX in 1970 when he was seven years old.

Young Breithaupt did not just tend to his own track. He designed the Saddleback Park B.M.X. Track in Orange County, California, Westminster BMX, City of Walnut BMX, Signall Hill BMX, Escape Country, and also collaborated with the municipal government of La Palma, California, to design the La Palma Youth Village BMX track, and also Fountain Valley Boys and Girls Club Track. Significant accomplishments for a teenager by any standard. In later years, Breithaupt designed and built Narler Park in Long Beach, California, the first track with a separate pro section. It was also the site of the last ever National Bicycle Association (NBA) Grandnationals in December 1982. It was a story in Popular Mechanics in 1974 by Mike Anson, headlined, "Promotional Genius at 16."

In his early years, Breithaupt promoted a bevy of races, both independent and in conjunction with the nascent NBA. He was brought on as their National Public Relations Director in 1975 and announced many of their major events, including the 1975 Shimano Grandnationals, which he sat out due to injuries. He also produced and promoted the very first Pro BMX @ Saddleback Park in 1975.

Breithaupt had a hand in virtually every aspect of BMX: racing, promoting, announcing, designing tracks, manufacturing, sponsoring and managing teams. He even had a hand in founding and/or guiding the existence of the founding four BMX publications; Bicycle Motocross News where he wrote some of the first articles and was the first racer interviewed by a nation spanning BMX publication. He was a contributing writer and staff product tester on Minicylce/BMX Action,** later known as Super BMX, when it began to transition from combined minicycle and BMX racing coverage to BMX only reporting.

He was one of the first staff writers with Bicycle Motocross Action, having a monthly editorial article, and co-founded BMX Plus! with Jim Stevens. After he gave up racing to devote more time to his company, SE Racing, he made it to be one of the more innovative organizations in the niche industry of BMX. At least two products bicycle frames conceived in the mid-1970s survive on the market today in modernized form: The Quadangle and the P.K. Ripper the former known for its highly distinctive configuration the other for being the first truly successful aluminum bicycle frame. They are sold by SE Racing-now known as Sports Engineering Racing-to this day, long after many beloved but now obsolete 1970s and 1980s era frames have become beloved museum pieces. Over this was a persistent dark cloud over Breithaupt; that of drug abuse, that had been with him since the 1980s and tied to the untimely loss of his father. It has resulted in his incarceration on three different occasions although he was in his 5th year of recovery as of April 2010. He started the first large wheel (26-inch) Cruiser Classes with the sanctioning bodies, attracting more adults to the sport. He even set bicycle long distance jump (assisted by being towed by a motorcycle) records. He had a hand in starting the first attempt of a racer's Professional Guild in 1976. The list goes on. His being one of the organized sport's first champions (NBA National Champion in 1976) is almost a footnote. Many of the sport's early stars can trace their career beginnings to Breithaupt's Long Beach B.U.M.S. course.

In 1978 at the track in Carson, California, called the Runway because it was next to the skateboard park, Breithaupt ran NBS-sanctioned races. He did all the work—from promoting to setting up the track to recording results. He held the first Pro race at the Runway sanctioned by the NBA, which Harry Leary won, riding for factory JMC. The first National held at Saddleback in 1979 was won by Stompin' Stu Thomsen fresh on the SE Racing team.

On July 4, 2015, he was found dead at age 57 in a vacant lot in Indio, CA. He was a drug addict, primarily cocaine, who started in his early 20s and aside from brief periods of sobriety he never stopped. His addiction had led him to homelessness, and he was found in 106 degree (F) heat in a makeshift tent.

As an entrepreneur Breithaupt ventured into many industries, creating over 25 entities. Most were "sports related" and involved Breithaupt's passions. Besides being "the founding father of BMX" he is considered a pioneer in promoting, marketing and televising extreme sports such as BMX, skateboarding, karting, mixed martial arts, snowboarding, mountain biking and extreme sports.

Breithaupt's 400+ TV shows, commercials and videos included:

1st TV production of BMX racing distributed internationally; 1987 IBMXF World Championships from Orlando, Fl. thru Prime International, HNK, STAR, TSN, BSN, and on Nickelodeon in the U.S. and others through Breithaupt's cable syndication of over 60 million homes.

1st Mountain Bike TV program; 1988 SWATCH World Championships from Mammoth Mountain Resort, distributed through ESPN and international networks.

1st BMX Freestyle TV show with ESPN and international distribution; The 1987 AFA SOCKO Finals.

1st to televise the ABA Grand Nationals for ESPN and distribute internationally 1987–1992.

1st to televise snowboarding; 1988 SIMS/Vision Street Wear – Snowdaze.

1st to televise skateboarding; 1987 ESPN/Vision Street WEAR-ROCK –N-ROLL JAM, then broadcast through international networks

1st to televise GPV and Luge racing; 1987 GPV RAMP JAM on ESPN, PRIME SPORTS, International distribution.

Other shows and TV series include:

Action Cycle Sports Series – ESPN −1988–1990

Nickelodeon Special Delivery 1987–1990

Kids Sports – TSN Canada, Prime Sports, Prime International -STAR – 1990–1992

Action Karting – PRIME/FOX SPORTS 1992–1993

Boxing at Tony Longval’s Country Club 1991

Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Golf Digest 1992–1993

History of Martial Arts – Showtime – 1993

Adrenaline High – Nickelodeon, ESPN and international – 1991

Guinness World Book of Records Day (BMX, freestyle and skateboarding world records) – NBC worldwide – 1989

World Martial Arts Challenge – UNLV, Showtime, Pay-per-view, B-Rolls, Pre-show, commercials – 1993

Video catalogues for GT Bicycles, Mongoose, SE Racing, Diamond Back, Schwinn, Ironhorse, Tioga, ATI, Finishline Lubes and others

IHBA Drag Boat Series – ESPN – 1991–1992

Vintage Grand Prix Series – ESPN – 1992–1993