Year 1978.

1978 - Europeans discover BMX in the USA.

The ABA makes the decision to expand nationally. First ABA national race held in Azusa, California. First large pro purse ($1,000.00) offered at a major race by the ABA.

Kyle Flemmingbecame ABA's first number 1 Amature. Kyle was riding for DG at the time. A couple of years later, Kyle was killed in a car-train accident going with 3 others to a BMX race. I will come back to this tragic event later on.

Again, this was the year I got involved in BMX seriously. I organized the official introduction of the sport of BMX during the international moto-cross event at Valkenswaard in March 1978. A group of about 10 riders did give a demonstration of BMX racing. An unofficial BMX organization was founded (not registered/recognized by the official authorities) on May 16th. 1978 by yours truly, called: "Eerste Nationale Fietscross Organisatie" (1st National BMX Organization).

Around this time, I contacted the municipality of Eindhoven with the request to put at our disposal a piece of land on which a track could be build. In the meantime, I got in contact with Louis Vrijdag (whom I knew from the moto-cross sport), at the time he was working for the municipality of Eindhoven, who also learned about this BMX activity because of his job. Louis and I found eachother and understood each other well and this cooperation led to the foundation of the S.F.N. "Stichting Fietscross Nederland" later on this year.