Jeff Kosmala

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Jeff Kosmala
On the Redline Team circa 1982
On the Redline Team circa 1982
Personal information
Full name Jeffrey Kosmala
Nickname "Kos"
Date of birth September 16, 1961 (1961-09-16) (age 46)
Country Flag of the United States United States
Height 1.85 m (6'1" Imperial)
Weight 85.3-95.23kg (188-210lbs. Imperial)
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
Role Racer
Rider type Off Road
Amateur team(s)
1978-1977
 Mongoose
Professional team(s)
1977-1982
1982-1983
1984		 Mongoose
Redline Engineering
O'Neal
Infobox last updated on:
April 18, 2008

Jeffrey Kosmala (b. September 16, 1961 from Van Nuys, California USA) was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from (1978-1981)

Contents

[edit] Racing career

Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.

Started Racing: 1973

Sanctioning Body: ()

First race result:

First win (local):

First sponsor:

First national win:

Turned Professional:

First Professional race result:

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 was dropped by Redline Engineering.

Height & weight at height of his career (1978-1981): Ht:6'1" Wt:188-210lbs.

[edit] Career factory and major bike shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever changing 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 used.

[edit] Amateur

  • Mongoose (BMX Products): July 75 TURN PRO AT 14,BEAT DAVIDN CLINTON AT VAN NUTS TEEN CENTER FIRST NIGHT AS A PRO!

[edit] Professional

  • Mongoose: July 1977-March 1982 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 then Jeff was asking for.[1]
  • Redline Engineering: Early April 1982-Early May 1983 His first race for Redline was the NBL Detroit, Michigan National on April 17, 1982. He won Pro Cruiser.[2]
  • 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.[3] Kosmala would occasionally race in O'Neal livery much like John George did for Mongoose after his retirement from competitive racing.

[edit] Career bicycle motocross titles

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. 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.

[edit] Amateur

National Bicycle Association (NBA)

National Bicycle League (NBL)

  • 1980 JAG 15-29 Cruiser World Champion.*

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

  • 1980 Cruiser Grandnational Champion
  • 1980 Cruiser National No.1*

*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 (FIAC)*

  • None

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*

  • None

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*

  • None

*See note in professional section

[edit] Professional

National Bicycle Association (NBA)

  • 1980 Pro Cruiser National No.1
  • 1981 Pro 20" & and Pro Cruiser Western States Champion.

National Bicycle League (NBL)

  • None

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

  • None (See amateur section)

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

  • None

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*

  • None

Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*

  • None (FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence) (defunct).

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*

  • 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

[edit] 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 (KOD) 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.

[edit] BMX Product Lines

Product Evaluation:
"Kos Kruiser Test" BMX Plus! December 1980 Vol.3 No.12 pg.70 (1980 Model).
"Jeff Kosmala and the Kos Kruiser" Bicycle Motocross Action February 1981 Vol.6 No.2 pg.60

[edit] Significant injuries

  • Broke thumb at the NBA United States Grand Prix (U.S.G.P) in Las Vegas, Nevada He had his cast shaped like a "C" in order to grip the handle bars[4]
  • Broke his wrist at the 1983 NBL WOS Memphsis double header in Memphis, Tennessee.[5]

[edit] Peccadilloes

[edit] Post BMX career

[edit] BMX magazine covers

Note: (defunct) denotes that the magazine was out of business before the career of the racer started. (retired) indicates that the magazine came into existence after the racer's caeer ended.

Bicycle Motocross News:

  • None

Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:

Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:

  • BMX Action October 1982 Vol.7 No.10 (27) in top right insert. In center left insert Andy Patterson; in bottom right insert Jeff Ruminer (8) ahead of Bobby Woods.

BMX Plus!:

  • June 1980 Vol. No.6

Action Now:

Total BMX:

Bicycles and Dirt:

  • January 1983 Vol.1 No.5

Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:

  • None (retired)

Ride BMX Magazine:

  • None (retired)

BMX World

  • None (retired)

NBA World, NBmx World (the official BMX publication of the NBA):

Bicycles Today & BMX Today (the official BMX publication of the NBL):

ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (the official BMX publication of the ABA under three different names):

[edit] BMX press magazine interviews and articles

  • "The Thrill Of Victory, The Agony of...Victory" BMX Action January 1983 Vol.8 No.1 pg.42
  • "Jeff Kosmala: Superstar" Bicycles and Dirt January 1983 Vol.1 No.5 pg 27.

[edit] Miscellaneous and Trivia

His pants motto* was "Just Be Kos"[7]

A small image of what Mr. Kosmala looks like today.

*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.

[edit] End Notes

  1. ^ BMX Plus!" April 1983 Vol.6 No.4 pg.25
  2. ^ BMX Plus!" July 1982 Vol.5 No.7 pg.20
  3. ^ BMX Plus! June 1984 Vol.7 No.6 pg.10
  4. ^ Bicycle Motocross Action February 1981 Vol.6 No.2 pg
  5. ^ BMX Action July 1983 Vol.8 No.7 pg.20
  6. ^ Redline 30th aniversery reunion photos.
  7. ^ BMX Action May 1983 Vol.8 No.5 pg. 66 & 98

[edit] External links