A History Of Hayes Hawks BMX Race Club
We’re a club that’s very proud of its history, and as you’ll go on to learn below, we form an important part of the rich tapestry of BMX Racing in the UK.
Once upon a time, we were known as Hillingdon Hawks BMX Club……The rest they say, is history.
What a journey it has been. 42 years and counting (2023).
The Hillingdon Hawks BMX Club was started way back in 1981 by a family called The Bonwicks, whose son Geoff raced BMX. Ron Bonwick ran the Club and race meetings with military precision, a format which was taken on by the all the clubs and the association at the time.
The Club was originally based at Kingshill Avenue in Hayes, Middx and successfully ran Nationals, Regionals, Gaywood Cup and Club meetings every Saturday. At one National they even had floodlights incase the event ran late, you have to remember that with over 1,000 riders and registration on Sunday morning in those days, things kind of ran late, I remember one National at Hounslow going on till 10.30pm with 5 & 6 year olds being woken up to race their Finals.....
In the Club's heyday it had over 300 Members, with some of the best racers in BMX in the UK, Lee and Nicky Restall, Paul Roberts, Dean Iddiols, Chris and Bobby Hyde, Ian Fry, Jamie Staff, Ben Beasley and the list goes on and on.... My own sons raced their first races there at 3 years old and they made their own long journey in BMX Racing from those humble beginnings.
The Club had to move from Kingshill Ave in the late 80's and operated in name only, but had some of its best times, with annual coach trips to Slagharen, Euro events, Nationals etc.... Those trips have become part of UK BMX folklore with stories still being told to this day of the adventures we all had.... I am still mentally scarred.........
The Hawks went into a partnership with Wycombe Wasps for a couple of years and then the offer of moving to Slough came along and we took it with both hands... Slough Swifts hosted the World's in 86 and the Euro's in 91, two of the biggest events to be held in this country up until that point. Also the first Club to have a hydraulic gate with lights in this country and it still worked to the day we took it out and replaced it.
The first event the Hawks ran on the Slough track was the 96 British Champs and the following years the Club hosted Nationals each year and a second British Champs right up to their last major event @ Slough for the National over the Queens 50th Jubilee weekend in 2002... The Hawks have been National Club Champions numerous times and successfully won the BCBMX Club Championships at Slough and at Cheddar... One of the clubs greatest achievements was coming 1st-2nd-3rd in the Nat West Club Championships in the late 80's at Hounslow.
On a sad note the Hawks had to cease operating from Upton Court Park,Slough in 2003 due to increased vandalism and motorbike use on the site and moved to Lake Farm Country Park in Hayes on a full time basis.
Now this brings us to the present and the Hawks after all those years have returned back home to where they started, Hillingdon, the birthplace of the Hawks. A place we can truly call our home, a place we can develop and grow and feel part of the local community.
The current track was re-vamped 10 years ago to host the London Youth Games BMX Race Event and we have hosted many regional and local races since the track has been built.
In 2009 the Hawks came 3rd overall in the National Series and we are currently the #1 Race Club in London. The Hawks had 3 National Champions in 2014 and also 3 British Champions.
Last year (2022) the club came 3rd in the National Championships, again a massive achievement
Scott Dick:
Hawks Club Historian and Current Club Chairman.
1984-2023.. 39 years as Hawks BMX Member and Club Volunteer.
Above: Chris Hyde, Slough Track
British Champion
6 x National Champion
2 x European Finals
4 x World Finals
World Champion – 1991 (France)
Above Left: Lee Alexander Above Right: Darren Wood
The 80s; BMX in its heyday; Hillingdon Hawks is formed.
The Club was started by local parents and riders, but the Bonwicks were the driving force during the club’s beginnings. A track could be roughed out in a weekend with a digger and a lot of parent volunteers. Berms and jumps were very small back then compared to today. Most of the club members lived near the Kingshill Ave track and most days after school, there would be 40-50 kids on bmx bikes over there. Club races was where people started and they would often be over 100 riders at a club race on a sat. The club at one point during its early heyday, had nearly 1,000 members, it seemed like every kid in Hillingdon, had a bmx bike at the time.
Our local riders started to go to the National races, with Dad’s with vans being very popular with local kids piling in and taking off around the country. Riders like Lee Alexander, Paul Roberts, Darren Wood, Geoff Bonwick, Dean Iddiols, Nicky & Lee Restal, Chico Hooke, Paul Flavin to mention just a few, started to make themselves known, making finals and some of them winning. Then not long after Jamie Staff joined the club, Bobby & Chris Hyde and Sam Stobart.
Chris Hyde went on to be World Champion and Sam Stobart won the Euro Champs at Slough in 91. Jamie Staff moved to the USA and became the first Brit to be NBL Nat No.1 Pro. See more about Jamie Staff below.
Above: Hawks Legend Dean Iddiols, 86 European Champ, World No.2 on Cruiser and World No.3 on 20inch and still riding and living in Florida. Also fellow Hawks member Lee Alexander in the yellow Scorpion kit racing at Bercy , Paris. Lee Alexander was the only rider to ever win Bercy. Darren Wood was another Hawks Legend, winning many National Titles, with Euro and World Podiums to add to his success’s
The 90’s
Hawks moved to Slough in 1995, as the existing Slough Swift’s club ceased to be as the volunteers basically retired and gave up the track. Slough was always known as the Wembley of BMX, which was in thanks to the track being built for the World Champs in 86 with large spectating bank, which put the track in a bowl.
Some of the highlights at Slough from the mid to late 90’s, was the filming of a Ready Brek Advert starring a very young Scott Waterhouse, which also included Stephen Murray doing a back flip over our dirt jumps.
Left & below:
Jamie started his BMX career at Hawks BMX Club.
Jamie Staff a former UCI World Champion, NBL #1 Pro, and past UCI World Champion on the Track and Olympic Gold Medal winner. Currently USA BMX Director of Cycling.
National Club Champs winners at Milton Keynes
The Hawks History page will be updated as and when we get some more pictures and there is a Hawks Podcast in the works with some of our Old Hawks Legends.
Above: Alex Dick. Photo: Neil Phillips
Teams: Free Agent, Sunn, Profile, Hotshot, Vans, Dirt Magazine
8 x National Champion
9 x British Champion
5 x World Championship Finalist
2 x European Championships Finalist
UK No-Clips Series #2
UK No-Clips Series #3
No-Clips Birmingham Bike Show NEC 1st
No-Clips NASS Festival 1st