Few riders conjure up memories of the pioneering days of Australian BMX more than Sydney’s ‘Magic’ Mick Wiltshire.  He is the subject of countless grainy black and white photos from ‘back in the day’, leading the field into the first berm with his trademark smirk plastered across his face. Mick truly is one of Australian BMX’s original superstars.

He is Australia’s first ever Open Men’s Australian BMX Champion; an honour he shares from 1980 with fellow Sydneysider, Wayne MacIntosh.  When Mick started racing in 1977 the sport of BMX was a brand-new craze that had just hit our shores from the United States of America. As a powerful, athletic 15-year-old Mick quickly led the charge, dominating his local tracks, Ryde Eastwood and Metro-West, before raiding the countless regional and interstate racetracks that were rapidly appearing across the Australian BMX landscape. Mick loved to travel throughout Australia, setting lap records, winning jump competitions, winning numerous Open and Pro races, all with his friendly, approachable manner that made him so popular with everyone he met.

Originally sponsored by a local bike shop owner, and then with Colin Spencer’s all-conquering Sunshine BMX Team, Mick first travelled north in 1978 with the Ryde Eastwood crew to contest the Interstate Coca-Cola Cup against Queensland. Mick’s reputation as the consummate professional and a blistering racer is perhaps as legendary at the Windsor BMX Track in Queensland as it was in Sydney.

In Australian BMX folklore, Mick is inextricably joined at the hip to his two fiercest rivals, BMX Hall of Famers, Wayne MacIntosh, and Jamie Hales.  Together, these three legends of Australian BMX, battled week in and week out for the title of Australia’s fastest rider.  Only a week before Mick was to claim the Australian Open Men’s Title, these three titans of our sport met at the 1980 Quicksilver Grand Nationals at the Ryde Eastwood Track in Australia’s first major Pro Final. In a thrilling race in front of a delirious, cheering crowd, Magic won it by a few metres from the fast-finishing MacIntosh and Hales.

Mick’s racing career was further bolstered by his recruitment to the Mongoose Factory Team, a sponsor that he was a loyal servant to for the remainder of his career. Mick proudly led the Australian Team at the USA versus Australia Challenge Cup.  He claimed another Australian Title in 1982, this time in the Open Cruiser class. From 1977 until his retirement in 1983 Mick won countless national Pro, Open and Cruiser Class races across Australia. In addition to Mick’s success on the track, Mick is extremely proud of the work he has done in the earliest days of our sport to traveling the country, promoting the sport of BMX.  ‘Magic’ Mick Wiltshire’s impact on the sport in Australia is immense, making him a worthy inductee to the Australian BMX Hall of Fame.