HISTORICAL FACTS: DIAMOND BACK TOP TEAM SECRETS! BY LEN WEED AND SANDY FINKELMAN BMX ACTION JUNE, 1982.                CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE HISTORICAL NOTES: DIAMOND BACK FACTORY TEAM NATIONAL RACING. (A RACE WAS FOUR DAYS 2-TRAVEL 2-RACING). EACH RIDER RACES 30 TO 36 NATIONALS A YEAR. THAT'S AT LEAST 120 DAYS, FOUR MONTHS, 1/3 OF A YEAR. HARRY/EDDY RACED 42 TO 46 NATIONALS A YEAR. IT WAS THAT AND MORE! DIAMOND BACK WOULD SPEND ABOUT $700.00 A RIDER FOR EACH RACE WEEKEND. TEAM DB HELPS REWRITE ABA RULE: IN 1981 THE LAWS OF RACING WAS TESTED LIKE NEVER BEFORE AND SOME RULES AMENDED FOR BETTER CLARITY. FACTORY TEAM ONLY! THE GOLD DECALS WERE ONLY FOR THE DB U.S. FACTORY TEAM BIKES. THE MAIN REASON WAS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR A TEAM RIDER TO PICK THEIR BIKE FROM OTHER BIKES (CHROME/BLACK) WHEN THERE'S A FOUR BIKE CRASH IN THE FIRST TURN AT A NATIONAL.  THIS WAS THE FASTEST WAY TO ID A BIKE TO LOOKING FOR A NUMBER THAT'S ON THE SAME COLOR PLATE.  iN 1982 MORE THAN 80% OF ALL THE BMX BIKES MADE WERE CHROME/BLACK. THE ARTICLE WHAT IT DOESN'T TELL IS THE BIKE PETE FINISHED THAT ONE RACE WITH WAS A DB (CHROME/BLACK) AND IT HAD THE GOLD FACTORY TEAM DECALS, IN FACT IT WAS LIKE A CLONED BIKE. THE OTHER RACER A LOCAL DB CO-SPONSORED RIDER WHO IDOLIZED PETE TO THE POINT HIS BIKE WAS ALMOST A DUPLICATE.  BOTTOM LINE THE DB SALES REP TO IMPRESS THE RIDER SCORED THE LAST MOST IMPORTANT THING NEEDED FOR HIS BIKE TO LOOK JUST LIKE FACTORY PETE'S BUT ONLY DREAMED IT COULD EVER BE A REALITY "FACTORY TEAM BIKE DECALS". THIS NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS. DIAMOND BACK MAIN MENU DB MAIN MENU