Who was Lonnie Tatton?

Lonnie Tatton was a Southern California BMX racer of the 1980s who reached Pro class as a privateer, meaning he raced at the top level without a full factory ride. He appeared in Super BMX magazine's November 1987 issue and in a widely shared BMX Action spread, and raced the 1987 Vision Street Wear World Cup in Irvine, California.

Did Lonnie Tatton ride for a team?

He's identified in SE Bikes' own archive photos alongside SE Racing riders Rod Beckering and Bubba Hayes, and an SE factory rider from that era, Mike Lynch, recalled Tatton traveling with the team's touring group. That points to a real connection to the SE Racing scene, though no factory sponsorship roster naming him has turned up.

What happened to Lonnie Tatton after he stopped racing?

He settled in Tujunga in Los Angeles' northeast San Fernando Valley, stayed close to BMX by helping build dirt jumps with friends, and died of heart failure in early December 2015 at age 45.

Lonnie Tatton

A Southern California Privateer Pro of the 1980s

A Legend Bike Co. rider page · researched from period magazine archives, BMX community memory, and the SE Racing record

At a glance

Born December 29, 1969
Died Early December 2015, Los Angeles, age 45
Scene Southern California, mid-to-late 1980s
Level Pro (privateer)
Known for Racing without a full factory ride, a stacked-field run at the 1987 Vision Street Wear World Cup, and close ties to the SE Racing touring crew

Lonnie Tatton raced BMX at the top level of Southern California's 1980s scene without ever landing a full factory sponsorship — a privateer pro, paying his own way into mains that also held Eric Carter and Glenn Pavlosky. He's remembered today less for a trophy case than for showing up, race after race, against the best riders of his era.

A Privateer Pro in a Loaded Field

Super BMX magazine put Tatton in its November 1987 issue as a "Privateer Pro" bike test — the magazine's way of profiling a rider who'd made it to Pro class on his own bike and his own dime, rather than through a team deal. He also turned up in a two-page BMX Action spread from that stretch of the decade, pictured alongside fellow racers Danny Milwee and Mike Kiniyalocts. A surviving race photo from the period shows him gating in a main under plate #9, with Milwee's #12 alongside him.

That level of competition wasn't a one-off. At the 1987 Vision Street Wear World Cup in Irvine, California, Tatton lined up in a field that included Mike King, Eric Carter, Billy Ow, Danny Milwee, Glenn Pavlosky, and James Dean — a lineup that reads today like a who's-who of the era's SoCal pro ranks.

The SE Racing Connection

SE Bikes' own archive has resurfaced period photos of Tatton alongside SE Racing riders Rod "Bronco" Beckering and Bubba Hayes, captioned by SE itself as "BMX roots." Separately, Mike Lynch — an SE factory rider on the team's famous touring bus in the mid-1980s — recalled Tatton being part of that traveling group in an interview years later, describing a prank Hayes and Beckering pulled on him mid-tour. Between SE's own photos and a teammate's firsthand memory, Tatton clearly ran with the SE Racing crew. What isn't documented anywhere checked for this page is a formal factory sponsorship — no team roster or ad naming him as an SE-backed rider turned up in the sources searched.

After Racing

Tatton settled in Tujunga, in the northeast corner of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, and stayed close to the sport that shaped him — building dirt jumps with friends at a local trail spot rather than chasing a comeback. He died of heart failure in early December 2015, weeks short of his 46th birthday. He was survived by his parents, Jean and Ron; his partner, Laurie; his daughter, Vera; and his stepdaughter, Jessika. Friends held a gathering for him at the jumps he'd helped build.

Where the public record runs thin

Tatton's national number, full results ledger, and the exact years he raced Pro are not documented in the period magazine archives or databases checked for this page. Whether SE Racing ever formally sponsored him, versus his simply riding with the crew socially, is not confirmed either way. oldschoolmags.com and bmxsociety.com were both searched directly for his name and returned no dedicated coverage beyond what's cited here — this page is built on Super BMX, BMX Action, SE Bikes' own social archive, and BMX community recollection, not a period results database.

Where Lonnie Tatton fits in the bigger story

Riders: Eric Carter, Glenn Pavlosky. Team: SE Racing. The bigger arc is in our History of BMX series.

Sources

Super BMX, November 1987 issue — "Privateer Pro" bike test feature (referenced via BMX community archive posts). BMX Action magazine — two-page spread pairing Tatton with Danny Milwee and Mike Kiniyalocts (referenced via BMX community archive posts). SE Bikes' own social media archive — period photo of Tatton with Rod Beckering and Bubba Hayes. BMXNJ.com, "Broken Spokes" interview with Mike Lynch — SE Racing touring-crew recollection naming Tatton. Jessika Bee, "Lonnie's Memorial Fund," GoFundMe, December 2015 — birth date, death circumstances, and survivors. Lonnie Tatton memorial page, Facebook. oldschoolmags.com and bmxsociety.com were both searched directly for this page; neither returned dedicated Tatton coverage beyond the items cited above.

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