Features

Click any image to check out more photos of Dave thanks to William Whitehurst.

Photos: William Whitehurst

Dave Dillewaard has left his mark on the BMX scene in a big way over the past few years. He’s got ridiculously hard tricks, great style, and he’s an all-around nice guy to boot. Dave has been spending a lot of time in Corona, California, but Brisbane, Australia is where he calls home. We sent Dave some questions so you can see what makes him tick.

How did you start coming over to America in the first place?
It started out just as a six-month holiday. I worked for a few years, saved up, and went over to travel around and check out some comps.

How do you split your time now between the US and Australia?
These days I spend about nine months in the States then three months back home in Australia. It seems like as the years go on, I am spending more time in the States, though.

What's the draw for moving to America as a pro rider?
Um, I’m not really sure. I wouldn’t have classified myself as a pro when I first when to the State. I really just went for a holiday and ended up winning some high air contest at the KODs. I usually did pretty bad in the real contest, but the money I made off those high air comps really set me up to have a chance at coming back the next year. I would put it down to luck, really [laughs].

Is it possible to make a living as a BMX pro in Australia?
I don’t think it is really possible for someone to just ride BMX in Australia and have no job. Some guys work doing shows and stuff, but I don’t think there is enough money in the sport here for some one to live just off BMX.

When you are in the States, which parts do you miss the most from Australia?
I definitely just miss Brisbane, my hometown. I have a lot of good friends that I don’t get to hang with all year, and also my family.

Same question, but what do you miss about the States when you are in Australia?
Heath’s trails—I love that place. I ride there every day when I’m back in Corona. I changed my flight last year to stay an extra two weeks so I could ride all the new lines we built. I ended up only getting to ride one day because it decided to rain in California and they got flooded really bad.

What was it like growing up riding in your area? Who were the riders that motivated you?
My mate Yonny motivated me for sure. He kept the scene alive when we were in school. I was always very lazy but Yonny would be diggin’ new jumps and I would be riding them [laughs]. Corey Bohan and Colin Mackay motivated me a lot, too, once I met them and started riding with them a lot.

Now as a pro, who are the riders that motivate you?
Pretty much those same guys still. Also a lot of these kids I have never seen, and then a video pops up on the Internet and these kids are killin’ it. Joe Rich is also the man.

A lot of people know you as a contest guy, but what do you like riding the most? Are you into street?
At the moment I like riding trails the most. I think because we have an awesome setup in Corona and it’s just super fun. You don’t have to do any tricks; you can just do flick outs and it’s the best time in the world. Me and my mate Brenno have been building these jumps up in Brisbane right now, but as soon as we had them good to ride it rained for two weeks, so hopefully we can get them going for at least one session before i head back to the USA. I like riding street when I get a chance. My mates that I ride with every day mainly ride skateparks and stuff, but I like to get out there every now and then.

Are you working on a video part for Josh's new video? How is that project coming along, and what's it like filming for a part like that?
Yeah I am. I have pretty much finished filming for that one. He is in the middle of editing it so it should be done really soon. I had a good time filming for End Search. We had some really fun road trips and Josh was out to Australia a couple of times, so I hope it turns out real good.

What's your scene like when you are back in Australia? How much do  you ride and who do you ride with?
The scene is pretty decent. All of my mates I ride with have full time jobs so that gets hard sometimes when we want to ride during the week, but weekends are always a good sesh. I mainly ride with Yonny Wakefeild and Brenno Handsom.

Same question for the States.
We’ve got a tight crew in Corona. It’s pretty much me Heath, Biz, Corey Bohan, and Brett Walker at the trails every day. Matt and Mike as well are my boys.

How would you compare the level of riding that goes on right now between Australia and the States?
It’s kind of hard for me to compare since I spend a lot more time in the States than Australia, and when I am back here I don’t really travel too much to see everything that’s going on. There are a lot of good riders here and I’ll be seeing some of them this weekend when I go to Sydney for the BMX Games. But with places like Woodward in the States kids are going to be able to progress quicker than those in Australia. We definitely have the potential to dominate but just need more facilities [laughs].

Quite a few Australians have made a huge impact on the US BMX scene. Why do you think that is?
Because we have a cool accent [laughs]. Chicks love it.
 
You've been able to travel a lot, so where are some of your favorite places and why?
I like Germany a lot, mainly because you can drink beer in the street anywhere and everyone is pretty chill. Hawaii is awesome, too. I went there a few years back and would like to go again some day.

Who would you like to thank?
First I would like to thank my sponsors, because I wouldn’t be able to do this with out them. GT Bikes, Famous Stars and Straps, Demolition, Bookoo Energy Drink, and 661. Also my family for supporting me and visiting me last year for a few weeks. All my mates I ride with every day, and my dog Charlie. And Strictly BMX.