BMW M5 x BMX.
Billy Perry is a professional BMX athlete and avid BMW M fan. He rode his first BMX bike as a toddler and quickly made a name for himself in the scene as a young man. When he’s not freestyling on his home turf of New York City, Billy Perry travels the globe on his BMX bike to perform tricks and stunts with like-minded BMX aficionados on the streets of the world’s most exciting cities.
In his mid-twenties, he founded his own BMX fashion label, Follow The Leader, or FTL for short, and today, in his early thirties, he is one of the most influential figures in the BMX scene with almost 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube and over 400,000 followers on Instagram. But Billy Perry’s enthusiasm for dynamic movement doesn’t end with two wheels. In this interview, he reveals why BMW is the preferred brand for many BMX athletes and how his own fondness for BMW M led to one of his most spectacular stunts to date: BMW M5 x BMX.
Honestly, it sounded way easier and less terrifying over coffee in our initial meeting than it actually was.
BMX athlete
Hi Billy, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. You are a professional and passionate BMX rider. Could you tell us a bit about your fascination with the sport and the culture it entails?
Thank you for the opportunity! I was naturally drawn to BMX when I was two and a half years old - it quickly became an obsession and a way of life. Becoming professional was always the dream, and in 2015 I was able to turn that dream into reality. The culture is incredible, there are no rules – you can ride and express yourself as creatively as you’d like. Through riding, I’ve made friends all over the world, experienced so many different cultures, and gotten to see and ride in places I never could’ve imagined.
From an everyday cyclist’s point of view who uses their bike to get from A to B, your stunts seem quite daring. Can you tell us what it takes to do what you do on your BMX bikes in regard to technique and physical fitness?
My approach is definitely a little different from your average cyclist! What might be an inconvenience to someone else usually looks like an opportunity to me. I love riding in NYC, but I don’t stick to the bike lanes – my fun is found elsewhere. I’m always looking for new obstacles and ways to make the most out of whatever’s in front of me, which you can see in a lot of my POV city videos. BMX pushes you both physically and mentally. Trying something that has real consequences if you mess up takes a lot of focus and patience, but those battles have helped me grow a lot as a person. Riding keeps me fit, but I’ve also learned to appreciate training off the bike now, which I used to overlook.
So, two wheels are clearly a major part of your life; do you also enjoy the thrill of riding on four wheels?
Yes, most people assume I live in NYC from my videos, but I’m actually based on Long Island, so I spend a lot of time behind the wheel. Driving, like riding, gives me a sense of thrill and control, and I think that’s why a lot of BMX and MTB riders naturally gravitate toward BMWs. There’s a certain rush and precision both on the bike and behind the wheel that just clicks for me.
We understand that you are now the proud owner of a BMW M5 Touring. Could you tell us why the Touring? And what it was like when you first saw it, when you took your first ride with it?
I’m a very proud owner of a Miami Blue M5 Touring since this summer! Back in May 2024, BMW M invited me for a studio preview of the new M5 and M5 Touring a few months before launch. It was an amazing opportunity, and I was completely speechless when I saw the Touring in person. Sports wagons are very special – especially in the US where we don’t see too many of them. I had spent a few days in the Alps in an M3 Touring, fully packed with luggage, and the combination of performance, practicality, and aesthetics was surreal. I fell in love with the idea of owning an M wagon myself if it was ever possible. I waited until mine arrived to take the first drive in one. I’m very glad I did – it was a special moment, which I captured in my delivery video.
When you compare your way of riding a BMX bike with driving your BMW M5 Touring, do you feel that there are similarities when it comes to pushing it hard on the track and exploring their performance limits?
This is a great question and a really unique comparison. I’d say my BMX and my M2 actually feel quite similar to me. I’ve been riding a similar bike setup for nearly eight years, and between my two M2s, I’ve put just about 100.000 miles on them. I would say I’m very familiar with both and they share a lot of the same characteristics - quick, nimble and endlessly fun.
The M5 Touring is still new to me so getting to know it feels a lot like building a similar bike with slightly different geometry – it’s been fun dialing it in. If I put it in a nerdy BMX analogy: the M2 is like a street-style BMX – short, twitchy, and super easy to move around, and the M5 feels like a longer race / dirt BMX in that it’s extremely fast, smooth, and stable, but still gets loose when you want it to. Both are beasts in their own way, similar but different, and a ton of fun.
You recently performed a BMX stunt that incorporated a BMW M5. What was it about exactly, and how would you rate its level of difficulty?
Since I’ve jumped many stationary M cars over the years, we wanted to do something more special. Louis, from BMW USA, and I bounced some ideas around and came up with the idea to jump over a drifting M5, with professional driver Matt Mullins behind the wheel. Honestly, it sounded way easier and less terrifying over coffee in our initial meeting than it actually was.
I grew up riding big jumps, but over time I focused more on street riding, so this stunt was definitely out of my comfort zone and required some preparation. First, we had to figure out the right ramp dimensions, working with my longtime friend Ed Pollio and his construction company to get it just right. I had a day of practice before heading to the BMW Performance Center in South Carolina and got pretty comfortable riding it. The day before the shoot was a different story, the wind picked up, and I couldn’t get close to the 25-foot length needed to comfortably clear the car. Nothing is ever easy, and in true fashion, plenty of factors worked against us on shoot day, including a thunderstorm with wind from every direction as I was warming up for the big moment. I would rate the difficulty an 8 out of 10 for me.
The stunt required for you to fly over the M5 the exact moment it zooms past underneath the wheels of your BMX – how do you achieve such a precision that is about split seconds?
Matt and I practiced a few attempts the day before the shoot. At first, I was getting towed in by another M5, but I was able to build more confidence by putting my head down and pedaling as fast as I could at the ramp. Matt would start driving the moment I started pedaling, and after a few tries, we were surprisingly spot on with timing.
During practice, I would bail off to the right of the ramp, which was wild because Matt was fully committed to the drift – going way faster than I expected – and I don’t have brakes on my bike. If I was early, there was a real chance of colliding with the car. Thankfully, we were both precise and confident enough to pull it off on the first try during the shoot. Flying over the car, seeing the drift beneath me and riding away felt surreal and almost too easy! We attempted a second take to dial in all the angles, but I went too fast and had to bail mid-jump. It was a quick reminder that it wasn’t so easy and I was lucky to walk away fine. I figured it was smarter to stick with the shots from the first successful jump.
I’m incredibly grateful to have worked with such an amazing team. Thank you to BMW M and BMW USA for making this dream project possible!
Billy, thank you very much for talking to us.
