BMX racing has something for everyone.
Whether you are training for the next Olympics or starting out in the novices, the sport is accessible to everyone. Here’s a quick guide introduction to racing:
Rider Levels
There are two levels in BMX racing – ‘Novice’ and ‘Expert’
Novice – For riders new to BMX
If you’re new to the sport, whether as a beginner at riding or you ride a bit but have never competed before, Novice is the class for you. It’s a chance to experience racing and learn how it all works as well as perfecting skills and having fun.
Novices are riders who are generally new to racing. A Novice any rider who has not competed in a regional race as “expert” in the previous year or any rider who has not competed in 5 or more Regional events as “novice”.
Expert – for riders with some race experience
You don’t have to be winning races to move up to Expert, it’s more a matter of having some race experience and being ready to test yourself. The best way to improve and ultimately to have more fun is to step up to Expert and get stuck in! A rider becomes an ‘Expert’ when they have competed 5 Regional races at novice or riders who are competitive enough to move up earlier can do so. They can carry on racing novice at club level for as long as they wish
Rider age
BMX year groups are run Jan 1st – Dec 31st.
There are categories from 6 & under through to 17+ and beyond.
For the younger age categories, an easy way to work out what age category your rider falls into is as follows:
Take the year the event falls in (2022) and subtract the riders date of birth (2010).
This will give you the category you need to enter 2022- 2010 = 12 (11&12)
Types of races
Club races
Run by club volunteers, anyone can enter these racing on a bike suitable for riding a track.
What you need: You’ll need a number plate and number (any number can be used)
These races are run through the summer and also various winter series are run by clubs every year.
Regional races
This is a regional race series, run by British Cycling and various clubs across the North region.
This year, there will be between 7-10 regional races per season (April to October) and these races will qualify riders for the British Championships (“The Brits”) held in August / September. If a rider completes five regional races at expert level, they automatically qualify for the National race series.
What you’ll need
To be a British Cycling member – your plate number is the last 3 digits of your membership number
A British Cycling race license (Silver minimum)
Transponders are used at Expert level racing (ask at the cabin)
Side plates and numbers are required at Expert level also (not required for Novice racing)
National racing
he British BMX Series is the highest domestic series in the UK and attracts the very best riders from around the country. Riders must have competed at regional level for one season and at least 5 regional rounds before being eligible to race at national level the following season.