What is BMX Racing or Bicycle Motocross?

A quick rundown of BMX racing and the involvement of Pro riders.

Since it's beginning 30 years ago, BMX has grown into an very popular international sport, involving hundreds of thousands of dedicated, committed youngsters and their families.With BMX racing being added to the 2008 Olympic Games, the sports time has come to shine. BMX takes the individual off the bench of team sports and puts them directly into the race. BMX races are held for all age groups starting at 5 and going up to 45, for both boys and girls. There are four different levels: Novice, Intermediate, Expert, and Pro. The key ingredients in this rapid growth formula are simple: BMX is fun to compete in, exciting to watch, and it involves the entire family.

Each BMX race consists of up to eight riders of matching age and skill, all competing on specially equipped bicycles over a short but challenging course of jumps and turns. Racers start on a small hill with a gate which is dropped at the start of the race. Riders skillfully maneuver around the track towards the finish line as fast as they can go. Winners of each "moto" go on towards 1/4 and 1/2 finals and work to finally qualify to race the main event, in which they are awarded trophies and points towards an overall ranking at the end of the season.

Competition events take place at local tracks around the country. There are currently over 400 tracks across the US, these tracks hold weekly events with many holding 2 or more races a week. These are the building grounds for racers to practice and race before moving onto the National level of racing. There are over 40 national events planned each season and most of these events are specially designed tracks built for the national events, as well as some races at the larger local tracks. The national schedule covers the entire USA and brings the excitement of Pro racing small and large towns across America.

There are two sanctioning organizations in the United States. They are the NBL (National Bicycle League) and the ABA (American Bicycle Association.) Both of these sanctions offer a lot of local and national events to riders and many top racers compete in both sanctions. Both offer amateur and Pro racing with year-end awards and large cash payoffs to the Pros. Both also have had National events televised on ESPN and Fox Sports, and are gained a lot of exposure from this. In 2002 alone, there was over 20 TV race shows and was estimated to be seen by over 60 million viewers. The ESPN X-Games has also put BMX racing back on TV along with the addition of the UCI Supercross series and the UCI World Championships.

The Pros are some of the most respected riders of the sport, as in most sports, but are not unavailable to younger riders. The Pros race the same track as other racers and are always around to give advice, sign autographs, and meet their fans. Pros are the spotlight of most of the TV races and Magazine coverage. Top Pros in the sport of BMX have earned over $300,000 per year with race winnings, salaries, and contingency. Amateur riders in the sport of BMX are are greatly influenced by what the Pros use on their bikes. Much of the bicycles and accessories purchased each year were made by amateurs who were influenced by the Pros' bikes. The Pros in BMX can make a product well known and very popular. BMX racing overall is a great sport for riders of any age and to become a top Pro rider on the sport takes a lot of dedication, support, and heart.