Freestyle riders ready to rumble at RampFest

The BMX Freestyle National Championship is on the line this weekend, with riders from across Australia descending on Melbourne for RampFest in the city’s western suburbs.

Fresh back from the UCI World Championships, this is a rare opportunity to see the Australian Freestyle Team showcasing their skills on home soil, including former world champion Brandon Loupos, and Victorian locals Jake Wallwork and Alec Daneluti.

Rampfest is one of the largest Freestyle BMX Park competitions in Australia, and includes a Flatland event and Pro Rider Meet & Greet sessions across the weekend.

BMX Freestyle sees riders perform a series of tricks during a 1-minute run across a course filled with bowls, ramps, flats, jumps, and handrails, with tricks judged on difficulty, originality, style, and execution.

The AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship is open to riders of any age, with national titles on offer for in Juniors Under 15; Amateur 15 & Over, Master 30 + and Pro/Elite categories.

Riders to watch at Nationals

Jake Wallwork and Alec Danelutti are both returning from the UCI World Championships and will be keen to take out the national title in front of their home fans in Victoria.

Former world champion Brandon Loupos won the inaugural Nationals at Rampfest in 2018 and will be out to go one step higher on the podium after finishing in second place last year.

Sarah Nicki is returning from her first Worlds and is the one to watch in the Women’s Competition, with defending champion Natalya Diehm unfortunately out due to a shoulder injury.

Emerging talents Josh Matthews and Jaie Toohey will both looking to get up there as well and looking to make a name for themselves.

Rider Quotes

Alec Danelutti

“I’m really excited for Nationals. It’s actually at my old local skatepark, at Rampfest in Melbourne where I used to live, so I’m really excited to ride that. It’s going to be a good competition, I know that all the boys are going to come out swinging, so it’s going to be a really, really tight and high-quality competition. I’m really looking forward to it, but everyone is going to be going hard for the National jersey, and so I’m looking forward to it.”

Josh Matthews

“I think it’s my third year now going to Nationals. Last two I’ve been on the podium, so I’m hoping we can better that this year, and I’m looking forward to going down to Rampfest in Victoria. It’s a good skatepark, so I am excited to try and get that jersey.”

Other RampFest Highlights:

• BMX Flatland Comp: Riders compete on a flat surface without any ramps, jumps, or rails.
• Rail & Bowl BMX Jam: Saturday night jam session with live music, drinks and big screens.
• Pro Rider Meet & Greet: Meet the Pro Finalists and the Australian Freestyle BMX Team, fresh from competing at the UCI World Urban Championships.
• Freestyle BMX "Show & Shine": Discover the history of Freestyle BMX with this display of bikes dating back to the 1980s.

2021 AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship, Men’s Podium

• GOLD Logan Martin
• SILVER Brandon Loupos
• BRONZE Joshua Matthews

2021 AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship, Women’s Podium

• GOLD Natalya Diehm
• SILVER Sophie Hildebrand

AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship, presented by RampFest

• Location: Melbourne, Victoria
• Dates: Friday, 18 November - Sunday, 20 November 2022
• Venue: RampFest Indoor Skate Park, 47-85 Hillary Street, Braybrook
• Time: 8am-9pm on Saturday, and 8am-5pm on Sunday.

More information on the AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship, including the event schedule, is available here.

Weekend spectator tickets are now on sale via the Rampfest website for just $15.

2022 RampFest and AusCycling BMX Freestyle National Championship presented by Maribyrnong City Council & RampFest Indoor Skatepark.

Photos: Gorak Photos