Who will be the next national champion? Shepparton all set for a super week of BMX racing

The AusCycling BMX Racing season reaches an exciting pinnacle next week, with the 2023 BMX Racing National Championships in Shepparton, Victoria.

Almost 1200 riders from across Australia will tear around the Shepparton BMX Track from Monday, October 30 to Saturday, November 4, in a quest to earn a green-and-gold national champion jersey for 2024.

Fast Facts:

Total number of riders: 1193
Total number of clubs: 109 representing every Australian state and territory
National Championship categories: 77 + 7 Sprockets & Mini-Wheelers
Most veteran rider: Narelle Falkenhagen, Centenary Plains BMX (67 years, 0 months)
Youngest rider: Hudson Ilic, Casey BMX (3 years 2 months)
Most club riders: Castle Hill BMX, NSW (48 riders)
Previous National Championships in Shepparton: 2019, 2014, 2010

After pre-championships and official practice on Monday and Tuesday respectively, competitive racing gets underway in earnest on Wednesday with the fifth and final round of the 2023 National Series.

National Series

Jesse Asmus (Nerang BMX) leads Max Cairns (Park Orchards) by a mere 45 points in the National Series Superclass Men category, but a slate of other highly credentialed riders have also entered the event in anticipation of the competitive riding ahead.

Matt Krasevskis (Pine Rivers BMX), Oli Moran (Manning Valley BMX), Tom Tucker (Pine Rivers), Matt Tidswell (The Cove BMX), Bodi Turner (Eastfield BMX), and Aston Wypych-Coles (Pine Rivers) will all push for a podium in the last competitive outing before national championship honours go on the line on Thursday.

After taking both opening rounds in Perth, Imogen Healy (Tee Tree Gully) is in a strong position to win the Superclass Women National Series, with a lead of 105 points over Cheralee White (Nerang BMX).

Bella May (Frankston BMX) leads a chasing pack that includes Teya Rufus (Maryborough BMX) and Charli Guy (Ashmore BMX), but all eyes will be on 2023 UCI World Cup overall winner Saya Sakakibara (Southlake-Illawarra BMX), who has entered the National Series in preparation for the Elite national championship event.

The racing will go down to the wire in the Junior Superclass categories. On 585 points, AJ Donald (Hawkesbury Hornets BMX) holds a slender lead over Cameron Gatt (Geelong BMX) on 555 points in the Junior Superclass Men, while just 55 points separate Lauren Winter (Nhulunbuy BMX), Ivy Westbrook (Waneroo BMX), and Stephanie Alexander (Knox BMX) in the Junior Superclass Women.

National Series standings

Saya Sakakibara (Photo: Get Snapt)

Elite National Championships

In the Elite women category, Sakakibara will have Thursday circled on the calendar as the key race to win while back in Australia, as she looks to defend the national title and lay the foundations for a big year ahead.

It will almost certainly be the last time Aussie crowds get to see the 24-year-old Olympian before the Oceania Continental Championships and World Cup rounds in Brisbane next year.

Former Elite national champion Erin Lockwood (Nerang BMX) has been testing herself on the international scene recently, and that competitive environment will have her primed to push world number 2 Sakakibara to the line.

After his recent World Cup podium, Bodi Turner will be the favourite to repeat his 2022 win in the Elite Men category, but the field is very open with Max Cairns, Jack Davis (Tamworth City BMX), Matt Tidswell, and Aston Wypych-Coles all race-ready having competed internationally this year.

The championships also promises to be ultra-competitive in the other racing categories. Noah Elton (San Remo BMX), Josh Jolly (Ballarat-Sebastopol CC), and Tommy Tucker headline the Junior Elite Men racing.

Sienna Pal (Terrigal BMX) looks to bounce back from a ruptured PCL she sustained at the World Championships in a tough Junior Elite Women category against the likes of Bella May, Teya Rufus, and Isabella Schramm (Ashmore BMX).

Olympian Khalen Young (Southern Districts BMX) adds class and experience to the Masters category, but the day also doubles up as a demonstration of the BMX racing pathway, with Sprockets and Mini-Wheelers racing on the same track as their heroes in a curtain raiser to the main events.

Max Cairns (Photo: Get Snapt)

Superclass National Championships

After most 20-inch categories compete on Friday, the week is rounded out with more top-level riding on Saturday that features Vet Pro, Junior Superclass, and Superclass classifications.

Max Cairns beat out a tough field to take the 2022 Superclass crown, but with more than 50 riders entered in the category, any one of a dozen riders could finish their year on a high with a Superclass win. Aside from the names already mentioned, Dylan Bennetts (Wanneroo BMX) and Hayden Fletcher (Mansfield Mt Buller CC) add depth to what will be an intense day of racing.

With Sakakibara not racing on Saturday, predicting a winner for the Superclass Women is equally uncertain. May, Pal, Rufus, and Lockwood should feature in the final, but emerging and established athletes like Imogen Healy, Charli Guy, Kesia Savill, Isabella Schramm, and Gemma-Lee Thomas make for another competitive field.

More than 45 riders comprise the Junior Superclass Men field, but AJ Donald and Declan McGhee (Rockingham BMX) stand out as riders to watch, while almost 30 athletes will battle it out in the Junior Superclass Women, headlined by Lauren Winter and Ivy Westbrook.

Saturday also sees the return of Para BMX racing, with 10 riders – eight men and two women – competing for the second ever Para national champion title. The 14+ Male category will be especially competitive, with seven riders out to take home a green and gold jersey.

Aside from the honour and prestige of winning a national championship, AusCycling BMX Pathway Manager, Performance Luke Madill said the National Championships provide a key role in building the foundations of the sport in Australia.

“The National Championships are always an exciting time for BMX Racing in Australia. We see many of the top riders return from overseas and travel from across Australia for a week of incredibly high-intensity racing. Shepparton BMX Track is one of the best venues in the southern hemisphere as well, so it’s all set up for a big week of elite racing on the track,” Madill said.

“It’s also an opportunity for the foundations of our sport – those 8, 9, 10-year-old riders – to see their heroes up close and witness what it takes to compete at the highest level, inspiring them to reach their potential in BMX racing.

“With green and gold jerseys to be won, those riders will get to test themselves against the best riders in their age category, and we’ve seen time after time how racing in that environment can build the confidence and belief to go to the next level. It’s always exciting to see who takes the next step against the best Australia has to offer.”

The National Championships are the last major stop on the domestic calendar, with the 2024 National Series, Oceania Continental Championships, and World Cup rounds at Brisbane SX in February the next major events on the horizon.

2023 AusCycling BMX Racing National Championships

Location: Shepparton, Victoria
Dates: 30 October - 5 November 2023
More information: 2023 AusCycling BMX Racing National Championships

Follow @AusCycling

The 2023 AusCycling BMX Racing National Championships are proudly supported by the Greater Shepparton City Council and Visit Victoria.

Main Image: Michram Industries