| Many parents and racers new to BMX have questions, here are some answers: Who can race? Anyone who can ride a bike can race, the youngest age class is 5 years & under with both boys and girls classes. Many tracks have racers with ages ranging from 4 years old to 50 + years young. What do I need to bring? A bike with 20-inch tires is needed for regular class, 24-inch for Cruiser class. Your bike will need 3 pads on it: the stem, the handlebar and the top tube (loaner pads are available at the track if you do not have any, styrofoam pipe insulation works great). All kickstands, chain guards, fenders, and reflector brackets must be removed . You will also need a number plate, we can provide you with a temporary (paper) plate when you sign up. Mountain bikes are allowed in the Cruiser Class, but only for single-point races (most of the races during the season). What kind of gear/clothing is required? Marquette BMX requires either a full-face helmet or a helmet and mouthguard. We do have "loaner helmets" for beginners to use. Racers must wear long sleeve shirts, and long pants, if pants cuffs are very loose fitting they will need to be constrained (duct tape provided). All racers must wear enclosed shoes (no sandals). Many racers also wear gloves. How much are the fees to race? Marquette BMX is ABA sanctioned and racers must have a membership (Full or Temporary) to use the track and race in events. Applications are available at the track. Temporary memberships cost $25 and allow the racer to race only at Marquette for 30 days. (Temporary memberships may be converted to full membership for an additional $25 prior to expiration). A full membership is $45 and is valid for one year at any ABA track in the USA. With full membership, racers will get a subscription to the monthly BMXer magazine and membership card and first-time rider trophy. Racing fees are $5.00 - $10.00 for single points races, depending on the award that you choose to racing for (plates are $5, trophies ar $10) Racers may also qualify for reduced fees by working on the track. We do have some financial need scholarships available. Who will I race against? New riders race in the novice class and will compete with other novice riders of a similar age if there are at least three riders available. Girls will also compete against girls, if there are enough (3) to make a race. After a rider earns 8 wins, they advance to the intermediate class. After an additional 25 wins, a rider advances to the expert class. (On some nights, riders may have to move up a class or race mixed gender if there are not enough other racers of their age or class available. Three racers are required.) What is a moto? Main event? A "moto" is a preliminary race used as a qualifier for the "main event" or commonly called the "main." Typically the winner of a "moto"-- sometimes the top two finishers depending on the number of racers entered and number of motos scheduled--earns a place in the "main" and gets to rest during any subsequent motos. A rider's place in a "moto" only determines if they qualify for the "main." The "main" is the race that determines a rider's placing for that night. For example: a rider could qualify third in the motos, but if they win the "main" they earn the win that night. Qualifying motos are used whenever there are 4 or more riders in a class. If there are only 3 riders in a class, the race is called "total points." In that situation, the riders race three times and the winner for the night is the rider with the best cumulative finish over all three races. What kind of awards can I receive? There are 2 options for awards: Trophy races are $10.00 and trophies are awarded 1st thru 3rd place; Plate races are $5.00 and engraved aluminum plates are awarded 1st thru 3rd place. The racer is also competing for District points, which are compiled yearly and determine the racer’s number that they will display on their number plate the following year. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer your services, feel free to email Dave Niemi or stop by the track on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the season. |
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