Getting Started

Bundaberg BMX Club is a small, family-friendly and social club with members from 2 years old to 50+. Many kids start off and soon after there's a parent or two rolling around the track as well because it's just too much fun to sit back and watch.

BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint races on a purpose-built off-road single-lap track. Each race night consists of six motos (laps) over a distance of approx. 320 meters.

Who can race?

Almost anyone! If you can ride a bike, then you can race BMX but we wouldn’t recommend that you just sign up and pin it! Basically though, racing is broken down into male and female categories, age brackets, and at a state, national and world level, elite and junior elite men and women. The sort of rider you would see at an Olympic games. There are two wheel sizes as well, your normal 20 inch BMX bike that’s familiar to almost anyone, and cruisers which are a 24 inch wheel size (or up to 26 inch). More on the specific race bike types later. And lastly, there is a mini wheeler/balance bike class for the real youngsters. There’s a big difference between a 20 inch BMX bike, and a 20 inch mini mountain bike and as you’ll see, there’s no suspension on a BMX race bike.

At a club level where you will start, generally you will race against riders of similar age and ability, with the club’s officials working this out for riders. Kind of like grading. For the first few weeks or months, you might be content with just riding the coaching or training nights until you build the confidence to put it on the start gate to race, and that’s our inside tip. 

And for you mountain bikers giving BMX a go, just park the ego in the esky and ease into it slowly. BMX bikes turn like shopping carts compared to your 29er and you’ll be on your butt before you brain even comprehends what just happened. But the upshot is that your bike control and handling skills will soon be on another level and your riding buddies will be in awe when you launch off jumps out in the bush.

How do I start BMX racing?

BMX racing is administered and overseen by AusCycling and any rider wanting to participate in official club training or racing requires a BMX licence (their term is "Race Off-Road" Licence). You can go direct online and complete your licence application here. Though our tip is to go with a FREE 4 Week Trial Membership first though, then convert it once you are hooked. There are some restrictions around this license, though you can hit us up at club training with this freebie. Within the Off-Road license there are different catagories based on age and once you click through, it will all make sense. 

Another way to start is to head to one of our  "Come and Try Days". It’s an open day that gives people the opportunity to ride the track under the guidance of coaches and other riders. If available we will provide BMX race bikes, helmets and gloves, although stock is limited. All you need to provide is to be wearing long sleeves and long pants. Jeans and a long sleeve tee are perfect. If you love it straight up, you can organise your license on the day there at the club. You’ll meet other riders and parents who will be more than willing to share their knowledge and experiences of when they started up.

We Train and Race during school terms and sometimes have pop-up gates sessions over the school holidays. Feel free to come on down to the track and check it out any time we are open, Friday Race nights are a great way to see how much fun BMX really is. Checkout our FaceBook page for details.

Race Classes and Membership

Members will need a Race Off-Road or Race All Discipline (if riding on road)  membership with AusCycling before riding at Bundaberg BMX Club. The minimum membership age is 2 years old.

• Mini Wheelers are members aged between 2 and 7 years old who ride balance bikes on the last half of the track (3rd and 4th straight). Mini Wheelers are a participation race class, there is no timing or scoring. "First place” is not awarded; rather, the focus is on fun and participation.
• Sprocket Rockets are members aged between 2 and 7 years old who ride a pedal bike on the full track. Sprocket Rockets are a participation race class, there is no timing or scoring. "First place” is not awarded; rather, the focus is on fun and participation.
• Challenge Class are all members aged between 8 to 99 and is a competitive race class where riders race with a timing device to determine their finish time and place

What do I need to wear?

This is pretty straight forward with the minimum requirements being a full-face helmet, gloves, long pants and long-sleeved shirt. You don’t need specific racewear just yet and you are allowed to ride and race club events in jeans and a long-sleeved tee. Once you move into racing above a club level, you will need to wear more specific racewear.

While on the track riders will need to wear;

• Full-face Helmet: Helmets must be of full-face construction (such as motocross or downhill mountain bike helmets) equipped with a visor of minimum 10 centimeters, open face helmets are not allowed. Riders under the age of 7 who are riding a balance bike are permitted to wear an open face helmet that meets Australian standards.
• Jersey: loose fitting long-sleeved shirt. Jerseys used in BMX events should be of a type specifically sold for use in BMX, moto-cross or mountain bike downhill events. Road/track or Lycra is not permitted
• Pants: Long pants made of tear-resistant material that cover the entire length of both legs until just above the shoe or ankle. Protection that is designed to only cover the knee or only cover the knee and upper part of the shin is not permitted
• Gloves: gloves whose fingers completely cover the rider’s fingertips. Many new Mini Wheelers and Sprocket Rockets choose to wear gardening gloves from Bunnings before purchasing gloves specific to BMX. 
• Shoes: closed toe shoes, not sandals or "crocs" - a good grippy shoe is good, such as bmx, skate shoes, Volleys, Vans or Mtb shoes.

These can wait until after your 4 week trial:

• Race Plate: Race plates are used to identify riders on the track. Bundaberg BMX Club sell race plates for $25
• Transponder: (ProChip Flex):  Riders who race in challenge class (8+) use a transponder for accurate timing of their laps. These can be purchased for around $90 including the first year’s subscription, you can purchase a ProChip FLEX from Auscycling, My Laps and OTS.  
• If you are a Sprocket Rocket or Mini Wheeler, you do not need to have a transponder as these are participation race classes.

Bike

You can start with your own bike until you get your own race BMX;  Ensure the following safety precautions are met:

• All bikes must be equipped with an effective rear brake; a front brake may be fitted but is not required
• Please remove any mudguards, chain guards, kick-stand, pegs and reflectors for the safety of yourself and other riders
• Ensure that there are no sharp edges on your handlebars (i.e. no torn grips with exposed metal) or pedals, etc

You can ride any 20 inch wheel (Challenge Class) or 24 inch wheel (Cruiser) BMX bike or dirt jumper. BMX race bikes are lighter than traditional BMX bikes and are ridden with the rider standing up. BMX racing bikes are designed for speed and performance on tracks, featuring lightweight frames and narrow tires for quick acceleration. In contrast, freestyle bikes are built for tricks and stunts, with sturdier frames and wider tires for better stability and shock absorption during jumps.

See our Bike Size page and Sprocket page for more details on bikes.

Membership Fees

Check out our Memberships Page for details and where to sign up!

Loan Equipment

Limited loan helmets and race bikes are available. We ask where possible that members purchase their own equipment prior to their four week trail ending, please ask one of our volunteers what is available at the club and for local store details

 Want to Try BMX ?    Sign Up for the  "4 Week Free Trial"  membership

The AusCycling "4 Week Trial Membership" is available to anyone who hasn't held an AusCycling Membership within the past 3 years.

The four-week period commences from the date of completing the online form. For this reason, we recommend that you reach out to us beforehand, or check our calendar to make sure we will be open for four weeks to help you get the best value from the trial membership.   

Qld Play On Vouchers - We accept Qld Play On Vouchers, see our page for details