By Marcus Uhe
Casey BMX Club was packed to the brim with spectators and competitors great and small for the final round of ‘Track Attack’ last weekend.
The culmination of six rounds of intense competition over nine days among the Eastern Region clubs saw an estimated 2500 people line the track and more than 500 enter the varying degrees of competition in one of the biggest days that the course has seen in its history.
From 2024 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) BMX World Championships junior World Champions Joshua Jolly in the Men’s Superclass and current and future Olympians, to the Mini Wheelers simply happy to test their skills on Casey’s Olympic-sized track, there was no shortage of action.
Casey BMX Club president Ben Schapendonk said the track was in “mint” condition and was delighted with how the day played out.
With a 5.5 metre hill – the biggest on any South East track in Melbourne – the track caters for the sport’s top talents while also offering a place to experience BMX riding for the first time.
Schapendonk hopes it can act as a springboard for the club to host bigger events in the coming years.
“It went extremely well, there were no hiccups or accidents,” he said.
“‘Track Attack’ is annual event but it does give us a leg-up into what we call a State Round.
“We’ve applied for that because we’ve done a few Track Attacks now, so it gave us the ability to run a State Series.
“We’re hosting a third round on the 15 February – that will lead into State and UCI events.
“We have also done national championships in 2019 but we want to get back up to that.
“Compared to the other tracks, the facility is built for the big stage.”
Star News photographer Gary Sissons got an up-close experience at Cranbourne last Sunday.
