BMX: Local riders pick up three national titles

Pete Roden is one of three Tauranga BMX riders to win national titles. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tauranga BMX Club riders returned from the NZ BMX National Championships in Christchurch over Easter weekend with three national titles.

The club had a strong representation of 34 riders aged from 5 to 50-plus who competed in 49 events, with 16 making finals and gaining top eight placings.

The national titles went to Shannon Davies, 6, who won the girls' age group title, Phil Pinkerton the 50-plus male cruiser division and Pete Roden the 50-plus male 20" category. Both men claimed back-to-back national titles.

The club last year hosted the nationals at the top-class BMX racing facilities at Tauriko and won four titles with many more riders.

"Percentage-wise, we are probably better off," said Roden. "The facilities were good in Christchurch but probably the key difference were the third and fourth straights were very, very busy with more humps per straight compared to the standard tracks currently being built. It was great that it was different because it really challenged you to adapt quickly."

Roden was impressed with the maturity shown by Shannon to win her final, beating last year's champion and older sister Amy to the gold medal.

"When we were watching Shannon racing she was picking quite good lines which is quite hard to teach a 6-year-old. You just don't see that in kids," he said.

"In the final she came out of the first corner in second place and often that can be very difficult. But halfway down the second straight she actually moved into the right line and came out of the second corner in front and stayed in front. It was outstanding to watch. My daughter, 13, said it took her years to figure that out."

Roden, who is on the board of BMZ New Zealand, spent more than three years leading the relocation of the Tauranga BMX Raceway facility from Sulphur Point to Cambridge Park.

He said the sport was in good heart nationally and growing all the time.

"We have such a great ambassador in our top riders like Matty Cameron and Sarah Walker. It is an Olympic sport so Rio is next up. Locally we have Kurt Pickard who is our current Olympian but to be fair probably coming to the end ... we have Cody Stephens who was No1 last year in the elite men and has great potential.

"I think there is a change in the mentality. There are a lot more young kids in the sport now and I am sure a lot of it is to do with Sarah."