Rotorua BMX club president Aimee McGregor (left) with BMX athlete Megan Williams, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and Olympian Sarah Walker. Photo / Cole McOnie
Rotorua BMX club president Aimee McGregor (left) with BMX athlete Megan Williams, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and Olympian Sarah Walker. Photo / Cole McOnie
When 300 of the world’s best BMX racers jump into the air from Rotorua BMX Club’s Whakarewarewa track in February, spectators will be watching an Olympic qualifier live from the trackside.
For $20 for adults and $5 for children aged 14 and under, per day of competition, locals can see champion BMX racers launch down an 8-metre plywood ramp and take on about 448m of track filled with jumps and other challenges.
“To have a World Cup during Olympic qualifiers, that is massive. It would have been very cool to have that opportunity myself but I’m very excited to see the Kiwis that are riding get that opportunity.”
Walker said she had been working with the event team to make sure everyone would have “as cool an experience” as possible.
“Local riders will be able to see what the best in the world looks like all together for a fraction of [the usual] cost and just a short drive down the road,” Walker said.
For spectators, Walker said watching BMX live had no substitute.
“Seeing the size of the jumps everyone rides and the speeds everyone is going with eight people on the track at once gives an appreciation for the skills the riders have.”
Rotorua BMX athlete Megan Williams (left), Olympian Sarah Walker, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and Rotorua BMX club president Aimee McGregor. Photo / Cole McOnie
Walker said all the World Cup athletes were “completely open for people to come and talk to them”.
Rotorua-raised BMX champion Megan Williams recently won the elite women’s category at the New Zealand Nationals and placed second at the 2023 Oceania Championships.
In February, she will be one of eight New Zealand riders competing for a spot on the Paris Olympics team.
“I’m insanely excited,” Williams said.
“Home-track advantage, on a track that I ride every week, is massive. So in terms of performance, that’s huge for me.”
This year, Williams spent five months on the road competing in “various countries and continents”.
“Knowing I’m going to be in my own bed, fridge stocked, with all my tools at hand puts me a little bit more at ease.”
Megan Williams placed second at the BMX Oceania Championships in Rotorua.
Williams said she saw the event as a chance to give back to the local club that helped her get to where she was.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with the young ones here so it’s cool to give that back to them, give them someone to scream for.”
Rotorua BMX Club president Aimee McGregor said having tickets go on sale was a source of pride.
“It’s literally been a 10-year process to get here.”
McGregor said ideas for the track and hosting a World Cup in Rotorua began in 2013.
“It took six years to get the track built and, from there, we’ve had to build the credibility to hold the event.
“I feel like at Rotorua BMX we are doing something amazing. As community members, as volunteers, we’ve managed to build this facility which cost over $1.5 million.”
Rotorua BMX Club track manager Rupert Hastings said the journey to the World Cup had been “challenging”.
“We’re a club. We don’t have money pouring in. You have to beg, borrow and scrape for everything. And then obviously there’s the hours that go into it. That’s huge.”
But Hastings said getting the World Cup and seeing kids on the track made the work worthwhile.
“[We] raised a lot of money, did a lot of work, a lot of people helped along the way. We wanted to get a World Cup here and we’ve done it.”
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said the World Cup would be a great boost for the many young people who choose BMX as a sport.
“I just love seeing Rotorua booming. The vibe that these athletes and their supporters bring to the town is great not only for us as a tourism destination but also for our local jobs.”
