Missed the gate, f*&k! Dead last into the first turn at Tulsa so now I better dip into the metaphoric bucket of hope and pick off 4 riders if I’m going to make my second final at the USA BMX Grands. I managed to pick off two riders down the second straight and face a wall of bikes in the second berm. I’m then heading down the third straight on the outside run keeping a little wide of a battling 4th and 5th, knowing that the odds are they’d end up on the deck in the last turn. Not to be, I dive hard only to come up short by a wheel on the finish line.

No main event for me (top 4 make it through), but not pissed like I normally would be, strangely calm and happy to accept that that’s about where I should have been given my preparation of merely 6 weeks. On second thought, maybe a little higher as there were 43 riders in my class and I’d already made it through an 8 man quarter in 4th place. Plus, the Americans ride all year with one goal, making the main at the USA BMX Grands. It’s a highly prestigious event for the USA BMX scene as they chase their national ranking number (i.e. their National Age Group number), and us foreign racers come in and disrupt their standings. 

That was my 2025 Grand’s experience over, my third time in Tulsa, and my first since grabbing a podium in 2018 in 51 expert. 

This event really is special, making a final here is a uniquely coveted experience. And let me be a little controversial, in my view, making an expert final here, let alone one of the Pro/Vet Pro mains (finals/mains, interchangeable terms) is harder than making a final at the Australian championships. The podium I mentioned from 2018 far surpasses any Australian title I’ve won, barring my first at age 16. That’s how special the Grands are. For some of us it’s a childhood dream to come to America and race this event.

So what is it that makes the Grands so special? First of all tradition; it’s an event with a nearly 50 year history! The USA BMX sanctioning body was born when the ABA (American Bicycle Association) bought the assets of the NBL (National Bicycle League) in 2011. Up until that year, these two sanctioning bodies ran in competition to each other, with both running yearly point’s chasing and a ‘Grands’ at the end of the year where titles were decided. The NBL was heavily east coast focused, and the ABA west coast/mid America. The ABA was formed in 1977, hence the storied (nearly) 50 year history. Now that’s simplifying the history, but it does set the scene.

And what a scene it is! To put it into perspective for you Australians, because of my statesmanship (a polite way of saying I’m really old in BMX terms), every Grand’s I’ve been to I’ve been in the last few motos (and finals) of the whole event. Unlike the (UCI) block format that we run here in Australia at our national/state championships and world championships, the Grands run sequentially through the weekend. There’s loads of different classes, but the format sees the girls/women run next to last in the racing program, with the boys/men’s expert classes running last and in order. No guessing when little Johnny is racing, it’s always the same sequence. This goes for the regular USA BMX Nationals during the year as well. They keep it real simple. 

In 2016 I was racing in 46 & Over Expert, in 2018 I raced 51 & Over Expert and this year, 56 & Over Expert. We were always the last few gates of the motos and finals. In 2018 which was one of the Grands biggest years, I was moto 951. THAT’S MOTO 951, not the rider count. This year there were 843 motos in total. 

Now, let’s touch on the transfer System which explains how you advance from motos through to finals. Under the USA BMX system, you don’t race 3 motos for points, you have two motos total, or one. Let me explain. Under this system, you transfer out of your moto to the next elimination round (16th, 8th, quarter, semi or main) with a top two finish. It’s both stressful, knowing that you could go all that way for two laps, and less stressful than say the World Titles, knowing that if you come back for a second lap, the (usually) two fastest riders have moved into the next round and you have more room on the track. You’re gunning for a top two finish. 

Then there is the racing format, which is quite different to the Australian system. What are all these classes I see when I watch the stream? Open, Mixed Open, Novice, Intermediate, Cruiser? It’s all about giving the rider a chance to race a lot over the same weekend. Let me give you a quick breakdown. Boys and men can be classified as either Novice, Intermediate or Expert. And Expert is Expert, these riders live to progress from Novice up through the classes. I know I’ve veered left on a right here, but this is a huge difference between Australia and the USA. We used to have Novice classes at open days when I was a kid, but not anymore. Now you start BMX racing and boom, you’re being hosed by the current W2 in 9 boys. Good luck starting when you’re 14 or 15 in Australia, it’s sink or swim. Or 44 or 55 for that matter. 

The two Open classes, Novice, Intermediate and girls can race Mixed Open, while experts can race the Open class (these are combined age classes, eg. 15-16 Open). Meredith van der Haar who I shared the Chase pit with won 17-20 Mixed Open. Pasting the boys, so cool. 

Cruiser and girl/women classes? Self explanatory. All girl’s classes are expert, but girls also start as Novice, and they can progress to Intermediate, then to the girl’s class. Again, so cool. This may not be 100% accurate, but Gemini tells me so.

Lot’s of options, BUT, the big titles that riders are going for are the overall Male and Female amateur champion. A huge, massive accolade that takes big rider counts in your class to win. The overall cruiser title and of course, the two Pro titles. This is what they race all year for, they don’t have a USA Championship race to determine challenge class titles like us here in Australia. Except for the US elite riders. It’s a year long haul. 

Wait, 6 or 7 hours between laps!? That’s the reality of racing the Grands, and the “pre race” the Race of Champions (ROC, held Thursday and Friday). There’s a whole lot of waiting around which in and of itself is a challenge when racing the week. Knowing when to be “up” mentally for your lap, toss in that there can be several number 1 plates in your class to add to your anxiety in trying to gauge who’s fast, then throw in one degree weather outside and that one lap suddenly becomes hard. Did I mention that my 40 minute practice was on Wednesday night at 9.50pm? And I raced my first moto on Saturday around 3pm? Yeah, there’s a little bit of waiting around.

Which really brings me to the primary reason that I was there this year, all that waiting around means I get the chance to talk to the brands and people behind those brands. To put a face to a name of a bike or part’s company that we sell day to day out of LUX. The Grand’s week has become a bit of a BMX industry trade show, where the public get to see the latest stuff from brands like Meybo, Inspyre and Speedco. So I spend my time chatting with these folk and broadening our network so that LUX can bring you the latest and best race products. 

The second reason I’m there is to shoot photos, both for riders we sponsor and support, and to be honest, the opportunity to practice shooting indoors, under lights. This is a situation in which I’ve never shot before. Thankfully, Justin from USA BMX was kind enough to grant me a media pass to get trackside for the general racing and the Pro Show on Friday night. I’m still a massive fan of BMX just like you are and to be track side when the Pro riders are tearing around is just like any sport involving speed, video/streaming just doesn’t convey the actual speed. I’m still amazed at the speed that these guys and girls can generate from a small hill and the velocity that they carry around the track on tight, dirt turns. Incredible!

An aside…the track. Every year at the Grands, the track is rarely too technical, with the design philosophy being something like “we want riders to enjoy racing the track, not being demolished by it.” That’s the sense I get anyway. For comparison, try to imagine a mix of Shepparton and Macarthur (from a technical point of view), but much shorter. And fun! Certainly not Westside or Sleeman difficulty wise, USA BMX just isn’t interested in racing being delayed as the body scrapers come out to transport riders to the meat wagons. Don’t get me wrong, I saw some crashes this year in Tulsa that hurt riders, but maybe because the track is as hard as concrete. With over 4000 entries, the percentage of serious wrecks would be in the single digits, which is pretty remarkable. 

Further to my personal take on the track, there is no way in hell I would consider rocking up to Sleeman with 6 weeks of prep, and after a 3 year gap between racing anything near approaching a national level race, yet I’m totally comfortable that USA BMX will deliver a great experience track wise in Tulsa every year. 

One last thing on the track, the “pro straight” is the alternative straight that anyone can have at! Another unique USA BMX trait is how the crowd is invited into the race. For example, this year there was a super long run out of the first turn down the “two” second straights, so when a rider (especially the younger ones, or the girls) turned right to hit the big straight the commentators amped it up and the crowd got right behind it. I swear I saw one of the girls out of the mixed 17-20 class hit it. A whole pack can split in two out of the turn and half takes one way, half go the other and converge at the end. This makes the racing so freaking awesome. And god help you if you’re racing intermediate and you jump and manual some of the hard stuff, you’re getting called out by the commentators. You get shamed, not DQ’d, and things work themselves out. Beautiful simplicity.

A further aside regarding your Grand’s experience, Americans overall are service focussed, and I know USA BMX cops a lot of flack for their handling of events and races, but boy you USA folk, the grass is greener over there. Let me give you an example, go and watch any of the amateur motos or finals and tell me how many officials you see on the track… I’ll give you a few minutes…did you see any? I’m guessing not, other than the gate starter and Old School up there wrangling riders into their gate, the USA crew keep it so low key. 

The lack of officiating is what adds to the experience. As an Aussie, it tones down the anxiety levels of the racers and probably parents too. Yes, I get that the desire not to have 70 officials (that number comes from my ole mate Neil Cameron at the first Macarthur NS round a few years back) because USA folk are, for the most part, on the pay roll, but you still have a very, very, very low chance of being disqualified. I can’t emphasise enough how the number of officials, and rule enforcement ramps up the general anxiety of the racing populace at Australian events. And how the lack of it in the USA leads to incredible “free racing” and lets the racing be intense, not the officiating. I’m not sure if I’m conveying the sentiment here, but those that have gone over probably know what I’m talking about.