He gave me a lot of encouragement. To become a BMX racer, Smith said you basically just need the equipment and the registration fee. Most BMX courses are a dirt track about a quarter of a mile in length consisting of jumps, rollers and bank turns. You have to figure out whether it is better to jump something or to speed roll it, Smith said. There are many different races that lead up to national competitions.
Racers start at local races in their area.
The closest tracks to Bradford in Pennsylvania are Erie and Titusville. There are also tracks in Hamburg and Ellery Center, New York. Racers are split into classes according to age, proficiency and skill level. Amateurs classes include expert, cruiser, girls, novice, and rookie. When racing in nationals, if there are too many people in a particular class of bikers, qualifying races are held.