Warrnambool BMX Club wins right to host 2023 Victorian BMX Championships

AusCycling announced next year's calendar this week, with Warrnambool BMX Club's Jetty Flat base revealed as the host of the state championships from September 21-24.

Victoria will host the Australian BMX Racing Championships from October 31 to November 5, with Shepparton earning that honour for the first time since 2019, while the Victorian state series will run from February through to August across six different locations.

Warrnambool BMX Club president Darren Mollenoyux said it was an exciting prospect to host the championships for the first time since 2018, when it was run under BMX Australia.

Now governed under Auscycling, Mollenoyux said the club expressed its interest in hosting the event before learning it had been selected.

Mollenoyux believed Warrnambool's recent $150,000 track upgrades, including an all-weather surface, and its sporting pavilion, which is still under development, made it an attractive venue to host the event.

He said riders would be thrilled to have the big event on their home soil.

"It will be really good for the club," he said. "It's great for all the members to go to a state championship event and have that home-track knowledge."

The championships are also expected to attract hundreds to the seaside city, with state series events often drawing in larger numbers.

"We had around 400 entries when we had a state series round last year," Mollenoyux said. "It shows people generally support state-ran events as far as travelling to regional places.

"I would be expecting to see anywhere between 400-600 riders come to Warrnambool in September."

Auscyling will be in charge of all the championships' racing components, with the club assisting in the organisation of vendors.

The club hosted its Warrnambool Classic last month, which had over 50 locals rider compete. It also included the Victorian BMX retro championships.

Up to eight Warrnambool riders are now preparing for a tilt at the National BMX Championships in Tasmania later this month, including current state champions Troy Roberts and Milla Rentsch.

For the rest of the club's riders, Mollenyoux said they were winding down their seasons, with only a remaining few open events left in Melbourne before the end of the year.

"Everyone will take a little break over Christmas and gear up for next year," he said.

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