Here's a guide:
General
Skill levels and Race structure
Point Scoring
Skill level advancement, local points awards and district ranking
National and special event points awards
Open and trophy dash events
Professionals
General
BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing. BMX races are sprint races on purpose-built off-road single-lap race tracks.
The track usually consists of a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed, serpentine, dirt race course made of various jumps, and a finish line. The course is banked and has flat corners.
The sport of BMX racing is facilitated by a number of regional and international sanctioning bodies. They provide rules for governing the conduct of the races, specify age-group and skill-level classifications among the racers, and maintain some kind of points-accumulation system over the racing season. The sport is largely participant-driven, with the average age of approximately 9 or 10 years. Professional ranks exist for both men and women, where the average age is 18 to 21.
A BMX "Class" bike is a strong, quick-handling, lightweight derivative of the standard 20-inch (510 mm)-wheel, single-speed youth bicycle. Variations include a larger 24-inch (610 mm)-wheel "cruiser" class. Cruisers are made for adults who can't fit the 20-inch (510 mm)-wheel bikes, but some kids have mastered the cruiser.
While BMX racing is an individual sport, teams are often formed from racers in different classifications for camaraderie and often for business exposure of a sponsoring organization or company.
BMX racing rewards strength, quickness, and bike handling. Many successful BMX racers have gone on to leverage their skills in other forms of bicycle and motorcycle competitions.
Skill levels and Race structure
Racers in the 20" class are grouped with others of the same relative age and experience levels; Novice, Intermediate, Expert, Veteran, "A" Pro, "AA" Pro in the ABA; Rookie, Novice, Expert, Elite Masters, "B" Pro (Superclass) and "A" Pro (Elite) in the NBL.
In a typical day a racer will race several times with their group to determine the day's finishing order and awards. The qualifying rounds, called Motos (called heats in other types of racing) determine the number of racers in the finals which are called Mains, up to eight racers.
The sizes and number of motos at a skill level and age group is determined by the number of racers who register for that race and in that skill level and age group. Usually a racer gets three chances to qualify.
The Amateurs, once they get to the mains usually only race once for the top points and the trophy. The Professionals on the other hand run multiple cumulative Mains just like in the qualifying motos for the points, trophy and most important, prize money. Like during the qualifying motos the points you earn in each running of the Pro Main are tied into the position you finish in each of the three motos.
Point Scoring
Cumulative scoring rewards consistency. The better the racer you are, the more consistent you will be. The transfer system lets you capitalize on the mistakes of others. The better the racer you are, the fewer the mistakes you make. One major drawback in cumulative scoring is that it is more complicated task in keeping track than in the transfer system. Among the Pros the Cumulative method is preferred. Not only because they get to race more, it lessens the chance of luck playing as a factor in any given race event. Cumulative scoring, also known as Olympic scoring, is used by the UCI in there international BMX program the ABA continues to use the Transfer System for its amateur classes.
The Transfer System on the other hand, was never popular with the racers. While very efficient and less error prone than the cumulative method, the good racers generally did not like it since they would only get to race once, win their transfer moto and wait for hours if the races are big enough to race the mains. This means the racers race less often in the ABA and the fun of BMX is in the racing, even if you are losing. Even racers who don't do well did not like the transfer system because the fewer actual races you are in, the less chance you will have to improve your skills in actual race conditions You also race two times less for your money paid for in entrance fees in the ABA in the Transfer system if you win your first moto.
Skill level advancement, local points awards and district ranking
The first goal of a BMX racer is to become the number one amateur racer in your district. The racer's home state/province maybe divided up into several Districts depending how many participants and how spread out they are over the state/province. A balance is sought. Too many people in a single district could discourage new, inexperienced riders from having a sense of accomplishment if they are doing reasonably well but not advancing his point score up the list of total points in relation to other racers. Too small a district would cheapen any sense of accomplishment due to paucity of racers, producing an artificially high ranking for the following season for the racer(s) in the points race. Points determine how well you do in the district rankings. How high you go in the rankings depends on what skill level category you are in as well as how well you do in your particular races since it has an impact on how many points you win, which adds to your total for your district ranking. The higher your skill level, the more points you will gather at any given race (providing that you have qualified for the Main).
In the Amateur class, advancement to a higher skill level depends on your success in your present skill level. For instance at the ABA local level you start out as a Novice. From Novice eight local career first places in the Mains will advance you to Intermediate Class. From Intermediate twenty five local career first place wins in the Main is required to graduate to the Expert class. From there as in most other sports, it is voluntary to go professional.
The Main will determine the winner that day and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and sometimes 5th place trophies and who gets how many points added to his total which determines his ranking in his district. The number of points a racer gets after a race is usually determined by his place in the Main. The more points a racer has the higher his ranking and thus the lower the number he gets to wear on his front number plate the following season
The Skill level class you belong to also affects how many points you get. The winners of the Expert Classes on the local level will get 100 points while the winning Intermediates will get 50 points and the winners of the Novice classes only 25 points. Second, third et al. placers would get lower points in proportion. The 7th place Expert finishers will get only 20 points, the equivalent of second place in the Novice class.
In all classes and skill levels racers also receive the same number of points depending on how many are in their class and age group. These are called participant points.
There are separate point scoring for cruiser and girl classes and separate point tables for state and national rankings. Points for those events are gathered in a similar fashion as on the district.
National and special event points awards
Other important factors affect the point totals. Some local special event races are double or even triple point races, doubling or tripling the points each position in the Mains each racer would normally get. An Expert who wins therefore could get either 200 or 300 points for example as opposed to just the usual 100 points. The points bonanza can be even greater. Nationals are the equivalent of triple point local races. Like at local triple point races, the winner of the Expert class in a national event will get 300 points. However, even if one does not make the Main and only get as far as the quarter finals it will earn a racer bonus points based on the number of people in the eighth (if any), and quarter Main that will go to his total district points.
As in the local races, participant points are also gained. If there are 50 racers participating in the 17-18 Expert class, those 50 points will give the winner 350 points plus bonus points. The point levels for other skill classes and the points awarded for positions racers come in the mains are similarly affected. Indeed, in these large national races simply participating and not advancing to even the eighth finals could earn the racer enough participant points as if he won a local race. For instance, A novice can sign up in say 19-27 Novice at a national with 107 of his fellow novices in his class and come in dead last in all three of his motos and not make the quarter Main let alone the Main and still walk away with 108 district points, the equivalent of a local 100 point Expert win with eight men participating.
To compete on a National level for national titles you must compete in Nationals. Nationals have their own separate points tables that are accumulated by the racers similarly to local district points. However the points rewarded are not the same amount. For instance 240 National points are awarded to the first place Expert winner as well as his 300 district triple points, but his national points are not added to his district points or vice versa. Like in local races he or she is also awarded participant points. The amateur with the most National points at the end of the year is the overall National number one (#1) racer and gets to wear a #1 on his number plate at national events the following season. Professionals are not effected since they have their own points system and table separate from the amateurs for the number one pro title.
Nationals can also affect your skill level ranking. On the local level it takes eight career wins to transfer from Novice to Intermediate; from Intermediate to Expert 25 career wins are necessary. On the national level only five career wins are required in both cases. This is because of the much higher quality of competition found on the national level.
All of the aforementioned applies with minor variations to the Girls and Cruiser Classes.
Open and trophy dash events
A fourth class of racing in BMX which are held at local and national events are called Opens. Opens are largely exhibition and are a chance to test yourself and practice against better competition without jeopardizing your point standings. You must be registered to race in a points race to sign up for the Open events. No points are awarded for Opens although trophy places are and the moto qualification rounds are similar to the point races. These are races with more flexible skill level and age requirements.
In Opens there are no Novice, Intermediate and Expert divisions. All armature skill levels are free to participate. The age groupings are generally broader, for example 13-14 open class as opposed to 13 Intermediate and 14 Intermediate being separate groupings for those ages in the points races. Girls may also participate in the male Open class within the proper age ranges. However expert boys are not allowed in these "Mixed" opens. Then an Expert Open is held in that event. The pros are excluded from racing with the armatures if enough pros are at hand to race that a separate Pro-Open class can be created. If not, then the pros can race in the amateur Open with some restrictions. This is called a Pro-Am event. Except for the Pro-Am exception the Expert racers usually wins the open class. Even if there are Pros in the Open, it is not unusual for the an older Expert-17-18 age class for example-to win since many have the talent and speed to be a pro but haven't yet taken the opportunity, partly because once you go Pro, you can go back to amateur only under very strict circumstances.
There are separate Open divisions for Cruisers where similar rules apply.
Sometimes an exhibition race is held after all the meaningful races are run with all the amateur class winners from Novice up to Expert and including the Open, girls classes and perhaps Cruiser classes race together once. This is called the Trophy Dash. Like in the Open Classes, no points are rewarded in this case, just a chance for bragging rights and to match yourself up against people that are at a higher skill level. Only one race for a single first place trophy is awarded. As in the Opens the Expert usually wins with the Intermediate winner pulling one out every once in a while. Novices usually win only when a major, catastrophic pile up occurs on the track and even then the mass smash up has to happen quite close to the finish line.
Professionals
There are professional rankings in BMX. In the ABA the two major ones are the "A" and "AA" classifications in the 20" division. The Professionals are the only class allowed to compete for cash prizes.
The first level is pro. To become an "A" pro you have to hold at least an Expert skill level rating and be at least 15 years old to be issued a Pro Membership card by the ABA. If you are a professional BMXer with another BMX sanctioning body you will be recognized as a Pro by the ABA and barred from competing in ABA sanctioned armature classes. Once you become a pro BMX racer, you cannot go back to amateur status except under stringent circumstances. What's more by turning BMX Pro you very likely be disqualifying yourself from other armature sports depending on the state and federal laws that apply.
If you winnings exceed US$3000 in a season at national events the racer will be promoted to "AA" pro.
"A" pro and "AA" pros race in separate classes generally, but if there are too few of one or the other type of pro to race separately-four is the minimum-then they race together in a combined class. This occurs generally in at large multi point local district races but usually not at Nationals.
Pro ranking points are similar to the National armature points awards. "A" Pros get the equivalent of National Intermediate points. i.e. 120 for first, 100 points for second etc. "AA" Pro get Expert equivalent points i.e. 240 for first etc. Both like in the amateur classes get participant points if the racer makes the Main. The person with the most points in a season will be District Pro #1, the same is true to become state Pro #1. However, on the national level not only you must receive the most points, you must race in at least 10 nationals plus the Grand Nationals, for the best 10 of your finishes will go toward your national rankings. For example if you participate in 13 national events, your best 10 will be considered and your worst three disregarded. You must meet this qualification on the national level to wear National numbers one though ten on your number plate the following year.
The rules are similar for Pro Cruiser and Pro Girls classes.
There is a fourth class of pro called Veteran Pro. These are professionals in the 20" class that are at least 30 years old and generally past their racing prime but still love to compete. Most of the rules that apply to the "A" and "AA" pros apply to the "Vet" Pros except that they are required to race in only six national events plus the Grand Nationals and are classified as "A" Pros and get "A" Pro points, However, they can win unlimited prize money as a Vet pro on this "A" Pro level without the requirement of moving up to "AA" pro upon winning US$3000 in a season. Some Vet Pros are retired "AA" pros that have came back to the sport. In those cases they had to go through a reclassification process with certain criteria having to be met, including written permission from conventional "A" Pros. "Vet" Pros cannot compete for the National #1 Championship.
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