Thousands descend on Byford for ‘flawless’ state BMX event

Thousands descend on Byford for ‘flawless’ state BMX event

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Byford’s Oliver Hogan was the standout rider on the day, winning both the 15 Boys class and Junior Superclass Men.

The Byford BMX Club has pulled off a ‘flawless’ round of the 2024 AusCycling State BMX Series.

Last-minute vandalism to jumps couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of club members who banded together to reset the track back into mint condition for the competition.

A crowd of around 2000 people gathered to watch the 521 riders from all over the state compete for glory; among them were 75 competitors from the Byford club.

Riders across the comp aged from just three-years-old to 75.

Daryl Rapley first picked up BMX racing a decade ago after watching his son David and granddaughter Kindle race.

North Beach’s Daryl Rapley, the oldest registered rider in the AusCycling Championships, finished up in second place in the finals of the Cruiser 55-59 Men class.

But the standout rider of the day was Byford’s Oliver Hogan, who finished first in both the 15 Boys class and the Junior Superclass Men.

He also managed the fastest lap of the day with a time of 31.785 in the Junior Superclass Men’s final.

Meanwhile the fastest female rider of the day was 13-year-old World No. 1 Amelie Reid from Mandurah BMX Club, who left the 13-year-old boys to eat her dust. In fact, her recorded lap times clocked in at a whole two seconds faster than the Superclass Women.

Congratulations also go to Byford’s Chloe Carmody, Ruby-Rose Williamson, Cherie Worthington and McKenna Wolf who all finished with a top ranking in their respective classes.

Mark Taylor (24), Ryan Litterick (1WA) and Brent McDonald were gold, silver bronze in the Masters Male class.

Byford BMX Club chairman Dan Lander said it was probably the best event they’d ever run.

“It just unfolded beautifully,” he said.

“The set-up was amazing – the community and committee members came together and put in a huge amount of effort. The whole track and arena never presented more beautifully.

“The canteen manager did a fantastic job – I’ve heard nothing but praise, especially for the healthy options on offer.

“It just all ran without hiccups, and everyone was loving it.”

Photographs – Paul from Still Framed Photography.