Whereas last year Bathurst’s $1.5 million BMX track hosted the national championships, in 2017 the city has a new-look program.

On March 4 Bathurst will host the third round of the BMX Australia National Championships, on March 5 the Oceania Championships will be staged on the track, while March 6 will see riders in action in the third round of the new Grands Assault series.

Entries for the bumper BMX program opened late last week and organisers are expected strong fields.

”The preparations are going very good. We have launched the registrations and finalised all the technical aspects, it is pretty much going to be a festival of racing if you will over Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” BMX Australia’s events manager Joel Ulbricht said.

“I know that from the riders’ perspective, it is one of the fastest tracks that they have been on. The fact it goes down hill the entire way – all the feedback we have got is that it is a very fast track.”

The national championships, which also offers international points, is called the UCI Probikx/Chambikx series.

The opening round was held earlier this month at Nerang, Queensland, while next weekend riders will head to Shepparton in Victoria for round two.

Ulbricht said what was witnessed at Nerang points to hot competition at Bathurst, with international riders to do battle with Australia’s best.

“Looking at the quality of racing we had in Nerang at the beginning at January, we saw some pretty good riders racing throughout that weekend,” Ulbricht said.

“We had a contingent from Japan that came and they will continue to do the Probikx/Chambikx series.

“We had participation from France, from New Zealand and obviously Australia, so it really is starting to become an internationally recognised competition the Probikx/Chambikx series.

“We figure that will continue for Bathurst as well.”

The Oceania Championships, which were held at Pukekohe, New Zealand last year, will be what Ulbricht calls “a battle of the ANZACs”, while the Grands Assault is national level competition open to riders around the country and designed to encourage participation.

According to Ulbricht the Grands Assault is: “a true national series that has been designed with our riders at the forefront of thought.”

All three days of racing – which will be live streamed – will help BMX Australia work towards bigger goals.

“We have got two main focuses. One is a pathway for our elite athletes and trying to give them as much racing as possible, and competitive racing at that, to try and improve their skills and their times,” Ulbricht said.

“The second part of it is participation. We have ages from five years old for Oceanias on the Saturday of racing, but not only five-year-olds, but all the way up to 50 years plus.

“Then you’ve got the riders who are not wanting to do it for a pathway or UCI points, but to get around and have a go. So we have accommodated and catered for everyone in that aspect.”