Racing & Training

Club day timing

Capital BMX runs club racing on Sunday mornings at our track at Ian Galloway Park, weather permitting. Generally we follow a standard set of times as shown in the table below.

Time		What’s Happening …?
8.30 – 9.30am	Set Up	Track crew arrive to open up and inspect, sweep/repair the track.
9.30 – 10.15am	Have-A-Go	Have-a-Go and novice sign-up and coaching on Straights 3 & 4 (see Get Started for what a first visit looks like).
9.30 – 10.30am	Registration & Practice	Experienced riders can arrive and register at the Admin Container. Straights 1&2 only until Have-a-Go finishes. We’ll run the gate from around 10am. Registration closes at 10.30am.
10.45am ~ 12.30pm	Racing	Motos 1-3; Tuck-shop break; Moto 4; Finals / Moto 5; Fun races
12.30pm – whenever	Pack Down	Pack down & track play; track open to the public.

We ask that everyone checks in at the Admin Container before heading onto the track.

Race classes

We run ability-based classes, like the other clubs in the Wellington region, rather than grouping purely by age:

Class	Who it’s for
Minimockas	Balance bikes, Straights 3 & 4 only; under 6
Beetles	Under 8
Mustangs	Age 6–9
Vipers	Age 8–16
Fast & Furious	Age 11+
Colts	Female only, age 12+
Thunderbirds	25+, not racing at Fast & Furious level

We’ll run a grading session early in the season, or get a sense of lap times to allocate riders from Beetles to Vipers. After each points series or each season we promote the top three riders from each class to the next one.

Racing format

Racing runs in motos — one round through every class — usually in age-group order, though Thunderbirds or Colts may be moved mid-round if a parent in one of those classes is also looking after a Minimocka or Beetle rider.

We run three motos, then a break of about 20 minutes for the BBQ and tuckshop, then a fourth moto and finals/moto 5. Classes of 9 or more riders run a “deadman” final (your placing there is your result for the day), while classes with 8 riders or less are “points over” with the placing decided on aggregate points across all 5 motos.

Fun races

Racing often finishes with a few fun races – riders stay in their usual class but choose the format together. Regular favourites include a Le Mans-style running start, a “pump lap” with no pedalling, an extended six-straight lap, or racing the whole track in reverse. (See the FAQ below for more.)

Transponders & timing

We run most of our events using Sqorz where you can see the moto draw and results in real-time. If you have a transponder with an active subscription, your times will be published too. We have timing loops at the bottom of the hill, the entrance to corner one (“hole shot”), and the finish line.

Other Capital BMX Race Events throughout the year

Beyond the regular Sunday club day programme:

Interclub. Capital BMX is one of three clubs in the Wellington region — alongside Kapiti BMX (Paraparaumu Beach) and Hutt Valley Thunderbolts (McLeod Park, Upper Hutt); see About for more on both. A few times a year, usually as a Winter Series, we race each other for the Handlebar Trophy — the winning club holds it, along with bragging rights, until the next interclub meet.

Sqorz Gate Warz. A fun one, often run as part of our Season Opening Day. Riders sign up in their usual ability-based classes and get an hour to find their fastest time down the hill and rack up as many gate drops as they can, all timed by Sqorz. $5 entry, and riders need their own transponder. We generally offer prizes for each class.

Holeshot Championships. All about reaching the timing loop at the end of the first straight first. Riders sign up and pay their entry, then are randomly placed into gate groups. Over five rounds, the top two riders from each gate move up a group and the bottom two move down, so the final round sorts from the fastest group down to the slowest. Prize money comes from the entry fees, split by where you finish and which group you finish in.

Capital Champs. Our biggest event of the year – up to 100 riders, and growing. It’s an official National Qualifying Meet (NQM) on the BMX NZ calendar, so we run under BMX NZ rules rather than our usual club-day setup: age-based race classes instead of ability-based, run by a Level 2 Commissaire, transponders required for UCI age 8+ riders.

We typically run it as part of a back-to-back weekend with another regional club holding theirs on the other day, so travelling riders can pick up 2 NQM points in one trip. That generally puts us in late November, or over Waitangi weekend in February.

Entries go through bmxevents.nz, and riders need a BMX NZ licence; so it’s not one for Have-a-Go riders, though everyone’s welcome to come and watch.

This season we’re running on 29 November a day after the Kapiti Flat Nats event.

Help us run race day

Race day runs on volunteers and many hands make light work. Just ask at the registration window what you can do to help. Roles include:

Role	What’s involved
Registration	Greet riders, take payment and sign them into their race class in Sqorz. Run the automated Sqorz draw and print call-up sheets once registration closes.
Staging & Call-up	Call each group to the pits ahead of their race, then call riders forward individually with their assigned lane.
Starter	Controls the start gate for each race, once the corner marshal gives the green flag.
Corner Marshal	Watches the track from the top of corner 2, with sight of the start hut; yellow flag holds the gate for a crash, green flag clears the next race. A second marshal may cover between corners 1 & 3 for bigger events.
Tuckshop	Sells drinks, snacks and BBQ tokens from the Admin Container’s northern window.
BBQ	The most popular person at the track. Grills the sausages and gets those bacon butties moving.
Line trimming	Even 15 minutes with a weed whacker somewhere on site helps keep things under control. We’ll even give you a hi-vis!

Training

Club training runs Thursdays during daylight savings months, split across groups by age and experience.

Group	Time	What it covers
Sprockets (David & Luke)	5–5.30pm (4.45pm if you need to borrow equipment)	A structured skills programme following the BMX NZ Sprocket Handbook — balance, cornering, pedalling and braking. Riders log progress in a log book each week and earn stickers as they consistently demonstrate a skill.
Juniors & Skills (Joe & Jamie)	5.30–6.30pm (from 5pm; sign in, then head to the top field)	Warm-up games in the top field (bike tag, foot-down) until Sprockets are off the track, then a mix of race-based drills (e.g. gate-start sprints to the first jump, cornering line choice) and skill-based drills (e.g. generate track speed by pumping).
Senior training (Self Directed)	From 6.45pm, finishing around 8pm	Track time for riders with their own training programmes. The club can run the gate or simply give track time as needed.

Training is for club members. The track is booked out exclusively during training hours, so it isn’t open to the public or drop-in Have-a-Go riders until training finishes around 8pm. If you’re new and keen to try BMX, Sunday mornings (or a specifically advertised Have-a-Go session) are the way in. See Getting Started.

As with club day, we ask parents to stick around throughout training. If the coaches don’t need an extra pair of hands, it’s a good time to help out around the track instead – even something like 15 minutes of mowing makes a difference.

What’s on

The calendar below is kept live and up to date – club days, training, committee meetings, and entry-closing reminders for upcoming meets, and also displays the BMX NZ event calendar.

FAQs

Some common questions about racing or training at Capital BMX

What are the rules for Have-a-Go and novice riders on club day?

We ask that everyone checks in at the Admin Container before heading onto the track. Have-a-Go and novice riders stay on Straights 1 & 2 until Have-a-Go time ends. Once you can ride Straights 3 & 4 unassisted, you’re welcome to stay on past Have-a-Go and join the racing.

How do I know which class I’m in, and when do I move up?

Classes are based on ability rather than just age (see Race classes above). Promotion generally follows the top 3 in a class for the season, or an age cut-off, whichever comes first: Beetles’ top 3, or any rider turning 8, move up to Mustangs; Mustangs’ top 3, or any rider turning 10, move up to Vipers; Vipers’ top 3 aged 11 or over, or any rider turning 16, move up to Fast & Furious. If a class is small after registration, it may be merged with a neighbouring class for the day.

How does BMX scoring work?

Riders score 1 point for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and so on — the lowest total across the day wins. DNF means ‘Did Not Finish’ and scores the number of riders that started that heat (e.g. 5 if only 5 in the race, or 8 if it was a full gate). DNS means ‘Did Not Start’ and scores the number of riders on the start list plus 1. REL means Relegated (the commissaire noted a rule infraction or dangerous riding) and scores the number of riders on the start list plus 2. Live points are published on Sqorz during club days.

What are the fun race formats?

Riders stay in their usual class but choose the format together.

• Le Mans Start: bikes left at the top of the hill, riders start from the drain at the bottom, run up and grab their bike on the gate drop.
• Pump lap: no pedalling, although variations can be agreed on (e.g. pedalling allowed on the start hill only, or on the asphalt but not the lime, or only for whoever’s currently last).
• Big side of 3: racing the pro line on Straight 3 instead of the challenge side.
• 6-straights: a normal lap, then continuing backward around corner 2, down straight 2, up straight 1, finishing at the top of the start hill.
• Reverse race: starting at the Admin Container deck and racing the whole track in reverse, finishing at the gate.

Or a combination of any of these. It’s up to the riders to choose and agree the rules.

How is Interclub scored?

Riders sign up in their usual ability-based classes. At the end of registration, 8 riders per club are randomly selected from the entrants, and their points across the first 4 motos (1 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and so on) are aggregated for their club — lowest total wins the Handlebar Trophy.

How does a Points Series work?

A riders points across a number of events are added up to give the series score. The scoring is in reverse from an individual meet, with 8 for first place, 7 for second etc. over the first 4 motos. There may also be eligibility rules (e.g. minimum number of 4 events to qualify). Please enter the same race class for each event in the series to make scoring automated, although manual adjustments can be used if we’ve asked you to change class.

What’s a transponder, and do I need one?

A transponder is a small device fitted to the front fork of your bike, read by the timing decoders on the induction loops at each track — it’s what lets events run automated timing and scoring, with live results published on Sqorz. It needs to be activated with its own subscription: Capital BMX has a few spare transponders we’re happy to sell, though you’ll need to set up a MyLaps.com account and link it to the transponder’s number yourself. They’re also available through BMX NZ as part of membership licensing, or directly from MyLaps. Sprocket riders don’t need one, and neither do Island-licence riders unless they’re entering NQM events.

How far is it to other tracks?

Racing away from our home track is a rewarding experience. To help with planning here’s what Google Maps has to say about the times & distances from Capital BMX to other clubs:

Club	Driving Time	Distance
HVT	½ hr	35 km
Kapiti	¾ hr	57 km
Hawera	3½ hrs	284 km
Hawke’s Bay	3¾ hrs	310 km
New Plymouth	4½ hrs	356 km
Taupō	4½ hrs	373 km
Rotorua	5½ hrs	450 km
Te Awamutu	6 hrs	488 km
Cambridge	6 hrs	498 km
Tauranga	6½ hrs	521 km
Hamilton	6½ hrs	525 km
Gisborne	7 hrs	527 km
Sunset Coast	7¼ hrs	611 km
Mountain Raiders	7¾ hrs	636 km
East City	7¾ hrs	637 km
Waitakere	8¼ hrs	656 km
North Harbour	8¼ hrs	660 km
Whangarei	10 hrs	799 km

Same times and distances apply in reverse for out-of-region riders sizing up the trip to Capital BMX.

For anyone flying or ferrying in: it’s about half an hour from Wellington Airport to the track, or 10–15 minutes from the ferry terminals.

Got another question? Use the Contact Us form and let us know about the Missing FAQ.