BMX riders now have a new home at the Zone 7 BMX club.
Chairman Thomas Hendry says there is no time to waste and they have hit the ground running, with the first competition at the new track taking place this Saturday March 5.
Hendry is the father of young BMX enthusiast, Cruz Hendry, who has been setting the BMX stage alight.
At just 7-years-old, Cruz has been come out tops in his age category on many occasions that include multiple participations at the BMX national championships.
The young rider, with many other up-and-coming BMX riders from the city will be looking to maximise on the opportunity of having a BMX facility right at their doorsteps.
“The idea of a BMX track was born in 2020 when my son started showing interest in the sport and we did research and found that the closest track we have was in Hermanus.
“We had conversations with the owner of Zone 7, Johann Spies, and was excited by the idea of having everything in one place.
“We have BMX racing, Motocross and Go Kart and we have an oval being built for drag racing so it makes sense that all can be in one area where aspiring riders and kids can just come and make it their second home,” said Hendry.
With BMX racing being an Olympic sport, doors will now be open to a lot of eager riders to work on their skills in their early stages.
Part of the idea to have the track is to return Cape Town back to its glory days when BMX riding was a huge sport in the 80s and 90s.
“The work does not end with us hosting events but we want to open this space to introduce the sport to the youngsters who may not be that familiar with it.
“We will be working a lot with schools going forward because we want to make these facilities open to everyone,” added Hendry.
He says there are three professional riders from Cape Town and this should be an opportunity to have more riders coming out of the city.
SA number one cruiser, George Roth and SA number one and National 2021 BMX champion Wanga Moshani are some of the riders that will be looking to make the most of the home turf opportunity during the BMX championships.
Phase two of the development will be to build mountain bike trails.
The door is also open for older riders upwards of 40-years to make the most of the new track to work with the upcoming talents.
“We want as many people to come and enjoy the BMX shows we have planned, starting this Saturday with the Western Cape championships,” says Hendry.
Zone 7 is located off the N7 outside Cape Town. Entry for the riders is R100 and R150 on the day and spectators enter free. For more information contact Thomas Hendry on 078 563 9911 or tom@allmountain.co.za