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Australia’s pinnacle BMX racing event, the 2025 GWM BMX Racing National Championships, have arrived for more than 1,100 riders at Macarthur BMX Club in Camden, New South Wales.
Olympic gold medallist Saya Sakakibara is among the national championship hunters lining up behind the gate this week, with her quest to reclaim the elite women’s national title set to play out Friday, the second day of the four-day event.
After an up-and-down season by her own high standards, Sakakibara looks to have found the level that made her Olympic champion in the last month, wrapping up her third-straight UCI BMX Racing World Cup title in Argentina courtesy of two round wins.
After not racing the GWM BMX Racing National Championships in 2024, the Australian superstar handed over her green and gold crown to 20-year-old Sienna Pal, one of three world-class young talents Sakakibara will have to contend with.
“I’m super excited for this week. I wasn’t able to compete last year but being amongst the crowd at the Nationals last year was special,” Sakakibara said.
“I’m looking forward to racing this year because we have up and coming racers in the elite women category like Teya Rufus, Sienna Pal and Bella May, who will make some great racing.
“It’s been great to see them all improve so much over the past year and challenge themselves in the elite class. But I’ll be bringing my A game and looking forward to racing for the title!”
Pal is well-accustomed to the Macarthur facility as a Central Coast product and will need every bit of that track knowledge to upset Sakakibara and stave off newly-crowned BMX European Cup champion May and 2024 junior world champion Rufus, who was the second best Australian behind Sakakibara at the recent World Championships.
“100 per cent the goal is to go back-to-back and that goal doesn’t change depending on who’s lining up on the gate,” Pal said.
“In fact, knowing who is entered in elite this year has fuelled the fire even more to do it again! Having such high-level competition at our Nationals will demand the best out of everyone and because of that it adds so much prestige to the title now. I’m so excited!”
Pal and Sakakibara’s fellow New South Wales talent, Oliver Moran, enters as the defending elite men's national champion, with the likes of rising stars Josh Jolly, Jesse Asmus and Joel Marsh hoping to dethrone the 22-year-old.
“I’d love to go back-to-back – who wouldn’t,” Moran said.
“Just got to have good clean laps and get myself into a position to make it happen.”
Jolly has been flying throughout 2025 and a crash while racing in the United States that resulted in a separated shoulder injury hasn’t shaken his first elite campaign belief.
“I’ve had a rough prep coming into Nationals due to the separated shoulder, but that doesn’t change my goals or my confidence that I can win the elite and superclass titles this year,” Jolly said.
Among the 1,141 riders that make up the 1,633 entries racing this week is a strong group of Macarthur BMX Club hometown heroes, including Oran Park's Andy Hughes, St Helens Park's Jye Furner, Douglas Park's Isla Basa and Narellan Vale's Mason Thorn.
AusCycling Executive General Manager – Major Events, Steve Peterson, said the record entries for this year’s BMX Racing National Championships exemplify the positive momentum currently surrounding the sport in Australia.
“From Saya Sakakibara’s incredible performance in Paris to a string of standout results across the World Cup season, the energy around the sport is electric. It’s fantastic to see that enthusiasm flowing right through to our domestic scene, with riders and fans turning out in force,” Peterson said.
“A huge thank you to the Macarthur BMX Club for their tireless work alongside our team in preparing for this year’s event – what an amazing venue to showcase the pinnacle of BMX racing here in Australia.
“We’re also incredibly grateful for the support of GWM Australia, the NSW Government and Camden City Council in helping us deliver this event here in Sydney. With the UCI BMX Racing World Championships returning down under next year, there’s a real sense that we’re entering a special era for the sport.”
Camden Mayor Ashleigh Cagney said the GWM BMX Racing National Championships are “expected to contribute more than $6 million to our region, but it really does go beyond the numbers for us here in Camden”.
“We are delighted to be a small part of an event that fosters friendships, creates unforgettable memories and inspires the next generation of riders and those watching on alike,” Cr Cagney added.
The 2025 AusCycling Pump Track National Championships will be held on the final day of the schedule at the Kirkham Park Pump Track, doubling as a Velosolutions 2026 UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier.
The GWM BMX Racing National Championships are proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and events agency, Destination NSW.
Feature picture: Get Snapt