GRANDS-Greatest Race on Earth
USABMX Grand Nationals - Greatest Race on Earth
Indoor - Tulsa Expo Square, Tulsa, OK
Thanksgiving Weekend
You know why they call it "The Grands?" Because that’s short for "Grand Nationals?" Well, okay, yeah, but there’s other stuff, and that stuff is Grand. Grand as in awesome. Grand as in lots of bikes and racing and BMXers and fun. Grand is the spectacle. Grands as in GREATEST RACE ON EARTH! It’s the only Thanksgiving weekend like it in the world.
On the USABMX web site you can find a lot of information about the Grand National’s and ROC (Race of Champions) at www.usabmx.com. Here you'll find the practice/race schedule and info for the races.
Pro Spectacular & NAG 5 Challenge
Biggest single night of racing in the USABMX season. Period. Saturday night after the Race of Champions (ROC) is when this happens -- and just late enough to hustle back to the room and freshen up before seeing the show. The gates open at 5:00 pm and the event starts at 6:00 pm, $10 to get in. The top Pros qualify for the event during the ROC that day. Vet Pro, Girl Pro, A and AA Pro will receive National Points -- important as this is the last big weekend on the season’s schedule. Racers compete over three motos all the way to semis which are the start of the Pro events for the Spectacular. And then the ams: NAG 5 Challenge puts the top five National Age Group (NAG) Amateurs in 15 boys and girls and up, running in boys and girls classes. All on the track in the all ages motos to see who really is the fastest amateur in BMX. Massive prizes, and bragging rights, keep this group motivated, and the racing fast and aggressive.
Race of Champions
This year as every year, the ROC plates look AWESOME. Winners in class, cruiser and open not only receive these custom plates to run for a year, but they will also get their pic in the BMXer. Remember you may race the ROC at the age and skill level that you were at your State Final race. YOU MUST REMEMBER TO TELL REGISTRATION YOU WISH TO RACE THE ROC IN YOUR STATE FINAL AGE AND CLASS ON THURSDAY. AGE AND CLASS CORRECTIONS TO STATE FINAL SPECIFICS WILL NOT BE MADE ON FRIDAY. Remember, you can race all classes, cruiser and open if you qualified in one or the other!
Hotel
Book your hotel now. It is Thanksgiving weekend, and there will be over 600 moto’s at the Grand’s so the hotel’s book up fast! Reserve a room online at www.bmxhotels.com. Save $30 per class on ROC entry fees and $40 per class for Grands by pre-regerstering and booking your hotel through www.bmxhotels.com. You will want to bring your bikes in with you to your hotel room, you don’t want to leave them in your vehicle or trailer.
On site camping, oh yeah, they got it, with hook ups. Located right on the premises of the Expo Square are 200 spaces. Reservations can be made at www.exposquare.com/. Fees are $40 per night, they even have a laundry room. And check it out: No parking fee for cars.
Presign, Presign, Presign!
It’s a big race, and the registration line will run a mile long (not an exaggeration). If you want to stand in it, bring plenty of fluids and a good pair of sneakers ‘cause you’re going to need ‘em. Sound like fun? No? Tell you what, three words: Presign, Presign, Presign! You can do this via Internet, postal mail or fax it in to the USABMX offices. If you do pre-sign...when you get there the USABMX will have sheets of paper posted on the fence going down the ramp south of the trailer with all the pre-signed riders on it. Be sure you check it and make sure you are on there.
Lock 'em down...
The most important tip: Bring a lock and cable and use it. Bikes are stolen every year at Grand's! Be sure to talk to your kids about this and make sure they are ALWAYS keeping an eye on their bike or locking it up. There will be fencing around the bleachers and it's easy enough to lock your bike to that. The USABMX will also set up some cables in the upstairs vendor/pits area which bikes may be locked to. Vendors will have locks and cables for sale on site, but it'll be cheaper if you remember to bring one from home.
The USABMX Staffers will be hard at work throughout the week to set up a massive bike lockup. With no bikes being allowed in the seating area, bring the ol’ lock and cable to insure the safety of the ride. Ya never know—those guys from last year might already be out on parole.
Cushions/Entertainment
You will spend a fair amount of time sitting in the bleachers during this event so bring something soft (stadium seats, blankets, etc) to sit on to make this a much more positive experience. Also note that in the "hundreds and hundreds" of motos, there's some down time before your moto comes up. A book to read, some music, whatever, but some form of entertainment will help the time pass. You'll also want to spend some time walking/looking around. You'll get to meet a ton of pros, see the new stuff coming out from the manufacturers, look for deals on new/used stuff for sale, see some old friends and make some new ones. The pro’s also usually do an autograph signing at the USABMX ’s booth, they usually provide you with a blank USABMX number plate or a poster to have all the pro’s sign it for you as a souvenir to take home.
Spending Money
The USABMX has a booth set up with all USABMX merchandise. There are tons of venders in the building, tons of good deals on used BMX stuff. You might think about planning to bring a little extra cash just in case you find that deal of a lifetime.
Snacks
Bring some! There are food venders there but they aren’t cheap and this is a four day event. We usually take a backpack in with our snacks and have an ice chest in our vehicle to make sandwiches during the day.
Thanksgiving Dinner
This is one part of BMX that is hard to get used to. Grand’s is always on Thanksgiving weekend…..no more family gatherings for Thanksgiving unless you can talk them all into coming with you to Grand's. We have to make the best of it. One year we booked a hotel with a kitchen and made our Thanksgiving dinner with BMX families from the track. Some restaurant are open, but check in advance of the hours and prices.
The Hardware!
These are the biggest BMX trophies you will ever see! Hopefully you get to bring one home!
First timer's to race the Grand's
When moto's are posted, they take up an entire wall. They will be posted on the wall to the North of the USABMX trailer going down the ramp. Look for your moto, write it down or take a picture of it. If you have qualifying moto's that you've never had before (semi's, quarter or eighth main's), ask someone to help you figure it out. For those who have never been and those that are very young....the staging area can be very intimidating especially when you have never been to an event this large. Parent's you will want to help your rider through this process and make sure they get in their moto. They will call their moto and line them up in chutes. USABMX ​broadcasts the National on the radio and this can really help you to be able to hear what moto they are on, this is a huge building with a lot of noise going on and the last thing you want to do is lose track of what moto they are on and miss your moto.
The Grand National's is an experience you will never forget. Spend time with your family, cheer your racer on, visit the vendors and just hang out with friends and have a good time!
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