If you are a new rider this season and have no idea what it means to attend a National event (like the Cornhusker Nationals being held at Star City BMX here in a couple weeks), read on!

National events bring thousands of people from across the U.S. to ride all weekend. This is not your typical state qualifier, gold cup qualifier, or local triple point race. Think much, much BIGGER. There will be lots of vendors that travel with USA BMX, as well as food trucks to keep you full all weekend! Make sure to bring your canopies and chairs as this will be a longer day than usual. When practice starts at 9am and racing starts at 1pm, you can expect racing to be over anywhere around 7pm. We aren’t kidding when we say all day!

One most common question we get asked about Nationals is do you have to qualify? The answer is NO. Any USABMX/BMX Canada member can come out and ride at the National events! Spectators are always free to come watch- just keep in mind there is a parking fee for this weekend event ($10/day or $30/weekend).

Rider entry fees for National events are generally paid either online or you can pay on site at the National. However, due to COVID, online registration is HIGHLY encouraged. Here is the link to info regarding the Cornhusker National: https://www.usabmx.com/site/bmx_races/422421?section_id=228. Click on the red PRE-SIGN button under the flyer a few rows down. Save up to $20 off of each entry fee for National Pre-Races and Nationals by booking your hotel at bmxhotels.com and pre-register for the event by Tuesday, 5pm Arizona time the week of the event. USA BMX has negotiated the lowest rates possible at a variety of hotels within all price ranges. Online Registration will close Friday, 8am Pacific Time, August 21st.

Something you will need for every National event you attend are side plates. We have provided a picture below. If you don’t have one, a vendor at the event will sell them along with number stickers. You can also make your own if you want to save a few bucks. Altogether, it’s generally not more than $10.

For Cornhusker Nationals, we have posted the practice schedule below. This is timed practice put on by USA BMX. You should plan to arrive at the track about 15 minutes before your practice time begins as USA BMX will essentially check your bike in and you will receive a sticker so they know your bike has been okayed for practice. Once your practice time is over, you can hangout, grab some food, explore Lincoln for a little bit, and then come back for racing!

Racing will go generally in the same order as it goes for local racing. Pros will start us off, then mixed open/open (this is basically just a practice and for fun, you do not get points for racing mixed open/open class), girl cruisers, boy cruisers, novices, intermediate, girls, and experts. There will be a LOT more motos than a local race so there’s a bit of waiting time between rounds. If there are a bunch of riders in your class, some riders will have to race in semis mains and even possibly quarters main. Quarters and semis are extra qualifier races due to the high rider count. In some cases there could even be eighths (probably not likely though)! On the moto sheet, you will find on your moto that it might say 2-2 to semi main. Meaning a rider will have to qualify out of his or her moto then will have to qualify out of a combine moto called a semi. Ask any volunteer about this as they will be glad to help you understand!

You will want to make sure to be in staging about 20 motos ahead of the current moto on the track. For example, if you are racing in moto 60, you should get up to staging when moto 40 is on the track. USA BMX runs a couple motos on the track at a time so they go quick!

**Live motos will be posted at motos.usabmx.com instead of on the moto boards**

Riders should verify their results at the link above. If a rider feels they received a different finish than listed, they should go to the USA BMX registration trailer to verify.

If you have any questions about the USA BMX rules, please ask or come see us at registration! We also have USA BMX rule books available if you’d like to have one for yourself.

We look forward to seeing you at Cornhusker Nationals the weekend of August 21-23!!