Better facilities to keep Townsville BMX Club stars on track

Townsville BMX Club punches well above its weight with some of the best riders in the country, but with facilities not up to scratch, the city risks losing them. Find out more.

Townsville BMX riders Celeste Barr (left), Sofia McKenzie and Chaylen Twidale are keen to see a new facility in the city.

Townsville boasts some of the best BMX riders in the country but with ailing facilities not up to standard the city risks losing them to southern centres.

Townsville BMX Club punches well above its weight on both the national and international stage, Vice President Jeff Barr said.

“We’ve had people running for the Olympics, we’ve had world champions, we’ve had Australian champions all come through,” he said.

“It’s pretty outstanding really coming from the regional area, a relatively small track with limited facilities.”

Rider Celeste Barr finished second in the Elite Women’s category at 2024 Auscycling National Championships in Western Australia, said while the track was good, for an elite rider was not enough.

“I’m doing state events, doing national events, but if I really want to take it to that next level and do more international events, this track isn’t what I need for that,” she said.

“While this track, it’s a great facility, it’s been looked after really well, for an elite rider you really do need more.”

Chaylen Twidale, who finished third at the national championships in the 17 to 24 Cruiser Men, was honest in his assessment of the standard of the training track.

“It’s quite low if we’re going to be completely honest,” he said.

“Our track is very narrow, so compared to riding somewhere where it’s huge, you come here and it’s real little so you can’t really fluctuate what you’ve got to do overseas and stuff like that.”

This puts the riders behind the Eight ball.

(From Left) Townsville BMX riders Celeste Barr, Chaylen Twidale and Sofia McKenzie would like to see a new facility in the city.

“You’re always starting from behind, you have to learn how do it then and there instead of practising at home,” Mr Twidale said.

Despite only being nine years old, Sofia Mackenzie has raced on tracks around Australia and the world.

Miss McKenzie’s best finish on the world stage was finishing eighth in the world in an event in Glasgow.

The difference in the tracks was evident.

“It threw me way more, it was bigger and harder,” Miss McKenzie said.

For some of the riders in Townsville, some have thought about moving away from the city to take their riding to the next level.

“I have thought about moving, but then you’ve got family and your friends are all here so you would rather just stay where family and friends are,” Mr Twidale said.

Sofia’s dad and President of the BMX club, Steve McKenzie said he was starting to think about relocating to help his daughter.

“My daughter is racing at the world’s this year, and we’re planning for when she’s 15/16 are we going to have to relocate to Brisbane,” he said.

“To have the training facilities as well as having coaches, elite coaches and junior coaches at the high level.”

Mr McKenzie believes that if the facilities were in Townsville, it would help riders in other places as well.

“If we can bring it up here, Cairns (riders) doesn’t have to travel far, Mackay doesn’t have to travel far,” he said.

“We could be the hub where they come out of, and they could be proud to come out of Townsville even though they’re riding for other clubs in the north.”

Originally published as Better facilities to keep Townsville BMX Club stars on track