The outdoor BMX racing track will have a capacity of 6,000. The track features an 8-metre-high starting ramp and was designed by the UCI with the aim of pushing the boundaries of the sport. It’s probably one of the most challenging BMX tracks to date.
The track for men is 470 metres long and features a berm jump, an S-bend transfer, a box jump and a rhythm section in the final straight. The women’s course is 430 metres long featuring three jumps in the opening straight and a tunnel before including a rhythm section in the final straight like the men’s.
In preparation for the Games, in 2010 the Dutch NOC commissioned a replica of the planned BMX track at their National Sports Centre Papendal. It came into use in March 2011, ahead of the handover of the London Velopark BMX venue.
Work on its construction began in March 2011. 14,000 cubic metres of soil were used to build the track. After the Games, the seating will be removed and the track will be reconfigured to accommodate all abilities.
The BMX events at the 2012 Games will take place from 8 to 10 August at the London Velopark. The competition starts with a seeding phase: each rider runs the track once to determine the seedings, which ensures that the fastest riders don’t meet before the final.
The quarter-finals (only in men’s competition) consist of four groups of eight riders who compete over five races with the top four from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The semi-finals are held over three runs. The top four riders from each semi-final advance to the final, where the medals are decided over one run.