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Hitting the Dirt

With a pierced lip, two eyebrow rings and a pink strip running through her black hair, 15-year-old Jennifer Knight is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to BMX racing. Knight is ranked first in the state and in the Midwest and has only raced for a few years.

Knight was only one of the 105 riders on hand Saturday afternoon to race at the Evergreen Park BMX Raceway in Carbondale for the Illinois State Qualifier.

The raceway also sponsored a Bob Warnicke Scholarship Race Friday night. The race raised money for the Bob Warnicke Memorial Scholarship, which was established in 1995. Warnicke was the vice president of the National Bicycle League and helped push BMX racing to the forefront. The scholarship goes to riders and members of the NBL.

According to track director Mikki Rennison, riders in Illinois compete in different races throughout the state to race for points. The number of points a racer receives depends on how fast they cross the finish line.

Each BMX racer runs one of three motos, where they race against others depending on their age, gender and experience. According to Rennison, ages range from 4 to 55, and racers are placed in classes ranging from beginners to triple pro.

According to Patrick Pierceall, a rider from Springfield who is currently ranked first in the state, the state-qualifying race is considered small in the BMX world. Riders take three separate laps around the track to determine their time and placement. Riders can compete in a total of seven different races on tracks in Illinois. Their best five scores are considered, and whoever has the best points at the end of the race is the winner of the state.

The state championship is held in October, and whoever has the most points at the end of the state race becomes champion of the state. Riders can then go on to race in regional competitions and state competitions.

Even though there are many obstacles on the track, BMX racers' main objective is to cross the finish line first. But according to racers, a rider's style also counts off the track.

"You want to go as fast as you can and be the first one to cross the finish line," Piereceall said. "Style counts for a lot, too. You've got to look good, too."

David Carron, a 16-year-old rider from Springfield, has been racing for eight years and became involved with racing while hanging out at a local bicycle shop.

"[I got involved] going to bike shops in Springfield," Carron said. "They were having air shows and stuff, and the guy who runs our team was passing out fliers and I just went out there and got hooked and I've been racing ever since."

Both Pierceall and Carron enjoy meeting up with their fellow riders at each race and also meeting new people from across the nation.

"You also meet a lot of people from across the nation," said Carron, who races on the Ace Bike Shop team. "When you go to nationals there'll be people from Florida, California, New York, Kansas, all of the states pretty much."

"I like everything," Pierceall said. "I like the competition, I like traveling around with friends, family; it's a good family sport.

The close-knit family that the racers form is not the only thing that keeps them interested in the sport. According to Knight, who will turn pro next month, the excitement and the rush of racing is what keeps her competing.

" [I like the] adrenaline rush," Knight said. "It's fun like at big races; you get all pumped up. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win."

The excitement of BMX racing shows not only in the riders, but also in the spectators. People of all ages gather to see the race, and as the announcer called the play-by-play action, cheers could be heard from the bleachers.

One spectator, Lloyd Walker, whose 9-year-old son, Dakotah, races, said he believes BMX racing is an event that although can be expensive, is also fun for the entire family.

"It's a really good sport for the whole family to get into," Walker said. "It's real good enjoyment, it's clean fun. It's a good clean, fun sport."

Walker, who attempted to open up his own BMX track in Canton also appreciates the opportunity that BMX racing gives his son. Walker and his son come from a town he says does not offer many activities for children.

"There is nothing for the kids in Canton to do other than go to the movies and do a bunch of bad things and hang around up on the square," Walker said. "We gave them an out."

Rennison also understands the struggles with keeping a BMX track open with little help from the park district. According to Rennison, the only money the track receives is from racers' entry fees and concession.

According to Rennison, the BMX raceway started six years ago when Billie Mercer and his family convinced the park district to allow them to build the track. The park district keeps the land mowed, but everything else is taken care of by volunteers.

With only two Carbondale riders, Rennison's hope is that more people will become aware of the track's existence and become interested in the sport of BMX racing.

"Really what we need is to just really promote this place and let everybody know that we're here," Rennison said. "We've been here six years and there's still people that say, 'We have a BMX track here?'"

Factoid: For more information on the BMX raceway call Mikkie Rennison at 618-924-2410