Pakuranga BMX track hits hump

Bike riders in Pakuranga would like nothing more than to hit pay dirt to be able to finish their BMX track.

A digger has already carved a hilly area in preparation for building the base of the BMX track in Sir Lloyd Elsmore Park, behind the skatepark. The sight of the excavation is both thrilling and worrying for Dion Earnest, president of the Pakuranga-based BMX Mountain Raiders. The club has to raise $80,000 to build the park to standard.

The BMXers were pushed out of Ohuiarangi, or Pigeon Mountain, where they've had a track for 25 years, because the former Manukau City Council wanted to restore and protect the historical site.

The council said the club had to move to a sports park.

"To get us out of the park, they said they'll build us a track here. The idea was that they'll fund us to build the track but that has not really happened," says Mr Earnest.

The project somehow got lost in the transition to the unified Auckland Council. "It's not the council's fault. I'm not holding anything against them. Things will still get done. It'll just take longer," Mr Earnest says.

In the meantime the club is using up its funds to have the base fitted and drainage put in place.

"That's going to cost us $10,000 in the next couple of months," he says.

The club's members are mostly children aged under 12. "We have about 110 members. For BMX that'sa big club. For a sports club in general, it is quite small," Mr Earnest explains, explaining the club's challenges in fundraising.

The club has put in requests to a number of trusts but has had not much luck so far. They're also seeking help from Sport New Zealand, the Government organisation responsible for sports and recreation.

Despite the funding obstacles they face, the club's new location is a huge boost to BMXers. The new track is beside the skatepark, which has a natural affinity with bikes. Mr Earnest says they were hidden away in Pigeon Mountain but, at Elsmore, the club will be able to attract more members. "We're right next to the skatepark, next to the pool, next to the soccer. It can only grow from here and that's the plan," he says.

Children as young as three can join.

"They don't even have to know how to ride a bike. They can start from little walker bikes. From there, you have to get on some kind of wheels and off they go."

His children, Jake and Sacha, featured in The Aucklander last year and started that young. Jake, who was then 6, and Sacha, then 4, both finished fourth in their categories at the 2011 BMX national championships.

This is another reason the park needs to be built; the track needs to be ready for the World BMX Championships that will be held in Auckland next year. Although the track won't be built to international standards, competing participants will want to use it for training and practice.

"We're really looking for local support. The committee are going out to local businesses or corporations looking to get involved," he says.

"It would also be nice if council could come and do a bit more in terms of funding because, in essence,it's not the club's track. We don't own it. It's council land that will be maintained and kept up to spec by our volunteers."

CAN YOU HELP?

The BMX Mountain Raiders are seeking sponsors or advertisers to help build a track that would host national championships.

``We estimate there must be 150,000 cars that pass around here. That's going to be a good advertising space,'' says Mr Earnest. The track will be built to cater to younger bikers.

``It's all about kids,'' he says.

Anyone who would like to support the project can contact Mr Earnest at bmxraiders@hotmail.com, or call him on 0274 988 083.