Chris Cresswell and his son Timothy will compete at the North Island Titles event in Tauranga this weekend. Photo / George Novak
Chris Cresswell and his son Timothy will compete at the North Island Titles event in Tauranga this weekend. Photo / George Novak
Chris and Timothy Cresswell are unlike other father-son sporting combinations - Chris was the one who followed in his son's footsteps.
The pair are among the more than 600 riders competing in this weekend's North Island Titles BMX competition at the Tauranga BMX Club in Cambridge Rd, with solid representationfrom Bay of Plenty Clubs. Tauranga will have 42 riders competing at the event while the Rotorua BMX Club will be represented by 23 entries.
Chris and his son will compete for their respective titles. Chris will compete in the 45-49 age group in both the 20-inch and cruiser classes, while Timothy will compete in the eight-year-old boys' division.
"I was going along to events and watching and standing on the sideline getting cold," Chris says.
Chris Cresswell and his son Timothy Cresswell getting some track time in ahead of this weekend's competition. Photo / George Novak
"So I thought maybe I should give it a go. Timothy likes to jump, but I am not much of a jumper, I am still getting to that and I have had a couple of crashes. We do train together and always have a challenge on the gate."
Chris could race as much as 14 times over the weekend and says he is looking forward to it.
"I would love to make a final in either division. To have this event at our local track makes it a huge advantage and awesome for the club itself."
Timothy, who is three years into racing, says it is exciting to be on his home track.
"One day we were going past that track and I saw it and that inspired me to do it. I love the jumping and I beat dad sometimes."
Timothy says he is training three times a week and would like to one day be an elite rider. He wants to finish in the top three this weekend after finishing sixth in the seven-year-old boys' section last year.
"Getting out the gate fast is the hardest thing about training. I like getting speed out of the gate and hanging out with my friends. And I get to travel around, the furthest we have been is New Plymouth."
On top of the competition across the grades, Mighty 11 racing will be held during the North Island Titles event that will see the best 11-year-olds from Australia and New Zealand competing in team racing. Rotorua's Kate Hastings is in the New Zealand girls' team.
Connor King of Rotorua in action in Tauranga. Photo / George Novak
Rotorua BMX Club president Aimee McGregor says she is happy with the club's representation at the North Island event.
"It is the first big meet of the season and they are really getting into it," McGregor says.
"One of the things I love about BMX is kids of all ages interact and hang out and support each other. They all end up knowing other kids from other cities and form friendships there as well."
Rotorua recently opened their new "big track", which McGregor says has helped get their riders fit for racing.
Tauranga BMX spokesman Manawa Mason says it is the club's biggest event since hosting the national championships in 2014.
"It is exciting, the event is managed by BMX NZ and our club is responsible for providing that platform. We have had working bees for the past four months pretty much every weekend.
"The track is racing well and good to go. Twelve months ago we did a reconfiguration of our track. We wanted our second straight to flow better and suit ability across all age groups. We also changed the shape of the jumps and the placing of the jumps. That all had to be done 12 months from the event. We also have a timing system of international standard to enable live results."
Rotorua's Ryan Gulliford. Photo / George Novak
Mason said the club received satisfaction and pride from hosting a national event and showcasing the facilities and the region.
"It is also seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they go over the finish line. The track is open to the public, so the more spectators the better."
