USA BMX, the world’s largest bicycle motocross sanctioning body, and Tacoma South Sound Sports Commission are delighted to announce that River Valley BMX in Sumner, WA has been selected as one of the host sites for the 2016 USA BMX National Series.

This leg of the series will take place July 1-4, 2016. The annual USA BMX National Series is the pinnacle of BMX racing attracting the best amateur BMX racers from across North America and the World’s best professional BMX athletes.  The National Series will encompass 25 weekends beginning January 8th, in Las Vegas, Nevada and will conclude Thanksgiving weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  All of these events will lead up to the 2016 BMX Olympic Trials on the Supercross track at the Olympic Training Center and the return of the Hall of Fame Nationals to Chula Vista BMX.

“Venue selection for USA BMX’s annual National Series is one of the most exciting and challenging task we face each year.  Over the past 6 years we have had record interest from destinations to host our events and we are thrilled to have so many great new locations,” said John David, USA BMX Chief Operating Officer.

USA BMX National events feature athletes from across North America with participation ranging from 800 to 2000 racers accompanied by 2,500 to 6,500 spectators.

“We’ve been working with USA BMX and River Valley BMX on this bid for a number of years. I think it’s been somewhere around 15 years since the last time a national-level BMX event has been hosted in Pierce County. In that time, BMX has really seen a lot of change and new growth.

This event is expecting around 1,500 racers and their families for the weekend and should be a great impact for the communities in and around Sumner, WA. Growing up, BMX was a big part of my life, so there is a certain level of personal connect on this project too. We can’t wait to see the USA BMX 18-wheeler roll into town for set up. From an economic development standpoint, this hits all the targets. But from the kids-at-heart point of view, we can’t wait for the event to kick off. We love to see projects like this come to life.”

Founded in 1977, the American Bicycle Association (ABA) is the national sanctioning body for the sport of bicycle motocross (BMX).  The ABA is the world’s largest BMX racing organization with over 70,000 members racing at more than 380 sanctioned tracks across North America.

For more information about the event, contact Dean Burke, Tacoma South Sound Sports Executive Director at (253) 284-3259 or deanb@tacomasports.org.