A public meeting will be held in Telford for residents to find out more ahead of the British BMX Series which will bring 3,000 to the town.
Wrekin Riders BMX Race Club, which is solely run by a small team of volunteers, will host Rounds 11 and 12 of the British BMX Series on August 6 and 7.
Talented world champion BMX stars, along with a host of traders and caterers, will arrive from 9am on August 5 for practice starting at 4pm.
The national race will see more than 900 riders from across the UK travel to battle it out on the £250,000 track in Dawley.
The committee of volunteers from Wrekin Riders BMX Race Club will be hosting a public meeting at Dawley Town Hall on Wednesday May 25th from 5pm to 7pm for residents to find out more about the plans for the weekend.
Duce Drive will be closed from Friday August 5 from 9am to 7pm on Sunday as traders and caterers will be in place. Diversions will be set up.
The event is free for spectators and the club volunteers are urging local people to come and watch the racing on the Saturday and Sunday.
Practice starts at 4pm on the Friday.
Kirsty Smallman, a volunteer at Wrekin Riders said: “We hope residents support the public meeting, especially those living near to the track, so they can hear all about the exciting plans for the weekend.
“We want people to get involved as it is quite a feather in the cap to bring the British BMX Series to Telford. It is great for the local economy and for the local area in general.
“We would also ask anyone who is interested in volunteering at our event to come along to the meeting as we really do need volunteers to help in many different roles throughout the weekend.”
British Cycling announced Telford and Blackpool as new venues for the national rounds of 2016. The other national rounds have taken place at Manchester, Birmingham and Scotland and forthcoming ones include Peckham, Blackpool and Telford before the Brits at Derby.
Volunteers from the club based on Duce Drive in Dawley, are now planning for a boom in riders visiting the track in the build up to the British BMX Series as riders often want to ride the track before the national event.
Kieran Edwards, club chairman and head coach at the community club, said: “This is fantastic news for Wrekin Riders and for Telford as a whole.
“To host a national round is a real feather in the cap for Wrekin Riders and will certainly put our track on the map.
“The club has seen a significant increase in riders over the last 12 months including novice riders and expert riders who have been travelling to our club from other areas.
“We have built up a very good reputation as a friendly, welcoming club which prides itself on a high standard of track and coaching for all levels.”
Mr Edwards said a lot of work had been carried out at the track by himself and volunteers over the last 12 months.
Wrekin Riders has also secured a corporate sponsorship deal with automotive glazing company National Windscreens.
Jo Edwards, club treasurer, said: “ We have worked so hard since finding out we secured the National event.
“Everything we do as a committee we do for the children because seeing their smiling faces as they cross the finishing line and the development in their talent makes it all worth it.
“The novice sessions every Saturday and Sunday have become very successful and over the last 12 months we have seen children as young as four years old progress from novice to expert regional racing who are now enjoying their first season of national racing.
“For those youngsters to be able to race on their home track at national level is brilliant.
“Meanwhile our teenage and adult riders include some of the best in the UK who act as perfect role models to the younger riders.”
Wrekin Riders is offering trackside sponsorship opportunities to local businesses including the design and printing of a banner to be placed at the side of the track for 12 months for £250. Anybody interested in booking banner space should email Wrekinriders@outlook.com or call Kirsty on 07811749489.
Wrekin Riders BMX Race Club
