A brand new layout is just one of a long list of changes for the Marie Davidson BMX Track at Beban Park in Nanaimo, propelling the facility into the upper echelon of tracks in B.C. and across Canada. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

ready, set, ride!

$1.9m upgrade elevates Nanaimo BMX track to world-class standards

Dec 22, 2024 | 1:31 PM

NANAIMO — Built from the ground up, a newly re-designed BMX track in the city is now one of Canada’s best.

The Marie Davidson BMX Park at Nanaimo’s Beban Park unofficially re-opened to riders on Friday, Dec. 21 after a months-long renovation to the facility, which originally began with a desire to replace the starting gate in 2019.

Nanaimo BMX club president Craig Hashimoto said engineers indicated the starting hill, where the gate sits, was in need of replacement as well, meaning substantial work was needed to the centrepiece of the old track.

“The entire track was completely leveled and a brand new facility was built…the new track is a much larger facility, the track is longer than it was before. Some of the obstacles are bigger, we’ve added an amateur line and a pro line on the second straight so there’s two different paths riders can choose.”

The track is made of a recycled concrete mixture which is glued down. It provides a more sturdy surface for year-round riding. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Designed by Tom Ritz, who has past experience building Olympic-level tracks, a bigger start hill and new layout aligns the park with world-class facilities eligible to host World Cup-type events in the future.

The race surface is primarily a glued-down recycled concrete mixture.

It’s more durable than dirt and offers a smoother ride for more months of the year compared to a traditional dirt track.

Hashimoto told NanaimoNewsNOW local riders now get the benefit of training regularly on a top-flight course, which will keep them in better condition when they travel for competitions.

“Normally all the tracks on the Island shut down in October and the only other racing facilities are on the Mainland. All of the Island riders if they want to stay in shape in the winter, get some racing or practice in, they’re largely forced to go to Abbotsford indoor.”

The club is hoping to add lighting in the not-too-distant future, similar to the setup next door at the Stevie Smith Bike Park, to enable late night riding in the darker winter months.

While infrastructure is already in place, the club has yet to add a timing system for users of the track.

The project is a short-term goal and Hashimoto said he believed it would make Nanaimo the only track in B.C. with a timing system.

A double track down one of the straightaways contains different hill grades for different levels of rider. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

It’s all in a bid to host more, and more high-profile, events in Nanaimo, including Canada Cup and provincial competitions.

“Whether we can look at doing World Cup events, there’s a lot behind doing something like that that we’ll have to consider, primarily because of the different sanctioning bodies involved. We do have the potential to be hosting more, larger events.”

The club will host the Harbour City Nationals, part of BMX Canada’s 2025 National Series, in July.

Cost for the renovation was approximately $1.9 million, with $1.5 million coming from the federal government’s Canada Community-Building Fund, administered through the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

Just over $300,000 came from the provincial government’s Growing Communities Fund, while the club contributed $50,000 which was originally set aside for the new starting gate.

A new starting gate system was the original goal for the project, however the aging course was eventually replaced in its entirety. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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