Paul Luttrell (left), Brooke Penny and Tate Burdon
Three Te Awamutu BMX Club members are on their way to BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in July.
Paul Luttrell (left), Brooke Penny and Tate Burdon are preparing to compete at the BMX world championships in Copenhagen.
The annual event will take place at the Ved Slusen track in Amager from July 28-31.
About 3500 riders are set to compete across the challenge, masters and championship divisions.
Youngster Tate Burdon and the experienced Paul Luttrell are guaranteed to compete, while Brooke Penny has already left for Europe to secure her chance of qualification.
The trio are highly placed in the New Zealand ranks.
“I have to race the first four rounds of the BMX Racing World Cups in Sarrians, France and Papendal, The Netherlands to show that I am capable of competing at this level,” 20-year-old elite women’s rider Penny said.
“I will then be notified sometime after the last qualification race, on June 22, if I have been selected.
“Being chosen to represent my country on the world stage is something I have been very fortunate to accomplish for the last two world championships – 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland and 2024 in Rockhill, South Caroline, United States. However, each time is as amazing as the first.
“There is something very special about wearing the silver fern to represent your country on the other side of the world.”
Luttrell is no stranger to Copenhagen, having raced there at the 2011 world championships.
He will ride in the 50 plus cruiser male category.
“We also lived in Copenhagen from 2017-2022, so it will be a homecoming of sorts. This will be my 11th and final world champs,” Luttrell said.
“It’s always been a proud occasion to wear the New Zealand shirt on the world stage. To represent Te Awamutu with Tate and Brooke will definitely enhance that.”
Luttrell is also one of the Te Awamutu BMX trainers, guiding the youngsters who are attending worlds.
Burdon, 11, is one of those athletes.
His mum Anne Burdon said he loves taking on the jumps and pushing himself to master the hard parts of each track.
This is his second world championships after competing in Rockhill last year.
He competed in two classes – the 10-year-old boys 20-inch and 8-12 years cruiser 24-inch.
After finishing 58th out of 108 riders, he thought it was best to stick to the 20-inch class this time.
“There’s not a huge contingent going from New Zealand, but in Tate’s age group, there’s three kids from the top eight going,” Anne said.
“At the moment on his two bikes, Tate is number three in New Zealand on both.”
Burdon is a Year 7 student at Korakonui School and Anne said they’ve been very supportive of his BMX racing.
“Later in the year he will represent Korakonui when he attends the AIMS Games in Tauranga. That will be competing in BMX as well.
“Then he’s got sports camp at Totara Springs. He’s got a lot of sport going on.”
Burdon was also a reserve for the New Zealand Mighty 11s at Lake Macquarie, New South Wales last weekend.
The Mighty 11s are an invitational team that compete against Australia.
The events were rounds three and four of the AusCycling National Series.
Burdon raced in the Mighty 11s memorial races and also placed third in the 11-year-old boys 20-inch class, facing the best riders from across Australia.
“Preparing for an event such as worlds takes a big commitment. Tate is training hard – four or five mornings a week, most afternoons whether it’s on the track, swimming or other cardio, plus weekend training for the worlds riders or riding at an event,” Anne said.
“We leave on July 11 because Tate would like to ride the track before UCI, the governing body for worlds, officially closes the track a week before the event to set up.
“Then on July 19 and 20 there’s a European championship race in Angelholm, Sweden. Tate will be racing at that.”
The Cornerstone Sport Achievement Trust had provided help to meet the costs.
Next year will be a big one for the Te Awamutu club as it hosts the 2026 BMX National Championships in March.
