It’s been a lot of fun looking back at 2023 over the past few weeks. We started with BMX Freestyle, then jumped to Mountain Bike, and now we’re ending the year with a recap of BMX race!
The Mongoose race team was all over the world doing their thing in 2023 – and doing it fast! In addition to our pros, we had sponsored amateur teams out there representing the brand like Hooligan BMX and LRC / Mongoose. It was great to see all the riders out there having fun at local and national races and pushing themselves to get on the podium. A big shout-out to LRC team riders Brandon Agular and Ryder Gondini for winning the Gold Cup Southwest in both Expert Class and Cruiser!
Mongoose’s very own Mason Hayes may not be a pro yet, but his personality and character are pro-level for sure. And let’s not forget how good of a bike rider he is too! While Mason is one of the nicest guys off-the-track, he gets down to business once the gate drops! At the New England Nationals Mason won all three days in class, and took first in open on Saturday and Sunday. This was just one of many highlights for Mason, and we expect nothing but good things from him in the future. Random note, he is also a great wake surfer!
On the pro-side, you can tell that Payton “P-Nut” Ridenour’s move to Tulsa has really paid dividents for her race performance. She started her year off with a 1st Place finish against the top pro women at the Lone Star Nationals in Houston, TX. That just the start for her, as she also took the win in Rock Hill, SC, at the Carolina Nationals, her teammate Cam Wood) and she also topped the podium at the Fall Nationals. P-Nut also had podium finishes and strong Mains in other USA BMX races, which ultimately earned her a 3rd Place year end finish for Women’s Pro!
Now it’s no secret that Cam Wood had one crazy roller-coaster of a year! Cam came out swinging with a 1st Place finish at the Gator Nationals in Florida, and continued his success by sharing 1st Place with P-Nut at the Carolina Nationals and grabbing the top spot at Legacy Nationals in Tulsa. But Cam’s year came to a screeching halt when he injured his shoulder after crashing hard in Turkey during a UCI World Cup. The injury resulted in a four-month stint off his bike. Cam attacked his rehab like he does a race, and was vigilant about his recovery. When it was time to jump back into competition, Cam showed his grit by winning his first race back at SoCal Nationals in California. And he didn’t stop there, taking wins at the UCI World Cup in Argentina, and the Fall Nationals in Rock Hill!
At Grand Nationals, Cam started off with a big win in the Race of Champions, which kept him in contention for the year-end title. Unfortunately, the next day didn’t go his way with a crash on that same shoulder – luckily it wasn’t as bad of an injury this time. Cam’s up-and-down year still resulted in an impressive 2nd Place in year-end points for Men’s Pro.
Speaking of the Grands… We all got to witness Brooke Crain’s return to racing! She just got an itch to race for fun, but still ending up on the podium with 3rd Place! Brooke was all smiles when she came off the track, which was great to see! She has also been working hard at the USA BMX Foundation getting kids psyched about BMX and STEAM education. The rest of the Mongoose team also continued their involvement with the Foundation by visiting schools and showing young students how you can bring BMX into education to learn, get some exercise, and have fun.
To finish off this recap, Mongoose attended a few non-traditional BMX events like Dirty Fest and Frogtown. Both events took place in California and focused on bike shows, old school BMX racing, and the wide-reaching BMX community! Mongoose ambassador Dwayne Taylor was on hand at both events starting with the inaugural DirtyFest, which was put on by the Dirty Knobs Podcast and none other than “Hollywood” Mike Miranda. This much anticipated Vintage BMX Race & Bike Show fully lived up to the hype. Mongoose freestyle pro Mykel Larrin was in attendance and scored a 2nd place finish at the vintage race! This year's Frogtown event was the best yet thanks to its crowd of enthusiasts and their retro bikes and great vibes. The event was three days of exciting racing from scooters to side hacks, all of which made their way down the vintage track. Mongoose fans were out in abundance from vintage Mongoose bikes in the show to true barn finds on the track.
And that was 2023 in BMX racing! The year just whizzed by in a flash, and we can’t wait to see what 2024 brings. Rider ready, watch the gate…
