Tracks
Hunterdon County BMX District: NJ01
Contact Information
- Email: hcbmxnj@gmail.com
- Primary Contact: Carol Hample (908-391-2670)
- Secondary Contact: Jason Avery (973-920-0035)
About Hunterdon County BMX
Welcome to HC BMX! Since 1978, BMX has been a part of Hunterdon County, and northern NJ. BMX, or Bicycle Motocross (which is now an Olympic sport), allows riders of all ages and genders to participate. This means children, parents, and even grandparents can race and participate. HC BMX is now associated with USA BMX, a national organization with over 60,000 athletes in North America, which provides structure and insurance for our program. HC BMX is a non-profit organization run strictly by volunteers. All are welcome to participate, either in racing or volunteering. We look forward to hosting races, developing racers, and entertaining athletes and families. See you at the track!
Our History
In 1978 Pete's Bike Shop of Flemington, NJ took a chance on a relatively new sport to the east coast, Bicycle Motocross Racing. In front of their shop in the then hilly, farm area of Hunterdon County they set up a small oval track. This would eventually become known as "The Oval". This track would stay in existence until 1981, but things would change soon after that for BMX in the area.
In 1981, the Parent's Association went ahead and approached the Flemington/Raritan Parks and Recreation Commission about donating land for a new track. On April 18th, 1981 the newly relocated and renamed HC BMX track dropped its first gate, and less than 3 weeks later they would hold their Grand Opening on May 3rd.
The pioneers of this track were then President- Ted Bachardy, Vice President- Bill Bohren, Secretary- Karen Montross and Treasurer- Howard Hall. These were progressive parents pushing for a sport that at this point in time was very new to New Jersey! The track's initial layout was 825' long and was further up the hill from where it is now, behind the library.
In 1991 the HCBMX Association was informed that Hunterdon County had plans to put a warehouse near the library, where the TRACK was! It was time to move once again. Luckily, HCBMX had been well received by the county in the preceding decade and was able to secure property down the hill from where it was to behind the library, where it is now.
Bob Tedesco of the NBL was brought in to rebuild the track down the hill...four times. It seems that for some reason, the BMX gods really wanted to up the suspense on rebuilding HC so that every time that Bob would come out, it rained. By about the third time, it was getting a bit rough on the nerves. But, the fourth time around the track was put together where it now stands. After Bob got the track in, the trailer was put in, as well as the starting gate, fence, electric, water, and landscaping. For the third time, Flemington and BMX racing had a new beginning.
Over the next few years the finishing touches were put in: paving the turns, dropping in an announcer’s tower and throwing up some lights.
There have been so many changes over the years, and we just keep trying to improve. The track depends 100% upon volunteers to help to run and maintain the track. We’ve seen many changes, and there are more to come as we move forward into the future of BMX racing.
Bob Warnicke
Bob Warnicke was instrumental in making HCBMX and BMX racing itself a remarkable sport during his tenure in it. Unfortunately for the entire sport, Bob passed away Nov. 16, 1994 at the young age of 48 years old. Bob played a very active role in BMX for 10 years and was well known for his leadership capabilities, as well as his many efforts in promoting the sport. He became a licensed cruiser rider at the age of 39. In 1985, he became an NBL track representative. Bob served as a District Commissioner in 1986 and 1988, and held the position of Treasurer in 1987. From 1989 to 1992, he was the New Jersey State Commissioner. Bob joined the NBL’s Board of Directors as a member-at-large in 1992. He was elected Vice-president the following year. Bob’s many contributions improved the sport and the image of the NBL throughout the years. He will best be remembered for his instrumental role in bringing NBL BMX to millions of viewers through the airing of the “Road to Glory Series” on ESPN2 and ESPN. His accomplishments in television promotion resulted in his being named the NBL’s ‘Volunteer of the Year’ at Competition Congress in 1994. More than anything else, Bob was a person who cared deeply about the NBL and the sport of BMX. His dedication showed his commitment to the youth who benefited from his efforts.