Illawarra BMX riders have suffered a "kick in the guts" after hoons got onto their recently refurbished track and left it too torn up to ride.
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Last Friday, Southlake Illawarra BMX Club members showed up at their track in Croom to ride and found it scarred by tread marks and holes gouged into the surface, which made it dangerous to use.
Club president Marcos Baez said it appeared something like a quad bike had been taken around the track, the second time it had occurred this year.
The club has spent $70,000 since late 2020 on a redevelopment of the track, rebuilding it to cater for the needs of all riders and covering it in a new, tough surface.
But Mr Baez said while the surface was durable and held up to rainy weather well, it was designed for bikes, not motorised vehicles.
The damage meant the club had to postpone racing and Mr Baez spent all Saturday working to bring the track back up to working order, with yet more work still needed to return it to its previous good condition.
Mr Baez said seeing the damage caused by the motorbikes or quad bikes was "so heartbreaking".
"It's really, really disappointing that people decide that this is going to be a fun thing to do and ruin it for everyone else," he said.
It was fortunate the weather was fine after the damage was inflicted on the track, he said, otherwise it would have been so much worse because the dirt underneath the surface turned to mud when exposed to the rain.
"We were lucky we had good weather, that I was able to fix it immediately," he said.
Mr Baez said the track needed to be in perfect condition come July when the club hosted round six of the AusCycling BMX State Series, an event expected to attract over 600 riders.
The BMX track is a community facility that is maintained by the club, which is funded by grants and any income it generates.
Mr Baez said the club wanted people to ride the track, but take care of it at the same time.
People should stay off it unless on a bicycle, and Mr Baez urges anyone with information on vandalism or damage to the track to report it to police.
"I'd hate to see that track not exist in years to come," he said.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
