PBMXC Rule Book

Section

COMPETITION FACILITIES

Member organizations seeking the Philippine National Bicycle League (PhilNBL) sanction for a competition event must be able to demonstrate to the PhilNBL that the facilities proposed for the event meet the specifications set forth in this section.

ADMINISTRATION AND RACE CONTROL OFFICES - Registration and race control must be based in an office which is situated within the bounds of the perimeter fence and of sufficient size to process the number of riders in an orderly manner. Any posted instructions in this office must be written in English.
MOTO BOARDS - Well-constructed and weather-resistant bulletin boards for posting the moto sheets shall be erected in the riders' area. Clear plastic sheeting must be available to cover moto boards in case of wet weather conditions.
THE INSPECTION AREA - An area shall be established close to the staging area for the inspection of bicycles and riders' equipment.
THE RIDERS' AREA (PITS)
1. An area where the riders may congregate between races shall be established close to the track's staging area.
2. The riders' area shall be clearly marked.
THE PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM - The public address system must be capable of projecting the announcer's voice to all parts of the track, the riders' area and the staging area. Announcements are to be made in English.
THE ANNOUNCING AREA - There shall be reserved for the announcer and race commentator, preferably at an elevation above that of the track, an area which permits these officials to have a clear and unobstructed view of the track.
THE RACE COMMISSAIRES' AREAS
1. Each race commissaire shall operate from a clearly defined position along the circuit of the track, the location of which shall be made known to all riders and team managers.
2. The chief race commissaire should operate from a position which permits him a clear view of the entire track.
STAGING AREA - Close to the starting hill a staging area consisting of ten staging lanes numbered 1 to 10 shall be established, where riders shall assemble in accordance with the instructions given by the staging officials.
THE STARTING HILL
1. The starting hill must accommodate a track width of at least 10 meters and be at an elevation at least 1.5 meters above the grade of the first straight.
2. The initial incline extending from the starting gate to level grade must be at least 12 meters in length with lanes for each of the eight starting positions clearly marked over a length of 10 meters.
3. There shall be a clearly visible line extending across the width of the track at a point 10 meters from the starting gate.
THE STARTING GATE
1. The starting gate shall be a minimum of 8 meters in width and for all international events, an electronically controlled system is mandatory.
2. The gate shall have a height of at least 50 cm and, in its upright position, be perpendicular to, and with no greater angle than 90 degrees with the slope of the ramp which supports the bicycles' wheels when they are in their starting position.
3. Starting positions 1 through 8 must be clearly marked on the gate.
4. The electronically controlled gate, to be used at all PhilNBL sanctioned BMX international events, must be outfitted with a system of appropriately colored starting lights located so as to be clearly visible from all starting lanes without disadvantage to any rider who is in the "riders ready" position. In case of a failure of the gate release system, the gate shall fall to the dropped position, i.e., power should be required to keep the gate in the upright position.
5. At events where more than one starter is required due to the number of riders or for any other reason, a “voice box” system is mandatory. The voice box system is a facility that replaces the starter’s voice.
6. Every starting gate shall be equipped with a horn or other audible device by means of which a recall can be signaled.
7. Whenever a lap time scoring system is utilized, the lap time scoring system must be activated, whereupon the time starts running, at the moment the gate-start mechanism is activated causing the gate to drop. A manual back up has to be in place.
THE BMX TRACK - GENERAL
1. The track must be of a compact, closed looped design, forming a circuit whose length measured along its centerline is not less than 300 meters nor greater than 400 meters.
2. The track must be a minimum of 10 meters wide at its start and may not taper to a width of less than 5 meters at any point along its course.
THE INITIAL STRAIGHT
1. The initial straight shall be a minimum of 40 meters in length.
2. It is recommended that the bottom of the front side of the first obstacle in the initial straight shall be located not less than 35 meters from the starting gate nor less than 20 meters from the point of curvature of the first turn. However, on tracks especially designed for highly skilled riders, the distance between the starting gate and the front side of the first obstacle may be shorter, with a minimum distance of 20 meters.
THE FIRST TURN
1. The first turn may bend in either direction and shall be banked to a degree which allows safe entry and exit for riders of all age at race speeds.
2. At the first turn, the track shall be a minimum of 6 meters wide measured along a straight line extending from its surface at the inner radius to the top of the berm at its outer radius.
TURNS AND OBSTACLES
1. The track shall have a minimum of 3 turns.
2. The track shall be a minimum of 5 meters wide throughout each turn measured as described in paragraph E.2. above.
3. All obstacles on the track must be constructed with the safety of all riders, regardless of age, in mind. Consideration must be given to the abilities of the youngest riders in competition when designing obstacles intended to present special challenges to older competitors. On the first straight, the minimum distance between two obstacles shall be 10 meters. An obstacle is defined by its front and back slope and can be a single obstacle, double, triple or multi-jump as well as a 4-pack, 5-pack or multi-pack.
4. Tracks may be designed to include alternate sections to be traversed only by competitors aged 14 and over. These sections may offer obstacles which are inherently more challenging than those found on the course's main circuit.
RACE TRACK MARKINGS - The boundaries of the race including alternate sections track shall be clearly marked.
FENCING
1. In order to provide a barrier between the event’s participants and its spectators, the track must be enclosed by a perimeter fence which shall not be located at any point closer than 2 meters from the competition course.
2. The fence must be constructed of a substantial material such as plastic webbing which is capable of absorbing the full impact of a rider of any size striking it at race speed.
THE FINISH LINE
1. The track must have a clearly marked finish line to indicate the point at which competitors will be scored. The finish line shall comprise a straight line of 4 cm in width, painted in black in the middle of a white strip 24 cm wide, thus leaving 10 cm of white on each side of the black line.
2. Any banners extending across the track above the finish line or elsewhere along the track must be at an elevation sufficiently above the track level to avoid interference with the riders crossing beneath them.
3. All finish line commissaires shall operate from an area immediately adjacent to the finish line, which permits them a clear and unobstructed view of the riders as they cross the line.
4. The use of video camera equipment is mandatory at all international BMX races. This video camera equipment shall be so installed as to be directly aligned with the finish line at ground level, to provide vision from one side of the track to the opposite side of the track. The video camera shall have an unobstructed view of the finish line on the track surface. The back field view of the video camera shall be clear so as to not complicate the clarity of reproduction nor confuse the vision at the play back facility.
  
  In addition, there shall be a further video camera at the “front on” position to facilitate rider number identification. In each preceding case described, slow motion reverse and advance capabilities are required of the equipment. As well the equipment shall be capable of color reproduction.
  
  Finish line video camera equipment shall be in ready to use position at least two hours prior to commencement of racing. Set up and verification of this equipment shall be done at least 72 hours (three days) prior to competition commencement.
5. In an area adjacent to the finish but at least 2 meters beyond the finish line there shall be erected two sets of eight poles, which shall be numbered from 1 to 8, whose purpose shall be to assist the scorers in determining the order of finish in each race. Each set of poles shall be enclosed by a barrier to control access to the area. These two sets of poles may be erected on one or both sides of the track, but shall be kept at some distance from any area where team managers are permitted to congregate. The above poles are not applicable when finish line video camera equipment is in use at the finish line.
PARKING AND SPECTATOR FACILITIES
1. Parking for a number of cars commensurate with the anticipated size of each race must be available in the vicinity of the track. On race days parking areas shall be adequately staffed to assure the orderly flow of traffic and the systematic parking of automobiles.
2. Spectator facilities including, without limitation, seating, washrooms and food service, with capacities appropriate to the expected number of spectators.
3. Separate food service facilities shall be provided for competition commissaires and officials.
INDOOR EVENTS - Indoor BMX events may be held on tracks with earthen, wooden or concrete surfaces, having obstacles constructed of similar materials. The rules set forth in this section shall apply equally to indoor events.