Ready to Make a Splash at Waterford Oaks BMX

Celebrating 50 years of racing in Waterford, the Stars & Stripes Nationals writes a new page in the track’s history books. While your suburban friends are sitting around at block parties, searching for a place to sit at the packed community fireworks show and stuffing their faces with half-burnt hotdogs, the BMX World surrounds the legendary Waterford Oaks BMX. Top AMs search for their high rider point wins while the series' pros look to capitalize during the series leader Olympic preparations. 

Current Pro Leaders

Kamren Larsen | Factory Answer BMX / The Jungle U / Polo Ralph Lauren | 520 pts

Alise Willoughby | Promax / Daylight / Toyota / TLD / IRC | 600 pts

With the Paris Olympics looming, the absence of Kam Larsen and Alise Willoughby, who have been dominant in the USA BMX Pro series, leaves a void in the lineup. This presents an exciting opportunity for new faces to claim victory, especially with the top 10 featuring Olympians who will also be absent from the weekend. 

Watching the Women Pro class gear up for the weekend, Huffy’s Carly Kane (Currently 4th) is one of six in the top 10 expected to hunt for the top spot. 300 points behind Willoughby, Kane, and the rest of the class won’t be able to take over the overall. However, Lauren Reynolds’ 2nd place is up for grabs via a Carly Kane sweep. Looking ahead to the season's finale, the series overall pays out to the top 5 in each pro class, making the Fourth of July weekend the start of the late-season charge. Currently on that 5th place bubble spot is the 2021 USA BMX National No.1 Women Pro Felicia Stancil (250). Just 30 points ahead of Rookie Pro Ava Corley in 6th and 50 points ahead of the tied Payton Ridenour and Lexis Colby puts Stancil in the guaranteed danger zone left to play catch up after going for gold in Paris. 

There's a buzz surrounding two Women Pro racers, Mckenzie Gayheart and Olivia Armstrong, who currently hold the 9th and 10th overall spots. As they prepare to tackle the small hill track, there's a palpable sense of anticipation for their potential to break into the top 5. Gayheart, re-entering the Pro series on a new SYNDYT stead, is poised to bring late-season speed, while Armstrong aims to maintain the momentum she’s shown at Pro/Ams and capitalize on the filtered moto sheet. 

While the Women’s leader will be watching from afar–safe from the Waterford Oaks overtake, Kam Larsen has two possible contenders for the Men Pro points lead. Larsen currently sits in the lead with 520 pts and has Drew Polk and Corben Sharrah eyeing up said lead. Polk, a rookie in the class with a pair of podiums in his 2024 bag, sits in 2nd with 390 points, 120 away from Larsen. Sharrah, on the other hand, is in 3rd with 335, making a 1-2 finish the key to taking over the series. Based on a look through BMX's social media ecosystem, we know Polk will be making the trip up to Michigan to better one of his B-Main finishes and secure his eighth score; however, seeing the veteran #24 bike is unknown as of now. 

Looking down the list of the mid-season top 10, a couple of names stick out as possible favorites to make their presence known on the series. A big one is the Floridian in 4th overall, Joey Leto. Coming off his podium at the Music City Nationals, Leto was seen keeping his race legs ramped up at the Dixieland Nationals last month, but it's at Waterford Oaks BMX where Leto’s season has the possibility to swing into Title contention by taking home two wins and going into the next Pro Series stop with 500 pts, 20 behind Kam Larsen. 

Taking a peek outside of the Top 10, Hyper's Jeremy Smith took one of the A-Pro wins back in 2014, creating some history to pull him back to the Waterford Oaks gate. The Aker Brand General is looking to take his gained international racing experience and climb the overall standings in the latter half of the season. With only two scores so far, Smith brings his speed to the roster of the weekend, searching for two big wins that would ignite him into the top 5.

A weekend without the Olympians may seem strange to some, but in a season of busy schedules and international preparations, the Independence Day weekend brings fans and racers alike to the track for American BMX racing.