A standard BMX racing heat can include up to eight riders racing head-to-head.
BMX racing is a short, explosive form of bicycle racing inspired by motorcycle motocross. Riders launch from a starting gate onto a compact dirt track featuring jumps, rollers, rhythm sections and steeply banked turns. Because the race is usually over in well under a minute, the opening sprint and the fight for the first corner are crucial.
Eight is the maximum field for a UCI BMX Racing heat, often called a moto in qualifying rounds. Smaller heats can occur when fewer riders enter a category, so eight describes the standard maximum rather than a guarantee that every heat will be full. The UCI and Olympic formats use multiple heats to reduce large fields before the final, which also has up to eight riders.
A common mix-up is confusing BMX racing with BMX freestyle, where riders perform judged tricks rather than race one another. BMX racing became an Olympic sport at the 2008 Beijing Games.