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Two Aberdeen riders will seek three-peats when the 2025 BMX North Central Gold Cup Finals start at their home track on Friday, Sept. 19.
It’s one of the signature events of USA BMX with races running through Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Aberdeen Hub Area BMX track on First Avenue Southeast.
Track director Kyle Oswald expects some 750 to 800 racers from nine states will be in town this weekend. It’s the first time Aberdeen has hosted the North Central Gold Cup Finals, he said.
Dante Casanova and McKenna Hunstad of Aberdeen have the chance to pick up their third straight North Central Gold Cup championships.
Casanova set for title run in new division
Casanova has been racing in the Gold Cup series since he was 12 and has been a top rider in recent years.
The chance to win a third consecutive title in Aberdeen is “more than a dream come true,” he said.
Aberdeen BMX racer Dante Casanova hits a jump during the Badger State Nationals in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Courtesy photo.
“I’m just really excited to ride my bike at my local track and see a lot of friends do the same thing. I do a lot of traveling for the sport and go all around the country, but no question it’s going to be really cool to see a lot of the riders I know come to Aberdeen and see what an awesome facility we have. I can’t think of a better place for me to try and win my third straight Cup title,” Casanova said.
He’s in a unique position.
Casanova won back-to-back championships in the 17-to-20-year-old expert division, but aged-out and is now vying for a title in the 21-to-25-year-old expert class.
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Most people would say the 17-20 expert division is the best, he said, because there are still a lot of riders deciding whether they want to go professional.
“I never had any intention of going pro. Most of us in the 21-to-25 age group still run fast lap times and throw some elbows, but the blood pressure level isn’t quite as high as the 17-to-20-year-olds,” Casanova said.
Most racers in his new age class are in the same position he is, Casanova said. No matter where they finish, they have to wake up Monday and go to work, he said.
Racing on a familiar track is always beneficial, but there have been some modifications to the Aberdeen track that might give him a bit more of an advantage.
“We did a 75% track rebuild over the offseason, so none of the racers coming in this weekend have ever raced on the current track,” Casanova said. “All of the local riders have a really good shot of performing well over the three days. You know where you can kind of squeeze a tire in, you know the straightaways, the turns, the gate drop speed. Having that advantage is huge, especially with the caliber of racers who are coming here.”
Most riders at his level only need a few practice laps to get a feel for a new track, he said.
Casanova said this weekend is a great chance for people who have never watched BMX racing to get a test of what it’s like.
“If you want to see how big the sport of BMX truly is, come to the track this weekend,” he said. “We’ve hosted two national events, once in 2020 and again in 2022, and I don’t know if it’s a direct correlation, but our racing numbers have gone up after each event. I just hope people who haven’t been to a race before come out and see how fast and exciting this sport is. The sheer number of riders, the colors of everyone’s gear, the amount of bikes, it’s just a spectacle that I hope shows everyone how awesome BMX is.”
There is no charge for admission.
Aberdeen’s McKenna Hunstad keeps ahead of the pack during a recent race at the Aberdeen Hub Area BMX track. She will be looking for her third-straight North Central Gold Cup championship beginning Friday, Sept. 19. Courtesy photo.
Hunstad feels no pressure as North Central Gold Cup Finals loom
Hunstad, 12, has raced in two previous North Central Gold Cup Finals and won her division both times, but she’s trying not to let any expectations get to her.
“I’m just going to try my hardest to try and win it again. I try not to think about pressure. I just think about pedalling as fast as I can, and whatever place I get I’m happy for,” she said.
Aberdeen’ McKenna Hunstad is set for the 2025 USA BMX North Central Gold Cup Finals, which start Friday, Sept. 19 at the Aberdeen Hub Area BMX track. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Hunstad got an early start in racing due to her father’s involvement with the sport.
“I started when I was pretty little because my dad used to race. I saw him doing it and wanted to try it and I liked it,” she said.
Something Hundstad said works well for her is taking whatever other racers give her, even if there’s not much room.
“We call her Corner Queen,” her dad Stan said. “If she has 3 inches between a rider in front of her and the edge of the track, she’s taking those 3 inches to ride past them.”
McKenna Hunstad said she’s made friends from all around the Midwest while attending races and has a group of fellow riders in Aberdeen. But when the gate drops, it’s go time.
“It’s a competitive sport and it’s fun, but it can be a little hard when you race against your friends,” she said. “When I’m at the starting gate, I’m just thinking, ‘I’ve got to win this,’ not that I have to beat anyone. I just have to do my best. When we’re racing we’re not friends, but when the race ends we’re friends again.”
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She enjoys the competition BMX racing offers.
“You want to win, so you just do what you need to to finish first,” she said.
Hundstad said she plans on riding as long as possible, and one big reason why is the BMX racing community.
“I really like the atmosphere, all the people who race,” she said. “Some families have left (Aberdeen), but we get new families and racers who come here. It’s just a lot of fun.”
The North Central Gold Cup Finals schedule follows.
- Friday, Sept. 19: 1 p.m., practice begins; 5 p.m., racing begins.
- Saturday, Sept. 20: 7:30 a.m., practice begins; 11:30 a.m., racing begins.
- Sunday, Sept. 21: 8 a.m., racing begins.
To see a more detailed schedule, visit the Aberdeen Hub Area BMX Facebook page.
