Dungog on world stage

Taking place on Saturday, August 24, Ride Dungog president Brad Lean is hoping the event will bring in more than 1000 people to town.

"We're hoping to get up to 200 entrants. They had 162 entrants at the Australian Title so we're hoping we can match that or better it. We've set out a race schedule allowing for 200 riders," he said.

"If they all bring a couple of support crew people, that's 400 support crew members and then spectators on top of that.

"We're hoping we can get around 1000 people into town.

"It could be the start of something fairly big for the town and the businesses around."

The event, staged by Ride Dungog, Dungog Common Reserve, Velosolutions and Auscycling is a qualifying event for the UCI Pump Track World Championships with the winner receiving return flights and accommodation to the World Championships in Europe later in the year.

Dungog will be hosting the qualifying event alongside towns and cities in Germany, Switzerland, China and more.

The races will be in a pump track race format, where riders are pitted against each other on a pump track, either competing head to head or in a time trial.

Competitors use the design of the track to gain speed throughout.

Being one of the biggest events held at the Common, Mr Lean hopes to create a spectacle for both competitors and attendees alike.

"We want the spectator experience, the first impressions to be of a grand event with lots of colour. That's the aim, to make their day and experience. We'll have a DJ all day and a MC who will interview riders and do general chit chat about the goings on," he said.

"I hope a lot of the local people come out and have a look and see what it's about. A lot of them wouldn't have experienced a pump track event before and probably not a mountain bike event either."

The competition will consist of an under 13's category, under 15's and under 17's. These are followed by the elite division or the opens event and then the master's division or over 35's event.

The day before the competition on Friday, August 23, Ride Dungog and Hunter Schools MTB are hosting the Funduro Race Day.

Funduro will consist of an easier mountain biking course aimed at younger people to encourage them to get involved.

Then after the championship qualifying event on Sunday, August 25 Ride Dungog will be hosting their first dual slalom event on their newly opened dual slalom track.

"It's going to be a full weekend," Mr Lean said.