4 decades of World Championships in the UK

This year and starting this week in Glasgow will mark the 4th time the World Championships have hit the UK, from Slough 1986, Brighton 1996, Birmingham 2012 and now Glasgow 2023 in a span of over 4 decades.

Slough 1986 even to this day was our best showing throughout the age groups with us bringing home 6 World Titles. We were probably at the tail-end of the 80s BMX boom but still Slough received plenty of coverage and it was our most successful showing in World Championship’s history.

You’ve then got Brighton in 1996, when racing was starting to grow again after the late 80s and early 90s, during the quiet and underground years, yet the stands were full, the sun was out and it turned out to be an amazing weekend despite the doubt surrounding having the Worlds in Brighton in the first place.

2012 Indoor Birmingham, in a now Olympic era of Elite racing, Challenge classes and this time around a tight indoor track. Despite the good atmosphere and again more success for the UK riders – an indoor Worlds was just not the same.

Onto this year 2023, is a little further north in Glasgow yet we can still claim it as a home Worlds. It’s going to be interesting how this one all shakes out. In the Elite Men and Women’s class we have got to be amongst the favorites for the rainbow jerseys with current GB team’s success and then add in the Girls, Cruisers and Challenges classes this could be the year we top the record set at Slough 86 for British riders becoming World Champions and adding to our history below.

1986

  • Ross Thompson
  • David Maw
  • Andy Welsh
  • John Johns
  • Luli Adeyemo
  • Sarah-Jane Nichols

1996

  • Jamie Staff
  • Dale Holmes
  • Scott Beaumont

2012

  • Joey Gough
  • Ross Cullen
  • Quillian Isidore
  • Anthony Revell

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