What are the penalties in BMX racing, and can a result be protested?
A · Advanced · Conduct, results and kit · 2 of 3There are three penalties on the day: an official warning, relegation and disqualification. A second warning at the same competition, for any offence, is a disqualification. A protest can be made only about the recorded finish order, in writing through the team manager, within 15 minutes of the results being posted.
How it works
- Warning: an official verbal warning. The first carries no other penalty.
- Second warning: "for the same, or any other offence within the same competition, will result in the rider's disqualification".
- Relegation: the rider is scored REL for the heat.
- Disqualification: the rider is barred from the category or from the whole competition, is not ranked and gets no UCI points.
- Removal: the panel may have an offender removed from the venue.
- Suspension: only the UCI or a national federation can suspend a licence, for example for racing under a false name or fixing a heat.
- What can be protested: only "the scoring of a rider", meaning the recorded order across the finish line.
- What cannot: "Protests regarding judgment decisions during a competition are not accepted."
- How: in writing, by the team manager, to the president of the panel, within 15 minutes of the posting of the results.
- The evidence: the scoring system's own record. "No other source of evidence shall be considered."
- The decision: made before the next round, and final.
The glossary has the commissaires panel and the invalid result marks entry.
Tricky cases
A rider is warned for bad language and later warned for late arrival at staging. What happens?
The rider is disqualified. A second warning for any offence at the same competition has that result.
Can a team protest a relegation?
No. A relegation is a decision of the commissaires' panel, and such marks are outside what can be protested.
A parent films the finish on a phone. Can the video be used in a protest?
No. Only the applicable scoring system is viewed.
Can the commissaires ban a rider for a month?
No. The panel cannot suspend a licence holder. Only the UCI or the national federation can.
Why the rule exists
Heats follow each other within minutes, and the next round cannot be drawn until the last one is settled. A short deadline and a narrow ground for protest keep the meeting moving. Judgement calls stay with the commissaires who saw the incident.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| UCI regulations | As above | UCI 6.1.060 to 6.1.070 |
| If the scoring record is unavailable | The score sheets decide | UCI 6.1.062 |
| Parents, spectators and team managers | The panel may penalise them too | UCI 6.1.047 |
From the rule book
Union Cycliste Internationale, Cycling Regulations, Part 6: BMX Racing (version of 1 January 2026), articles 6.1.047 and 6.1.060 to 6.1.070. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 6 (PDF).