IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers CHANGE IT UP- Volunteers and track regulars use heavy machinery to bulldoze existing track features at the Sycamore BMX Raceway on Sycamore Avenue in Simi Valley. The owners are completely changing the layout of the bicycle motocross track and hope to be finished early this week. The renovation of the Sycamore BMX track couldn't have come at a better time.

BMX, or bicycle motocross, will be an Olympic sport in Beijing this summer for the first time ever.

The BMX track on the southern end of Rancho Simi Community Park in Simi Valley was recently expanded by 300 feet and now features tighter turns and higher hills.

And, at 1,235 feet, it's the longest track in Southern California, according to its operator, Joan Nigro.

The dirt course, which reopened to the public on May 21, features five turns and six straightaways, up from three turns and four straightaways.

The track was last renovated two years ago, said Doug Gale, recreation administer for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, which owns the property.

"Just because you're into your 20s or 30s doesn't mean you stop riding. It's not just for youth," Gale said. "It is definitely an aggressive and athletic kind of sport."

All the changes make it more enjoyable- and challenging- for the riders.

"The changes are great," said Garry Boswell, 43, deputy director of information technologies for the city of Simi Valley. "It's longer and tougher."

He and his 13-year-old son, Austin, have been riding together for about three years.

The father and son tandem also practice at Camarillo's Freedom Park track.

Austin, who will turn 14 on June 9, is classified as an expert rider and has won 25 regional races at the Sycamore track. He placed in the top eight nationally in 2007 for his age and skill level.

In the last year, Austin has traveled to Reno, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Sacramento and other cities in California for races. His dad hopes to take him to Grand Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., in November.

Austin will enter Newbury Park High School as a freshman in the fall and will substitute BMX independent studies for physical education class.

Other regulars at the Sycamore BMX track, which was built in the early '80s, range in age from 3 to 68.

Among them are two Olympic hopefuls- Mike Day of Valencia and Steven Cisar of La Cañada. Both riders, who consider the Simi Valley venue their home track, will compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Saturday, June 14 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

Garry Boswell said BMX deserves its place at the Olympic Games.

"I think it's going to be an exciting sport for people to watch," he said. "It's going to highlight what kind of athletes these guys are that compete at that level."

Nigro, who has operated the track with her husband, Anthony, since 1994, hopes BMX will become a Junior Olympics event by 2010 so the younger riders can look forward to competing against the best.

The Sycamore track generally attracts more than 50 riders for Tuesday and Wednesday practices. Races are Fridays and Sundays.

On Thursdays, Anthony Nigro teaches a beginners class from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and BMX star Richie Anderson guides an class for experts from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The Sycamore track will host a Race for Life on Sunday, June 1, with proceeds going to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sign-ups are from 10 a.m. to noon.

For more information about the Sycamore BMX track, please visit www.sycamorebmx.com.