Winners on the Pro Main Event podium at Arenacross in Birmingham (l to r) Florent Richier, Cyrille Coulon, Jack Brunell (Photograph: Eliott Spencer)
Thousands of Arenacross fans swarmed into the Genting Arena yesterday evening ready to be entertained and the AX team didn’t disappoint.
From the very off, the evening was seeped in drama with the atmospheric opening making way for plenty of non-stop and flat-out race action, with three vibrant and jaw-dropping sets of FMX thrown into the heady mix.
Ben Clayton dominates the first Supermini race at Arenacross 2017 in Birmingham (Image: Eliott Spencer)
The exhilarating and action-packed adrenalin rush that is the Arenacross Tour rolled into Birmingham on Saturday for the third round of the fast-paced, all-action indoor Motocross and Freestyle show.
The must-see event for two-wheel bike enthusiasts and keen novices brought together reverberating sound effects, strobe lighting and pyrotechnics to set the scene, as young and mature racers took part in grueling high-energy competitions and coordinated stunt displays. Away from the racing line, the Freestyle MX boys showcased their electrifying, high-air whips and flips.
Arenacross lights up Birmingham’s Genting Arena during its return for 2017
Now in its fourth year, the UK Arenacross once again presented FMX (freestyle motocross) as one of the show’s major highlights.
The Pro class was again ruled by SR75 World Suzuki’s Cyrille Coulon, who proved that age isn’t an issue when it comes to Arenacross. In the Main Event, the 34-year-old started behind Keystone Honda’s Florent Richier, and picked his way past in the early stages of the race – he was never bettered.
Cedric Soubeyras topped Pro qualifying at Arenacross 2017 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham (Photograph: Eliott Spencer)
>> Arenacross live show blasts its way back to Birmingham <<
Behind him a hard-charging Brit in the shape of Jack Brunell, stayed strong throughout on his Team Green Kawasaki and was perfectly placed to take his first podium position of the season with a solid third. Coulon now takes the red plate to Belfast next weekend.
I-Fly JK Yamaha’s Yannis Irsuti was an AX unknown prior to this season, but has firmly stamped his mark of authority on the Pro Lites category. He rode two flawless races to take the win and extend his championship lead.
BIRMINGHAM In the youth groups, both Ben Clayton in the Superminis and Ashton Boughen in the Youth 65s maintained their winning ways and took maximum points and the championship lead in their respective classes.
Commenting on the growth and popularity of Arenacross, e22 Sports boss Matt Bates said, “Who would have thought that just four years ago the UK would have the strongest indoor Motocross series in Europe with over 50,000 fans attending? I’m massively proud of what we’ve achieved so far, but all I can say is that this is just the beginning – I believe we have a massive future!”
The 2017 Arenacross Tour now heads across the Irish Sea to Belfast for the only double-header of the Tour at the The SSE Arena next Friday and Saturday, the 27th and 28th of January.
.
