Arenacross tour lights up Glasgow
The first matinee performance of the new-look 2016 Arenacross Tour went down a storm at the SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow today, when the heavy-duty Main Event went to the wire, bringing the passionate Scottish crowd to its feet. The atmospheric show opening, accompanied by pumping sound effects and strobe lighting, included an introduction to the Youth and Pro racers and Freestyle performers and, it was clear from the very off, that Glasgow was ready to be entertained.
American supercross hotshot Josh Hansen was on fire today and pretty much enjoyed a faultless day’s racing on his SJR Kawasaki, cleaning up in qualifying, the heats and then the nail-biting main event. The one that slipped the Hansen grasp was the head-to-head in which he finished runner-up to last night’s Pro class winner Fabien Izoird of LPE Kawasaki.
Away from the racing line, the spectators were treated to a slick programme of extraordinary freestyle moves with Samson Eaton, Petr Pilat and Edgar Torronteras enjoying a best trick showdown. Eaton’s Tsunami move was clearly a crowd pleaser, as was Torronteras’ trademark massive turndown whip, but it was the astonishing Shaolin backflip perfectly executed by Pilat that got the nod from the enthusiastic audience.
The youth classes saw both Ollie Colmer and Harry Kimber take the overall win and extend their championship lead in their respective 65cc and Supermini groups. A change at the top in the Pro Lite class saw an on-form George Clarke Take the overall win, whilst Joe Clayton maintained his championship lead.
On the Pro front, a set of four heats were topped off with a Last Chance Qualifier which was led from start to finish by Buildbase Honda’s Angelo Pellegrini with Brits Jordan Booker and James Dunn second and third. Pellegrini and Booker were automatically fast-tracked to the finale, whilst Dunn not only benefitted from being selected as the promoter’s choice, but it was the first-time the Hitachi Revo Husqvarna team-mates have joined forces in the Arenacross Pro main event this season.
And so to the main event itself. Izoird shot out of the gate and had a strong lead for the first two laps before Cyrille Coulon, current champ Thomas Ramette, both riding with SR75 Molson Suzuki, and Hansen bunched up behind him. A cat and mouse chase ensued and, once Hansen passed Ramette, he set about reeling in Coulon. To the delight of the crowd, he made his move on the Suzuki rider and very quickly went on to snatch the win from Izoird with four laps to go. Hansen pulled away slightly to take his first-ever Arenacross win, whilst a battle raged behind him between Izoird and Coulon which went right to the wire. With a superhuman charge over the finish line, Coulon emerged the victor by nothing more than a millisecond. Ramette, Cedric Soubeyras, Geartec Yamaha, and Jack Brunell, SJR Kawasaki, rounded out the Pro top six.
Josh Hansen; “It’s my first trip to the city and, even though it’s far too cold for me, I’m really happy to be here – it’s rad. Everything went right for me today from the moment we went out in qualifying. My SJR Kawasaki team has worked day and night to get me here and it’s great to finally be able to reward them for their efforts. Belfast will be another first for me and I’m gonna go flat out for the lot and bag the head-the-head too.”
Geoff Walker, SR75 Molson Suzuki team boss; “I’ve been with Arenacross from day one and I have to say that was one of the most incredible races I have seen. The professionalism involved was good for both the series and the sport and we need to see more of it. That last move by Cyrille was almost as good as a win for me and I’m very proud of both my team members and also to be part of such a brilliant and well organised event.
“I’m now going straight home to Belfast and can’t wait to get racing underway again.”
Next stop for the 2016 Monster Energy Arenacross tour is The SSE Arena Belfast, when racing gets underway from 7pm on Friday the 15th and again on Saturday the 16th of January 2016. Visit www.arenacrossuk.com for further information.
Champion positions;
65cc
1. Ollie Colmer, 114 points
2. Kiean Boughen, 101
3. Jak Taylor, 95
Supermini
1. Harry Kimber, 116 points
2. Ben Burridge, 98
3. Lewis Hall, 96
Pro Lite
1. Joe Clayton, 116 points
2. George Clarke, 99
3. Jordan Moxey, 99
Pro Main Event
1. Josh Hansen, #100, SJR Kawasaki
2. Cyrille Coulon, #5, SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki
3. Fabien Izoird, #871, LPE Kawasaki
4. Thomas Ramette, #1, SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki
5. Cedric Soubeyras, #120, Gertec Yamaha
6. Jack Brunell, #155, SJR Kawasaki
7. Matt Bayliss, #4, Wooldridge Demolition Honda
8. James Dunn, #200, Hitachi Revo Husqvarna
9. Adam Chatfield, #407, Buildbase Honda
10. Angelo Pellegrini, #941, Buildbase Honda
11. Jordan Booker, #114, Hitachi Revo Husqvarna
Championship Positions
1. Cedric Soubeyras, 58 points
2. Fabien Izoird, 57
3. Cyrille Coulon, 50
4. Thomas Ramette, 47
5. Josh Hansen, 46
6. Jack Brunell, 42
7. Adam Chatfield, 37
8. Florent Richier, 32
9. Matt Bayliss, 32
10. Angelo Pellegrini, 29
Team Championship
1. SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki, 97
3. SJR Kawasaki, 92
1. LPE Kawasaki, 87
4. Buildbase Honda, 66
5. Geartec Yamaha, 59
6. Wooldridge Demolition Honda, 41
8. Hitachi Revo Husqvarna, 24
7. Xbladez Husqvarna, 20
9. Shocktech Honda, 4
10. MVRD Fuel Husqvarna, 2
