Local lads shine at Belfast AX!
The 2017 Arenacross Tour crossed the half-way point at Belfast last night, and the SSE Arena was crammed full of thousands of enthusiastic fans ready to enjoy a night of fast and furious entertainment at its very best.
Four riders from Northern Ireland took to the arena circuit, the biggest turn out in recent years. Jason Meara (19), from Loughbrickland, Matthew Beattie (12) from Newtownards and Charley Irwin (9) from Ballyclare are all contesting the full AX series, whilst Alex Henderson (10) from Hillsborough was a wild card entry for the fourth and fifth rounds only.
KTM-mounted Meara competes in the fiercely-competitive Pro Lites class which caters for 16 to 23-year-olds, and offers a valuable stepping stone to the Pro class, giving the rookies experience and even a pot of prize money. He was up against tough opposition all weekend, battling a number of Arenacross specialists in only his first year of contesting the series. He gave it his all to take a quartet of fourth place finishes and holds fifth overall in the championship.
Charley Irwin (left) bagged two podium finishes
In the SuperMinis, young Beattie rode his heart out despite carrying a painful wrist injury. He is one of the smaller riders in the class and, at times, finds it difficult to keep up with the physically bigger and stronger runners, but was determined to give a good performance in front of his family and friends.
The local lads in the youngest category, the Youth 65cc, were in fine fettle with Irwin dicing with the leaders and riding to a podium finish on both nights. Henderson impressed all in his first-ever Arenacross race, blasting his KTM to a sixth and fourth overall finish, beating a host of AX regulars in the process.
Next stop for the 2017 Arenacross Tour is the Sheffield Arena on Saturday the 11th of February. Tickets are available via www.arenacrossuk.com or the box office 0844 338 8000.
Pro Lites Overall
1. Dylan Woodcock, #60, 34 points
2. Chris Bayliss, #259, 34 points
3. Joe Clayton, #14, 34 points
4. Jason Meara, #10, 30 points
Pro Lites Championship
1. Yannis Irsuti, #170, 151 points
2. Chris Bayliss, #259, 137 points
3. Dylan Woodcock, #60, 133 points
4. Joe Clayton, #14, 158 points
5. Jason Meara, #10, 140 points
Youth 65cc Overall
1. Ashton Boughen, #2, 40 points
2. Ben Mustoe, #3, 34 points
3. Charley Irwin, #50, 33 points
4. Alex Henderson, #23, 31 points
Youth 65cc Championship
1. Ashton Boughen, #2, 198 points
2. Ben Mustoe, #3, 167 points
3. Shaun Mahoney, #11, 147 points
4. Charley Irwin, #50, 138 points
12. Alex Henderson, #23, 55 points
Go to www.arenacrossuk.com for full results
