Interview: Martin Barr on his Belfast Arenacross podium


Martin Barr turned back the clock last night in Belfast! The home favourite mounted the podium alongside Dean Wilson and Conrad Mewse after a cracking ride in the main event to take third place in the third round of the UK Arenacross series.

Amazingly, a teenage Barr was on the podium beside Sébastien Tortelli 20 years ago in Belfast when Conrad Mewse was just five years old but Barr’s love for sport shows that enthusiasm and dedication can get it’s rewards even at the ripe old age of 37!

We caught up with a buzzing Barr just after the main to get his reaction. Watch or read below:

Martin Barr, that couldn’t went much better, leading laps in front of the home crowd and all these years later, you’re back on the podium at Belfast Arena Cross!

This article continues below

Yeah, it’s been mega, you know, I think my first ever Arenacross here was 2001 in a big way, so we’re at 2025 and we’re still here racing. Obviously the start of the Tour hasn’t went to plan, but my main goal tonight was to make the final and to put it on the box with Dean Wilson and Conrad Mewse, I couldn’t ask for much more.

Once I got a really good start, I knew them two would come by me, so once I settled into a rhythm, I kind of just rode myself and I just was breathing and I’m over the moon, you know, the reception you get here year in, year out from the crowd is absolutely fantastic and rewarding with a podium is brilliant, you know, I can’t ask for much more. So a lot of pressure on now for tomorrow night, but you know, I’m looking forward to it.

Were you nervous? Like Chatfield was there, but then you got your rhythm and you pulled away a bit again, you sort of had it under control.

Yeah, no, I could hear he was there, I knew he’d try a couple of headsides, but once I got my breathing and I started making my lines perfect, I started pulling away a little bit again and I just, you know, just kept doing that to bring it home and I knew once Wilson, I could hear the crowd, the commentator saying that Wilson was coming round to lap them. Once he passed Chatfield there, I knew that I had it in the bag.

So you could hear all that while you were riding?

Yeah, I could hear it and, you know, I was obviously keeping an eye as well.

So yeah, absolutely over the moon, Apico Factory Racing Honda was brilliant, you know, I’ve been working really hard on my starts and it showed tonight, you know, I ran across Union Start to have half a chance. So yeah, I don’t really know what to say, I’m just so happy and, you know, I look forward to tomorrow night again.

And talk about the fans over the finish jump, they were waving everybody on, you were looking over at them a couple of times, what was that like every lap?

This article continues below

It was absolutely brilliant, you know, I said earlier, them guys who got those tickets have got a brilliant seat for the night and, you know, every lap you could see them hanging over the fence, it was fantastic.

So yeah, you can’t beat Belfast, you know, we’re all petrolheads over here and the atmosphere is always electric.

Does this make it all worth it, all the lonely laps, training at Magilligan, the driving overnight to British Championships, I think you were on the podium with Tortelli in 2005 and now you’re on with Conrad Mews and Dean Wilson in 20 years later!

Yeah, 20 years later we’re back on the podium, you know, it’s quite a story but I still love it, you know, the travelling, the training, the hours you put in, it’s all part and parcel and I’m 37 now but I still love it and, you know, we’re in Aberdeen next weekend, finish there at 10 o’clock, seven hour drive down during the night to do Hawkstone International on Sunday. So, yeah, my dedication is still there, I still love it and, you know, I’m still feeling sharp.

The speed is still there as well, congratulations, well done.