At Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday night Apico LPE Kawasaki’s Fabien Izoird secured another round win – collecting maximum points – enough to become the 2014 Garmin Arenacross Champion with one round to spare.
With three Main Event wins from six the 28-year-old from Bouzigues in the South of France has dominated this year’s UK Arenacross. Izoird has finished every round on the podium bar one – in Liverpool – where he crashed out of the Main in spectacular fashion with a heavy-hitting endover while chasing down British MX2 outdoor champion, Elliott Banks-Browne.
“It feels very good to win the championship – it is a very big thing in the UK and also Europe,” said the delighted Arenacross Champion. “The championship is very good with some very fast racers and good tracks. It has not been easy. I am really happy because I have ridden really hard in England and I will enjoy coming back next year.
“To secure the title a round early is great and now I can enjoy the last round at Wembley.”
Fabien’s nearest rival in the Arenacross standings is Aussie Daniel McCoy (MBO Sport ASA Yamaha) who is 24 points back – the exact maximum number of points available at each round. But even if Fabien fails to score at Wembley on March 1, the Frenchman still takes the title by virtue of having the greatest number of Main wins.
Apico LPE Kawasaki’s Team Manager, Steve James dedicated the Arenacross title win to his brother-in-law – a long-term supporter of the team – who died in 2013.
An emotional Steve said: “Fabien is the 2014 Garmin Arenacross Tour Champion which is absolutely unbelievable. “I am so happy, I have been chasing my dream to win a major championship for over five years – to finally do it at the team’s home round at Sheffield in front of possibly the biggest, loudest crowd which included lots of my friends and family is the icing on the cake.
“We still have the team championship to win. We now have a 38-point lead and need just eight points to clinch that title which is also very important to both riders and the team.”
Steve has supported the Arenacross championship since the start when he came close to lifting the title with Jack Brunell and he has been there to see it develop.
“The Garmin Arenacross Tour has stepped up several levels and is one of the major championships in the UK with very tough technical tracks and very stiff competition. The whole show on the night is just an awesome experience so to win it means the world to me.”
The final round of the Garmin Arenacross tour hits Wembley Arena on March 1 and you can win VIP tickets exclusively with Dirt Bike Rider.
