The UK Arenacross tour continued its Belfast visit with round three at the Odyssey Arena on Saturday night where an enthusiastic crowd watched two stylish pilots go bar-to-bar for glory and a place in the hearts of the fans.
Coming into Saturday night’s round, SR75 Molson’s Thomas Ramette held the championship red plate and he was determined to continue his good work from the previous two rounds. While other hot favourites Adam Chatfield (ASA Racing) and Angelo Pellegrini (Oakleaf Motorsport) were out to stop Ramette’s AX dominance.
After his Arenacross masterclass display on Friday night Chatfield wanted to keep the pressure on his title rivals and he looked fast during Saturday practice. But a nasty fall left him needing medical attention and the 2013 Arenacross champion would miss the evening event.
Saturday’s final soon turned into a battle between two impressive riders, Ramette from France and Pellegrini from Italy – these pilots certainly got the Belfast crowd to their feet. Ramette – who had won both his heat races and the head-to-head final – grabbed the holey and looked in control, much like he did in Manchester with Pellegrini pushing hard behind the 23-year-old Frenchman, but a slip in concentration just a few laps from home led to an error and Ramette hit the dirt.
Although Ramette remounted quickly the short race format of AX racing meant the damage had been done. Pellegrini was able to take full advantage and looked smooth and comfortable once he had the lead. The 27-year-old Italian rider powered his Honda over the finish line in first place.
Ramette now has a 10-point advantage in the championship but Pellegrini, Florent Richier and Harri Kullas are all capable of getting on the top step of the podium when the series goes to Birmingham next weekend.
After a tough main event on Friday where he only finished ninth, 24-year-old Elliott Banks-Browne – on his Geartec Suzuki ride – had a successful first heat on Saturday night finishing second. But the two-time British MX2 champion was unable to make an impact in the way he would have liked in the main, finishing in sixth place.
Injury
Apico Husqvarna’s Steven Clarke, an enthusiastic fan of the UK Arenacross Tour is another pilot looking to turn his fortunes around after an unsatisfactory start to his 2015 AX campaign. But a terrible crash in Friday’s LCQ would end Clarke’s Arenacross weekend.
See also: AX LCQ crashes
See also: Saturday AX Belfast Main Event highlights
Team Green Kawasaki were another team hit hard by injuries, leaving Belfast two riders down with Dylan Woodcock and Lewis Hall now likely out of the championship after suffering injuries during practice on Friday.
Rookies
The Rookie final once again came down to a battle between Ollie Osmaston (MX World / Chichester Honda) and Joe Clayton (Oakleaf Motorsport) and although Clayton pushed Osmaston hard in the race it was Osmaston that took the top step for a second time in Belfast.
Head-to-Head
It would be difficult for Saturday’s H2H to live up to Friday’s final showdown between Chatfield and LPE Kawasaki’s Florent Richier but Ramette did his best to deliver the goods taking victory over Heads & Threads Suzuki’s Harri Kullas. Those extra H2H championship points for Ramette could be very valuable later in the tour. Youth
Youth
It was Kooij and Kimber fighting for glory again in the Big Wheel final. Grizzly Racing’s Kooij had the early lead from Kimber but a small mistake gave Hardcore Racing’s pilot some hope of catching Kooij. Although Kimber kept pushing Kooij the Grizzly Racing youngster held it together and took the flag for the win. Etchells gave some much-needed cheer to the decimated Team Green Kawasaki unit when he finished third – claiming his second podium of the weekend.
In the Small Wheel class it was the Williams and Griffiths show, again! MJW Shocktech’s Preston Williams snatched the holey but Shocktech’s Kurt Griffiths had the lead by the start of lap two. Williams pressed to catch Griffiths but Griffiths never buckled under the pressure and took the flag in first-place. Griffiths now has three final wins under his belt and a six point lead over Williams – don’t be surprised to see these two battling again at the next round.
It was X Bladez Husqvarna’s Raife Broadley that stood out in the 65cc class and although Auto Tek / Bucci’s Jaygo Beasty – coolest name in AX – tried to match him, Broadley just had too much and he rode out the winner, giving the Husky pilot a perfect three and three record for the series.
We’ll be back to cover Arenacross again this weekend, January 24 at Birmingham’s Genting Arena (formerly LG Arena). See you there.
