The fifth round of the Arenacross Tour saw the Apico Husqvarna Motorcycle Team head north to the Metro Radio Arena with both Franklin Nogueras and Kade Walker looking for strong results in the North East.
Following the break it was time for the racing to begin in front of a packed house, the second heat of the afternoon saw both Franklin and Kade line up in the same heat race. After both riders got solid starts the pair looked to move forward on the tight Newcastle circuit when the flag appeared for the finish and see Franklin take a solid 5th place with Kade in 7th. Both riders returned to the track in the 4th heat and once again Franklin secure another solid 5th place which saw him transfer to the Main event, while Kade suffered a run in with another rider, resulting in a DNF and this sent him to the dreaded LCQ.
Kade’s luck didn’t improve much in the LCQ and saw the youngster finish 6th after being taken out by another rider and resulted in Kade missing out on the transfer to the Main Event.
The Main Event saw Franklin made a strong start and was in 5th place early on until he made a small mistake and stalled the bike, dropping the back of the field. Franklin regrouped and rode well to secure a 10th place finish. The 10th place finish saw Franklin remain in 13th in the championship standing with 3 rounds remaining.
The Arenacross tour now moves to Glascow next Saturday night for round six.
Franklin Nogueras – Newcastle was a blast, I rode well all weekend and I’m finally getting some confidence on the bike. Qualifying time went well with two solid 5th places. In the opening heat I started ok and was able to take 5th. For the second heat I started in around 7th and managed to put everything together to make the move to 5th place with 2 laps to go and transferred directly to the main event. In the Main event I got a decent start as was running well in 5th until I stalled the bike and went back to last, I regrouped and got back to 10th place on the last lap.
Kade Walker – This weekend was up and down, I was feeling much better on the bike. Before I get to Glascow I will need to work on my starts. Free practice was good with 6th fastest and then in the first group of timed I was 4th fastest while in the second group I suffered bad arm pump. In the first heat race I got a bad start and finished 7th, in the second heat I started about 7th and was going up the order when I was taken out. In the LCQ I got anything bad start and was trying to make some passes when I got taken out again.
Stu Summers – Chief Mechanic – The day started well with Kade posting a lap time we know he’s capable of in the first qualifying session. And both riders gained good start positions for the heat races. The game plan was to make it straight to the final without no mistakes and staying away from the LCQ. Franklin managed that with 2 solid 5th places in his heats transferring directly to the main. Kade was a different story succumbing to crashes in both his heats. His pattern continued in the LCQ. In the main Franklin made a good start and was unlucky to hit some hay bales in the first turn but was riding strongly in 6th until he stalled the machine on lap 6. Overall we are happy to come away with no injuries and we will work hard this week with both riders to come back stronger in Glasgow. We need to work on starts with Kade and a little bit of setup with both riders. Bring on Glasgow
