Report: AX Belfast SSE Arena – Arenacross Tour 2017

The 2017 Arenacross Tour crossed the half-way point in Belfast last night for the second day of the tours’ only double header and the Northern Irish were treated to a fourth different Pro winner of the series and a new Red Plate holder.

The Pro class Main Event threw up plenty of surprises.

Buildbase Honda’s Matt Bayliss held a strong third right up until the final stages before an off derailed his podium hopes.

Friday’s victor Adam Chatfield didn’t get the best of starts and trailed at the back of the pack. New-to-AX Frenchman, Adrien Escoffier has learnt very quickly what it takes to thrive in Arenacross and the MVR-D Husqvarna pilot put that into play at round five, taking his and the teams’ first Arenacross Pro win.

With SR75 World Team Suzuki’s Cyrille Coulon unable to make the final due to a knee injury and Buildbase Honda’s Chatfield only finishing eighth, there’s been a big swing in the series standings.

RFX St Blazey’s Cedric Soubeyras sits atop of the championship with teammate Angelo Pellegrini four points back in second, while SR75 World Team Suzuki’s Thomas Ramette continued his fight back from his difficult start to the tour with a second place in the Main, moving him up to third in the championship and level on points with Pellegrini.

Pro Lites

In an exhilarating Pro Lites final, Buildbase Honda’s Chris Bayliss and Team Green Kawasaki’s Dylan Woodcock were locked in battle, with i-Fly JK Yamaha’s Yannis Irsuti and Joe Clayton, Keystone Honda, in close contention. The final race result placed Woodcock first, Irsuti second and Bayliss third, with the overall going to Woodcock, followed by Bayliss and then Clayton. Home favourite Jason Meara (RFX St Blazey MX), finished a credible fourth.

Supermini and 65cc

In the SuperMinis, Ben Clayton made up for a race one disappointment, where he finished in an uncustomary second, to take a forceful win and maintain his championship lead over Bobby Bruce and Louie Kessell. To the delight of the crowd supporting the 65cc class, young Charley Irwin from Ballyclare rode a strong race to take second place in the final race and third overall on the night.

Next stop for the 2017 Arenacross Tour is the Sheffield Arena on Saturday, February 11. Tickets are available via www.arenacrossuk.com or the box office 0844 338 8000.

Results: AX Belfast SSE Arena round five – Arenacross Tour 2017

Pro Main

1. Adrien Escoffier, #137, MVR-D Husqvarna, 20 points
2. Thomas Ramette, #1, SR75 World Suzuki, 18 points
3. Cedric Soubeyras, #85, RFX St Blazey MX, 16 points
4. Angelo Pellegrini, #941, RFX St Blazey MX, 15 points
5. Jay Wilson, #6, I-Fly JK Yamaha, 14 points
6. Jack Brunell, #155, Team Green Kawasaki, 13 points
7. Hugo Basaula, #747, Team Green Kawasaki, 12 points
8. Adam Chatfield, #407, Buildbase Honda Racing, 11 points
9. Ashely Greedy, #33, FRO Systems PAR Elite, 10 points

Pro Championship

1. Cedric Soubeyras, 81 points
2. Angelo Pellegrini, 77 points
3. Thomas Ramette, 77 points
4. Adam Chatfield, 75 points
5. Jack Brunell, 72 points
6. Florent Richier, 69 points
7. Cyrille Coulon, 63 points
8. Adrien Escoffier, 61 points
9. Hugo Basaula, 53 points
10. Matt Bayliss, 44 points
11. Jay Wilson, 26 points
12. Sulivan Jaulin, 13 points
13. Gaeten Le Hir, 11 points
14. Billy Mackenzie, 11 points
15. Ashley Greedy, 10 points
16. James Dunn, 9 points

Team Championship

1. Team RFX St Blazey MX, 125
2. SR75 World Suzuki, 122
3. Buildbase Honda Racing, 104
4. Team Green Kawasaki, 104
5. Keystone Honda Racing, 62
6. MVR-D Husqvarna , 50
7. I-Fly JK Yamaha, 22
8. FRO Systems PAR Elite, 11
9. I-Fly JK Yamaha, 7

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 Irsuit, #170, 151 points
2. Chris Bayliss, #259, 137 points
3. Dylan Woodcock, #60, 133 points
4. Joe Clayton, #14, 158 points

Supermini Overall

1. Ben Clayton, #4, 38 points
2. Bobby Bruce, #579, 38 points
3. Louie Kessell, #7, 32 points
4. Carl Osterman, #10, 30 points

Supermini Championship

1. Ben Clayton, #14, 196 points
2. Bobby Bruce, #579, 174 points
3. Louie Kessell, #7, 154 points
4. Callum Beeken, 211, 135 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