SR75 World Team Suzuki overcome bike theft at Arenacross to take the fight to Wembley finale

SR75 World Team Suzuki overcame adversity at round six of the 2018 Power Maxed Arenacross Tour in Sheffield Arena and heads to the final round in London on Saturday leading the Team championship and firmly in contention for the Pro title.

The day started badly when a race bike was stolen from the arena compound but the riders were not informed so they could stay focused and Thomas Ramette and Cyrille Coulon were fully motivated and looking for the win.

Thomas was on fire in qualification to set pole and Cyrille surprised everyone with a storming seventh despite carrying tendon damage in his hand along with numerous other injuries.

Defending champion Thomas, bidding for an unparalleled fourth consecutive AX title, dominated his heat races while working on lines – this young man looks for perfection and is never satisfied. Cyrille had to fight from the back both times in his heats as he struggled to hold onto his RM-Z450.

Narrowly missing out on a direct transfer to the Main Event, Cyrille went into the Head-to-Head LCQs where he battled his way through to the points-paying race. Thomas then picked up three bonus points with a win in the Hot Lap competition before the gate dropped on the Main Event.

After grabbing the holeshot, Thomas made contact with another rider in the first rhythm section and lost some momentum while Cyrille fought his way through the pack. In a very physical final, both guys held their own with Thomas advancing to second just a couple of bike lengths behind the winner and Cyrille – despite his injuries – came through to fifth.

With just the final round at Wembley Arena to go, SR75 World Team Suzuki has an 18-point lead in the Team championship and Thomas is just three points adrift of the Pro series lead.

“These two guys and the crew within our structure are simply amazing,” said Team Principal, Geoff Walker.

“We have taken a kicking here and the focus and work from everyone involved has been astounding. We are a proud team, we all work hard 365 days a year and we love our sport.

“Thomas was incredible with his control and professionalism tonight and I am very proud of him for this. Cyrille was quite simply a beast – not many people would even consider racing with the injuries he has but he will be stronger in Wembley.

“I would like to thank our amazing team partners and I would like to publicly thank Rob Cooper and all the crew at Suzuki UK for stepping up on the day with bike support to back us up after our loss and get us through the event. We really do appreciate everyone involved in our programme.”

“I feel great at the moment and I am so comfortable on my race bike,” said Ramette. “Today was tough because of what happened to us but we are a team that works all over the world and we fight for each other. We love our racing and we are a family.

“I enjoyed the races tonight and I enjoyed controlling my pace in the final. I was close to going down at one time with some contact but I understand this. I cannot wait for Wembley, I feel good there. Thanks as always to my team, my crew and all our sponsors around the world.”

“I feel a little disappointed as I want a podium every time I race here,” said Coulon. “I am struggling with injuries so fifth place from the rear of the pack is a good result. I want a big performance in Wembley for me and for my awesome team here. We focus, we race.”