Arenacross Sheffield 2019 preview for rounds five and six

With its headline-hitting sell-out Tours at Belfast and record-breaking attendances at Birmingham, the Arenacross Tour is now on track to welcome a full-house of raucous AX fans for the penultimate and final rounds in South Yorkshire.

The grand finale of Arenacross is once again set to go to the wire, with all championships up for grabs, and any one of the top 10 AX Pro Championship contenders in with a mathematical chance of lifting the 2019 AX Pro Championship title.

Double points on the last Main Event Super Final means that 45 are on offer over the two nights. Forty-two points separate Greg Aranda out front, from FRO Systems’ Ash Greedy in 10th.

With SR75 Suzuki’s Valentin Teillet and Charles LeFrançois, Buildbase Honda’s Adrien Escoffier, Nique Thury (FRO Systems), Julien Lebeau (Shocktech Kawasaki) and Team Green Kawasaki’s Jack Brunell all in the mix; absolutely anything can happen. This is Arenacross – the gloves are off, anything’s possible, and we’ve all been here before!

With so much at stake at Sheffield not one of the Pro 450 or 250 riders can afford to be complacent. If they so much as pause for thought, they’ll be AX racing history.

The prestige of lifting the 2019 AX Pro Championship trophy is in itself worth fighting for. Add a huge pot of cash into the equation and it’s every rider for himself – team, or no team!

Flashback to Brum

There were a few surprises at the last round in Birmingham when Teillet briefly brought a halt to the charge of Soubeyras by winning the opening Pro Lites Main Event, but the tables were swiftly turned in the second Main Event and subsequent Main Event Super Final, when the reigning Pro champ reaffirmed his supremacy.

In the Pro 450 class, everyone’s fave Welshman Greedy had the crowd on its feet in the opening moto when he stormed through to a third-place finish behind Aranda and LeFrancois and the fact he ended up in the dreaded head-to-head again, was not a true reflection on his strong form but, much to the trepidation of the opposition, and the joy of the crowd, that was his destiny and, as ever, he rose to the occasion.

Greedy and team-mate Thury had both gone over a berm on the previous evening. Greedy was back on track first then, his notable efforts in the two-lap eliminator on Saturday saw him get the dubious better of Portuguese Diogo Graca (Castrol Power1 Suzuki).

He then engaged in gladiator-style battle with another Portuguese in the form of the resilient Hugo Basaula (Shocktech Kawasaki), Greedy got the better of Basaula but it wasn’t an easy one for him. The French may be out front in the championships but when it comes to the H2H, there is just one Ashley Greedy!

New Faces

Shocktech Kawasaki’s luck ran out at Birmingham when they lost both Pro 450 rider Fabien Izoird and Pro Lites Scooter Webster to injury. However, racing to the rescue are Dylan Woodcock, who is flying back from America (where he’s been contesting the West Coast AMA series) just to compete in the final two rounds of Arenacross. He’ll fill the gap left by Webster in the Pro Lites and Florent Richier will take Izoird’s ride in the 450 class.

Track talk

Sheffield will feature a unique start that will be a first in the history of Arenacross. A local yellow sandstone dirt is utilised at this venue and it’s the fastest circuit of the series.

It’s got a long start straight and, just to mix it up – a lot – the start will utilise a BMX-style raised platform, which should make it interesting, and then to top it off, there’s a monster finish line jump.

Family Friendly

Save up to 25 per cent with a Friday night ticket and get to watch the action for a fraction of the cost but with all the thrills and spills!  Upgrade your ticket to a pre-show Booster from just £20 and you’ll get to walk the track, meet and greet the riders and get to watch your own FMX show! Tickets will be available on the door but secure the best seats by calling 0844 581 6952 and pick them up from the Box Office on the night.

When & Where

February 15 –16, FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield. Doors open at 6pm for rounds five and six, with the evening show getting underway at 7.30pm. The event finishes at 10.30pm.

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