The fifth round of the Arenacross Tour witnessed plenty of action across all youth classes today, with all riders battling away to secure vital points and boost their all-important championship positions.
The first race of the Rookie Cup, a class for teenage riders that sit between the youth and Pro groups, saw a surprise result in the opening race, with championship leader and hot favourite Ben Clayton having to settle for second behind an ever-improving Adam Collings. The tables were turned in favour of the Devonshire lad though in the evening public show, when Clayton grabbed the holeshot and led from start to finish. It wasnāt made easy for him as he had Collings closing him down, whilst further back German compatriots Carl Ostermann and Max Lausch had a tussle of their own with Ostermann emerging the victor.
The Team Green Supermini Cup too was turned upside down a little in the morning race when championship contender Alfie Jones finished fourth behind championship leader Raife Broadley, Ethan Sills and an on-form Boston Gilbert. In front of an enthusiastic night-time crowd, the trio of Jones, Sills and Broadley put on a great display of race skill and tactics. Jones took a gate to flag win, but Sills was all over him, wringing everything out of his Kawasaki in an effort to get past the leader, whilst holding Broadley at bay. Jones won the race but, thanks to his pair of seconds, Sills took the overall and moved up to 11 points behind Broadley in the championship.
Over in the youngest race group, the Youth 65s, Isaac Ash, from Chudleigh, was on fire, winning both races with a considerable margin, doubling jumps and proving to be unstoppable. Championship leaders Zane Stephens and Freddie Bartlett were second and third in the first race but, in the second, Stephens hit the start gate and was held back whilst the rest of the pack tore away. Underlining the determination of these young racing warriors, Stephens raced through the field to finish in a creditable fourth and keep his championship hopes alive by a slender one point over Bartlett who, in turn, is just six points ahead of Ash. Local rider, from Sheffield, Ethan Jordan posted impressive seventh and ninth place finishes in his first-ever Arenacross race event.
RESULTS
Race 1 – Rookie Cup
1. #48 Adam Collings, 15 points
2. #11 Ben Clayton, 13
3. #10 Carl Ostermann, 11
4. #5 Max Lausch, 9
5. #33 Josh Greedy, 8
6. #22 Ben Burridge, 7
Team Green Supermini Cup
1. #9 Raife Broadley, 15 points
2. #11 Ethan Sills, 13
3. #6 Boston Gilbert, 11
4. #4 Alfie Jones, 9
5. #10 Charlie Palmer, 8
6. #14 Tye Jones, 7
Youth 65 Cup
1. #100 Isaac Ash, 15 points
2. #80 Zane Stephens, 13
3. # 292 Freddie Bartlett, 11
4. #184 Jamie Keith, 9
5. #94 Alfie Osborn, 8
6. #21 Lewis Spratt, 7
Race 2 – Rookie Cup
1. #11Ben Clayton, 15 points
2. #48 Adam Collings, 13
3. #10 Carl Osterman, 11
4. #33 Josh Greedy, 9
5. #5 Max Lausch, 8
6. #369 Axel Boldrini, 7
Team Green Supermini Cup
1. #4 Alfie Jones, 15 points
2. #11 Ethan Sills, 13
3. #9 Raife Broadley, 11
4. #10 Charlie Palmer, 9
5. #Boston Gilbert, 8
6. #Tye Jones, 7
Youth 65 Cup
1. #100 Isaac Ash, 15 points
2. #292 Freddie Bartlett, 13
3. #184 Jamie Keith, 11
4. #80 Zane Stephens, 9
5. #810 Sebastian Moore, 8
6. #94 Alfie Osborn, 7
AX CHAMPIONSHIP
Rookie Cup
1. #11 Ben Clayton, 144 points
2. #48 Adam Collings, 119
3. #10 Carl Osterman, 104
4. #33 Josh Greedy, 102
5. #22 Ben Burridge, 67
6. #338 Ben White, 50
Team Green Supermini Cup
1. #9 Raife Broadley, 127 points
2.# 4 Alfie Jones, 122
3. #11 Ethan Sills, 116
4. #7 Tom Harris, 84
5. #10 Charlie Palmer, 84
6. #1 Jaygo Beasty, 68
Youth 65 Cup
1. #80 Zane Stephens, 126 points
2. #292 Freddie Bartlett, 125
3. #100 Isaac Ash, 109
4. #184 Jamie Keith, 77
5. #53 Ben Casey, 54
6. #21 Lewis Spratt, 50
With so much to fight for ā on the race track at least ā tomorrowās Grand Finale at The FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield, is set to be a belter.
Doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, with some from Ā£15, will be available on the door, or via the Arena Box Office on 0114 256 56 56.
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