SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki’s Thomas Ramette closed in on the Monster Energy Arenacross Tour, powered by Ford Ranger, championship lead with victory at the weekend’s penultimate round at Sheffield Arena, as team-mate Cyrille Coulon joined him on the podium.
The French RM-Z450 rider has closed the points-gap on series leader Cedric Soubeyras to just three points heading into the championship finale at SSE Arena in Wembley, London on February 27.
Both Ramette and Coulon showed their class from the start with Coulon taking his first pole position of the year and Ramette posting third on the timesheets.
After taking the holeshot in the Main, Ramette put-in an almost flawless race, riding smoothly and not pushing too much, claiming his fifth Main Event win of the season, as Coulon blasted from the gate and muscled his way to third within a couple of laps and maintained his position to the flag.
“Tonight was tough as I feel a little low in health,” said Thomas Ramette. “I worked hard to focus because I really like racing here in Sheffield Arena.
“I knew I had to take the victory tonight so I pushed my focus and I came away with the win and only three points behind in the championship, which is amazing.
“I am so happy to have Cyrille on the podium with me and my team is making everything perfect for me every time I am on track with my amazing bike. I thank every sponsor and friend in the team for all they do.
“I feel no pressure now going into London for the finale as I have nothing to lose. I was knocked out of this championship and I have worked very hard to get myself back into the race. This makes me very happy and I look forward to racing at Wembley again. I am very excited”
Cyrille Coulon continues to feel at home on his SR75 Molson Racing powered RM-Z, “My speed was very good today and I felt great on my Suzuki bike, but I rode smoother and at a lower speed in the final to keep my position.
“I like this Arena and I like to race here in Sheffield. It is fantastic to finish on the podium with my team-mate and it is great for my team and all our sponsors.”
Team owner, Geoff Walker commented: “The guys rode amazing all day and to have both riders on the podium is just what we aimed for; it’s very cool to accomplish this goal.
“Both riders again raced with respect and showed their class to take these results to get Thomas back into the championship hunt when we had been written off just a few weeks ago.
“The 72 point lead in the Pro Team Championship makes me incredibly proud as our teamwork, with support from our team partners and our amazing Suzuki race bikes, is so important to me as the boss.
“We will continue to work as a team to prepare for London and to say we are excited about this is an understatement. We have nothing at all to lose and this is a great position to be in. Once again I would like to thank all our team sponsors, our amazing riders and of course Paul Coop for his pit work this weekend.”
Pro Main Event Results: 1. Thomas Ramette (SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki) 25.207, 2. Adam Chatfield (Honda) 25.314, 3. Cyrille Coulon (SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki) 25.929, 4. James Dunn (Husqvarna) 25.954, 5. Cedric Soubeyras (Yamaha) 25.779.
Pro Championship Points: 1. Soubeyras 189, 2. Ramette (SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki) 186, 3. Coulon (SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki) 157, 4. Chatfield 135, 5. Fabien Izoird (Kawasaki) 128.
Team Championship: 1. SR75 Molson Racing Suzuki 343, 2. LPE Kawasaki 271, 3. Buildbase Honda 248, 4. SJR Kawasaki 222, 5. Geartec Yamaha 192.
