All French podium in Glasgow at UK Arenacross
By TMX Archives on 10th Jan 16
It was three Frenchman up on the podium at round two of the UK Arenacross as Fabien Izoird, Cedric Soubeyras and Florenr Richier reigned supreme after a night of thrills and spills at The SSE Hydro Arena on Saturday night
A nail-biting set of Pro and youth races, coupled with spine-tingling displays of insane Freestyle motocross, were just as impressive as the incredible spaceship-esq arena itself.
Round two went to the talented French trio of Izoird, Soubeyras and Richier but with round three a matter of hours away, the rest of the Pro class line up will be out to snatch back some valuable championship points.
The opening ceremony set the scene for the evening. Moody lighting, harmonised with a poignant soundtrack, nurtured audience expectation as the massively enthusiastic Scottish settled in for a few hours of no-holds-barred Arenacross fun and games. From the second the AX team started firing a succession of goodies into the stands, the crowd were hooked.
The Freestyle stars were as popular as ever and Glasgow was highly vocal in their support for the airborne athletes, with Spanish godfather of FMX Edgar Toronterras, top Brit Jamie Squibb and new recruit Nez Parker ultimately emerging as clear faves with the fans.
On the racing front, the mighty mini racers stormed the Glasgow arena with the Supermini 85s out first, followed by the 65s and then the Pro Lites. Harry Kimber
The Bayliss brothers of Matt and Chris Bayliss proudly flew the British flag high in the Pro class heats, which were dominated by the rapid French. Star of the Manchester Arenacross and swiftly becoming the people's champ, Matt won heat three by milliseconds as he and Cyrille Coulon raced over the finish line literally side-by-side. Chris finished third in the second heat behind Izoird and newly-drafted American Collin Jurin.
Stateside supercross hotshot Josh Hansen had an unsettled day, uncharacteristically failing to star in the heats, yet convincingly winning the Last Chance Qualifier which successfully seeded him through to the Main Event.
After the short burst set of head-to-heads, which again saw the French riders shining, it was on to the Main Event. In an Arenacross masterclass, LPE Kawasaki Fabien Iziord grabbed the holeshot and, whilst chased down by Richier and Soubeyras, was never bettered. Bayliss showed sparks of form but a mid-race clash with Hansen saw him relegated to last. The leading trio rode a fast and tight race all the way to the chequered flag.
In his post-race summary, LPE and SJR Kawasaki team boss Steve James said: "It's been an up and down sort of day. In the third heat Jack Brunell (SJR) was running in the top three and then a clash with Matt Bayliss left him with a suspected broken foot. He showed true grit though and got back on his bike and wend out to race in the Main Event, thanks to being the promoter's choice, and secured a few valuable championship points. His team-mate Josh Hansen was fast but unfortunate but made it into the final through the last chance qualifier, only to then crash with another rider. He did finish though and took away some points.
"Our LPE French pairing were virtually faultless. A win and a third are results that speak for themselves but, with a long championship ahead anything can happen - we're aiming for consistency.
"We're all looking forward to the third round later today. More of same from Fabien and Flo would be great and a new day, new start for Josh. Jack is showing that he is a force to be reckoned with and has said that he will be on the start line no matter what – broken ankle and all. He said it's nothing a few painkillers won't cure ...”
Tickets are still available for Round three's action at The SSE Hydro, kicking off at 3pm on today (Sunday). Grab them on the door or give the box office a call on 0844 395 400
