Tough weekend for Buildbase Honda at Monster Energy Arenacross...
By Sean Lawless on 27th Jan 16
Birminghams Genting Arena proved to be a tough venue for Buildbase Hondas Adam Chatfield and Angelo Pellegrini for rounds six and seven of the Monster Energy Arenacross Tour.
Both qualified comfortably for Saturday night's heat races where Adam cruised through to the final but Angelo, after carding fifth in the his opening heat, crashed in his second and came home ninth, prompting a visit to the Last Chance Qualifier.
The Italian kept his head and after two restarts in the LCQ progressed to the final with a comfortable win.
Both riders again struggled with their starts in the Main Event.
Angelo looked sharp and quickly advanced to fourth but crashed on lap four and could only recover to 10th as the chequered flag came out.
Adam sat in eighth for the first third of the race before inheriting seventh when his team-mate fell.
With a reworked track that suited both riders better, Sunday's programme saw the team-mates ease through qualification into the heats with Adam running 4-4 and Angelo carding 2-3.
However, the heats were a different story. Angelo looked controlled to progress to the Main Event with 3-4 scores but Adam's 5-4 finishes sent him to the LCQ which he won.
Following two failed attempts to get the Main Event off the line Angelo slotted into third and was on the pace but after getting pushed back to fourth he was taken down by another rider and could only recover to eighth.
Adam, who had been sat in eighth, benefitted from Angelo's fall and crossed the line in fifth.
"Yeah, it's been a tough two days for me,” said Angelo, who picked up an extra three
points in Sunday's head-to-head races.
"On Saturday I made a small crash all on my own which was an expensive mistake.
"After making my way to the Main Event from the LCQ I had hoped I wouldn't make more errors but I did.
"On Sunday I felt the track suited me more and I made a good start but began to get tired.
"I thought a podium was realistic but after losing a place I was pretty much cleaned out and the hope of a top-three finish was gone. Arenacross is a tough sport.
"The tracks are tight and contact happens all the time. That's just how it is.”
Adam, the 2013 arenacross champion, left Birmingham feeling frustrated with his results.
"I'm not happy with how the weekend's panned out,” he said.
"I know I'm a podium guy but at the moment I'm just not getting the breaks.
"Sunday was okay I guess but I set myself high standards and fifth isn't good enough.
"It's Newcastle next where I expect the dirt to be softer and the more technical it gets the happier I will be. This championship isn't over just yet.”
Team boss Dave Thorpe remains positive with seven out of 11 rounds done and dusted.
"It's been a good team effort in the face of adversity this weekend,” he said.
"Adam and Angelo have both had to dig deep and neither one of them have let me down.
"I'm proud of the way they've refused to roll over and their resilience is a credit to them.
"It's no secret that arenacross is a tough sport and my guys have proved time and time again that they've got what it takes to bounce back.”
