AX World Finals rider line-up announced
By Team TMX on 19th Jun 25
The 20-rider line-up for the Arenacross World Tour Finals – that run inside Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on July 5 - has been announced. The riders, most of whom qualified for the Finals through the six-round Arenacross series held in the UK earlier this year, will battle it out for a £100,000 prize purse that will see the winner walk away with 30 grand.
2025 British Arenacross champion Dean Wilson has to be considered as one of the favourites to win but he’ll have his hands full beating off former champions Thomas Ramette, Cedric Soubeyras, Tommy Searle and Adam Chatfield. Plus there’s more international talent to consider as Jorge Zaragoza, Michael Hicks, Adrien Escoffier, Yannis Irsuti, Joan Cross and AX rookie Kelena Humphrey are also on the entry list.
“I’m really looking forward to the AX World Tour Finals, especially after the good times I had racing the series back in January and February. Yas Island is a cool place to go and to race there is even better” says Wilson who’ll represent the Armour Vision / St. Blazey Honda team. “I’m sure the Finals are going to be awesome – it’s such a positive series and I’m glad I’ve been part of it. Obviously, I’m going all out for the win. It would be nice to say I’m an Arenacross World champion. I know it’s going to be tough, and a lot can happen in AX but I’m coming in confident and want to carry the momentum from earlier in the year.”
Joining Wilson, Searle and Chatfield on the Brit list is Dylan Woodcock, Eddie Wade, Matt Bayliss, Taylor Hammal, Joe Clayton, Ash Greedy, Ben Clayton, Jake Preston and Steven Clarke to make it a strong 20 pro racer line up.
Matt Bates, the CEO of ASL Active, who are the global rights holders of the Arenacross World Tour, is obviously looking forward to staging the very first AX World Tour finals as he looks to expand and grow the series after 100 successful rounds over the last decade in the UK and over half a million fans coming out to watch.
“As Arenacross takes its first international steps into developing our already hugely successful indoor race series, I am personally excited to see who will be crowned our first World Tour Champion in Abu Dhabi. And on behalf of our partners, fans and riders, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our hosts Ethara, Miral, Yas Island and Abu Dhabi for welcoming Arenacross to the Etihad Arena in July”
Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, CEO of Ethara, is equally pleased to see Arenacross come to Abu Dhabi for the first time, adding, “Ethara remains committed to bringing world-class events to Yas Island and Abu Dhabi. We have witnessed incredible sports and entertainment events take place at Etihad Arena – and with Arenacross, we are excited to offer what promises to be a thrilling spectacle for fans inside the venue for the World Tour Finals as Abu Dhabi once again continues to be a preferred location for international championship finales”.
Yas Island is a fitting place for the inaugural Arenacross World Tour finals and already has a strong connection with motorsport as the home of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix and has all the infrastructure with plenty of quality hotels and nightlife to make the
Arenacross World Tour finals a memorable experience for race fans and riders alike.
For more information on the Arenacross World Tour Finals go to www.axworldtour.com
Jorge Zaragoza (Stark)
Michael Hicks (Stark)
Cedric Soubeyras (Kawasaki)
Dean Wilson (Honda)
Adrien Escoffier (Yamaha)
Yannis Irsuti (Stark)
Thomas Ramette (Suzuki)
Adam Chatfield (Honda)
Joan Cros (Kawasaki)
Eddie Wade (Stark)
Matt Bayliss (Husqvarna)
Kelana Humphrey (Stark)
Tommy Searle (Triumph)
Joe Clayton (Stark)
Ashley Greedy (Honda)
Taylor Hammal (Kawasaki)
Dylan Woodcock (Triumph)
Jake Preston (KTM)
Ben Clayton (KTM)
Steven Clarke (Stark)
