AXUK: Thomas Ramette back in title race!
On the second evening of the Arenacross in Belfast, it was time to see whether the usual top riders would be able to take revenge. It was not one of them who walked with the flowers on Friday evening, but Adrien Escoffier. This after a commotion between Thomas Ramette and Dan Reardon, of which Cyrille Coulon was also a victim.
No Bobryshev or Basaula nor Coulon in Final
Fortunately, Cyrille Coulon was able to recover and finish third in the Friday final, as you could already read in our report from Friday. But today things were a bit different for the Frenchman. After two weaker results, the SR75 World Team Suzuki pilot had to go to the LCQ-Head-To-Head race. There he met none other than Ashley “the butcher” Greedy. The latter once again lived up to his name and slaughtered the stylish Cyrille Coulon with a block pass.
Who also missed out on a place in the final was Evgeny Bobryshev, meaning two pilots from Friday's podium were not qualified for Saturday's final! Arenacross is not only madness but also a top sport of a high level, which was also noticed by Hugo Basaula, who was also allowed to find a seat in the stands to watch the final.
Who did you find in the final? Unlike Friday, 2014 Arenacross UK champion Fabien Izoird managed to reach the final on Saturday evening. Here he met fellow countrymen Cedric Soubeyras, Thomas Ramette, Adrien Escoffier and Charles LeFrancois. In addition to this French delegation, we also found Dan Reardon, Nique Thury and the British Adam Chadfield, Elliott Banks Browne, Ashley Greedy and the Lites pilot Joe Clayton, who had also qualified for the Pro class via the LCQ. In doing so he created something unique.
Elliott Banks Browne thrills the British
In this final it was the British Elliott Banks Browne who managed to claim the holeshot. This for reigning champion Thomas Ramette and Charles LeFrancois. In his first Arenacross final of 2018, Banks Browne showed him to be a strong opponent for Thomas Ramette for a few laps. However, the Suzuki pilot thought it was enough after those few laps and resolutely took the lead. Immediately the signal for Ramette to leave the competitors behind and race to victory.
Behind the Frenchman we saw Elliott Banks Browne put up a strong fight. The Briton, clearly keen on a good result, initially held off Adrien Escoffier. When Adrien Escoffier was passed by multiple Australian supercross champion Dan Reardon, Elliott Banks Browne tried to hold him off. This became a battle on the cutting edge, both gentlemen looking for their first success in the Arenacross championship. A duel in which Dan Reardon would ultimately come out on top, after several failed attempts the Yamaha pilot executed an aggressive block pass for the whooptiondoes.
Elliott Banks Browne thus dropped back to third place, a place he never relinquished. Even though in the final laps, top performers such as Fabien Izoird, Cedric Soubeyras and Friday evening's winner Adrien Escoffier were still on the Brit's wheel. Cedric Soubeyras quickly moved into fourth place ahead of Fabien Izoird on the very last lap.
Main Event Saturday Belfast – Arenacross UK
1. Thomas Ramette – SR75 World Team Suzuki
2. Dan Reardon – JK I-Fly Yamaha Racing
3. Elliott Banks Browne – Geartech Husqvarna
4. Cedric Soubeyras – Team FRO Systems
5. Fabien Izoird – Buildbase Honda
6. Adam Chatfield – Team Green Holeshot Kawasaki
7. Adrien Escoffier – MVR-D St Blazey Husqvarna
8. Charles LeFrancois – Buildbase Honda
9. Nique Thury – MVR-D St Blazey Husqvarna
10. Jack Brunell – Team Green Holeshot Kawasaki
11. Joe Clayton (Lites Pilot) – Wheeldon Offroad Centre
12. Ashley Greedy – Team FRO Systems
Arenacross UK Pro Championship Standings – After Belfast
1. Cedric Soubeyras; 84 Points
2. Thomas Ramette; 82 pts
3. Charles LeFrancois; 71 pts
4. Fabien Izoird; 64 pts
5. Cyrille Coulon; 63 pts
6. Hugo Basaula; 60 pts
7. Dan Reardon; 58 pts
8. Adrien Escoffier; 55 pts
9. Jack Brunell; 51 pts
10. Ashley Greedy; 45 pts
11. Evgeny Bobryshev; 44 pts
12. Nique Thury; 25 pts
13. Elliott Banks Browne; 24 pts
14. Adam Chatfield; 23 pts
15.James Dunn; 12 pts
16. Julien Lebeau; 11 pts
17.Joe Clayton; 8 pts
18. Luke Norris; 8 pts
19. Matt Bayliss; 7 pts
Text: Matthias Van Eeckhoven – Photo: ArenacrossUK.com
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