Double-round Arenacross ends in podium joy for Buildbase Hon

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Double-round Arenacross ends in podium joy for Buildbase Hon

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Double-round #Arenacross ends in podium joy for #Buildbase #Honda

20 January 2014, 11:25

This weekend saw Buildbase Honda compete in the opening two rounds of the Garmin Arenacross UK series in front of a 10,000-strong crowd at the Belfast Odyssey Arena. The two-night spectacular brought some drama but eventually podium joy for the team as new signing and reigning British MX2 Champion Elliot Banks-Browne secured a third-place finish aboard his Honda CRF450R.


The Arenacross format sees all riders compete in two heat races in an attempt to qualify for the Main Event, with those that fail facing the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) to battle for the final two spots. In the opening round on Friday evening, Buildbase Honda’s Elliot Banks-Browne and Brad Anderson transferred comfortably to the Main Event, while Angelo Pellegrini and Luke Arbon – who are racing under the Dave Thorpe Off-Road Centre banner – were forced to face the LCQ and unfortunately were unable to do enough to claim a coveted place.

Excitement in the Arena reached fever pitch as the riders lined up for the main event and when the gate dropped, Banks-Browne made a strong start and rounded the first few turns in fourth place, with Anderson not far behind. Banks-Browne was making good progress but unfortunately made a couple of mistakes that saw him suffer two crashes – the second of which caused clutch damage that forced him out of the race. Anderson also had an off, but remounted to finish in tenth place.

For the second round on Saturday, the Honda riders returned to the Arena refreshed and ready to put Friday’s drama behind them. With the track direction reversed, they quickly got to grips with the new layout and both Banks-Browne and Arbon sailed through qualifying. Anderson and Pellegrini faced the LCQ and put up a good fight to finish second and third respectively, meaning Anderson claimed one of the final two spots in the Main Event.

With the crowd whipped into a frenzy, the gate dropped for the final race of the weekend. Banks-Browne got a strong start in third place and fought hard to maintain his position, claiming Buildbase Honda’s first Arenacross podium of 2014. Anderson recovered from a first-corner crash to take ninth place, while Arbon had a smooth race and steered clear of trouble to claim a well-deserved seventh.

After the opening two rounds Elliott Banks-Browne currently sits eighth in the championship ahead of Brad Anderson in ninth, Luke Arbon in 12th and Angelo Pellegrini in 16th place. The Garmin Arenacross UK continues to gain momentum as the series heads to the LG Arena in Birmingham this coming Saturday. With the opening event nerves out of the way, all four Buildbase Honda riders will be looking to improve on their positions.

Elliott Banks-Browne
The first round was a bit up and down for me. I rode well in the heats but then the final was a bit of a mess with mistakes and ending in a DNF. Saturday night was much better for round two, although my heat races weren’t as good. In the final I managed to get a start and was in a solid third place. I was riding steady and felt comfortable on the bike. After the podium in the main event I’m now really looking forward to the rest of the rounds and pushing on in the Championship standings.

Brad Anderson
It’s been a mixed weekend really. I’ve made too many mistakes and on this track any mistake is so costly. At the first round I had a tenth and then after crashing on the start of the final I was able to battle back to recover for ninth. I’m now looking forward to Birmingham next weekend and hopefully the soil will be a bit drier.

Luke Arbon
The first round was a bit rough and I rode a bit tight and was disappointed to miss the Main. Tonight was a much better night for me, I rode solid and felt more at home on the bike and transferred into the Main Event. In the Main I got a good start and was able to ride steady and bring it home for seventh. The second round was a big improvement and now I can’t wait for next weekend and building on the progress that I’ve made between rounds one and two.

Angelo Pellegrini
This is my first Arenacross event and I came into the Championship hoping to run top 5 but the opening two rounds this weekend have been a big disappointment for me. I have the speed to be in the final and run at the front. Going into the next round I want to reply the team by making the Main Event and getting a good result.

Dave Thorpe (Team Manager)
The opening two rounds have been completely different in results and performance. The first round good during the heat but then both Brad and Elliott suffered bad luck in the Main. Then in the second round things seemed to go much better and Elliott produced a great result to finish on the podium in the Main Event. I feel for Pellegrini after the first two rounds as he is a very talented rider and hasn’t managed to show his potential although I’m certain we will see a look more of him next weekend.

Main Event – Friday

1 Steven Clarke
2 Kristian Whatley
3 Fabian Izoird
4 Daniel McCoy
5 Loic Rombaut
6 Bryan MacKenzie
7 Cyrille Coulon
8 Neville Bradshaw
9 James Harrison
10 Brad Anderson

Main Event – Saturday

1 Fabian Izoird
2 Steven Clarke
3 Elliott Banks-Browne
4 Loic Rombaut
5 Cyrille Coulon
6 Daniel McCoy
7 Luke Arbon
8 Jamie Law
9 Brad Anderson
10 Neville Bradshaw

Championship standings
1) Izoird 42 points, 2) Clarke 41, 3) McCoy 33, 4) Rombaut 30, 5) Coulon 27, 6) Whatley 25, 7) Bradshaw 24, 8) Banks-Browne (HON) 22, 9) Anderson (HON) 19, 10) Law 18
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