High octane excitement
TALENTED young racers will be in wheel to wheel action at the weekend when The Arenacross Tour zooms into town.
The indoor all-action event, showcasing non-stop Motocross races and freestyle skills, will return tomorrow evening to Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle where it last set pulses racing in 2016.
Ollie Colmer, from Hexham in Northumberland, was one of the home crowd favourites that time and among those adding to the high-octane entertainment this time around will be local star of the sport 14-year-old Buster Hart from Newcastle.
Buster, already a seasoned motocross racer, will be pulling out all the stops to impress his friends and family who will be in the audience while the evening will also see Ryan Waggott, aged 10, from Carlisle make an Arenacross debut.
Both will be in action during an exhilarating three-and-half-hour programme, starting at 5pm, which is set to launch with an explosion of music, lights and fireworks.
Then seven rounds of world-class action will begin with mini-racers out first on what will be a circuit of tight twists and turns.
Arenacross – or AX for short – is hugely popular among all ages from pre-school youngsters upwards and the classes cater for mini-racers from the age of seven riding 65cc bikes.
Other classes are superminis for those aged 10 to 15; Pro Lites for 15 to 23-year-olds and then ‘Pros’ – professional motocross racers from around the globe.
Buster, a student of The Farringdon Community Sports College, will be reentering the Arena for the first time since 2014 when he contested and won the mini 65cc category.
He’s since made a successful transition to the bigger Supermini 85cc class and tomorrow will have his sights firmly set on securing his second Aren-
BARBARA HODGSON HAS THE LOW-DOWN ON THIS WEEKEND’S ARENACROSS AT THE METRO RADIO ARENA IN NEWCASTLE
across title.
He’s back on home turf having finished a close second in his competitive class at the opening round of the Tour at Manchester last weekend.
He said: “I love racing Arenacross and, whilst my goal is to win the series, it would be really special to stand on the top step of the podium at Newcastle as there’s nothing like having a home crowd cheer you on.”
Meanwhile, success has also begun early for racer Ryan who became hooked on Arenacross from the age of seven and will be contesting it for the first time on Saturday, although he has always raced for the North East in motocross team events and is the newly-crowned North East 65cc Champion.
And cheering him on will be racing friends from Newcastle, family and fel- l o w pupils from Fir Ends Primary School in Smithfield.
“This will be my first year doing Arenacross,” he said. “Fingers crossed it will be a good one, and I can make the North East Motocross Club proud.”
Audiences can expect plenty of close and intense bar-bashing for all the racers en route to glory. And there will be show-stopper scenes from the Freestyle MX boys with their high-air flips. Over its five year history, the UK AX series has grown hugely with hopeful participants aspiring to follow in the footsteps of such high profile talents as Jamie Squibb. Speaking of its popularity, Matt Bates – boss of ArenaSports Live, the company behind AX –said: “I believe we have a massive future. As well as ramping up the AX experience for our UK-based fans, we’re extending into Europe next year and I’m set on making sure we develop both the riders’ rewards, team support and take the entertainment to whole new level.” A range of ticket prices for Saturday evening are on offer, beginning at £16 for children; £27 for adults and £78 for family tickets. Tickets are available from the Arena box office on 0844 493 6666 or www. metroradioarena.co.uk and they are