The night started with an extremely busy Fan Zone, as the new pit area within the welcome lobby of the arena itself allowed ticket holders to run straight to the stars of the show, with big queues especially for reigning Champion Dean Wilson, and for the Dirt Store Triumph pit area where former Champion Tommy Searle and MXGP star Ben Watson also greeted the fans with selfies, autographs and posters.
The Phoenix Tools Fantic boys allowed some kids to come in and sit on their bikes, while the cheerful Bayliss brothers gave out Shocktech stickers from a huge bucket of fun! The Dirt Store Fan Zone was definitely a big hit.
Pro Rider Hot Laps
After each Pro rider was given a tumultuous greeting from the packed grandstands, and the Freestyle boys had whipped the crowd up with their amazing antics, it was time for the first on-track action with the Pro Rider Hot Laps.
Giving their all in a one-lap scramble against the clock, each rider knew how important a good gate pick was, and local ace Steven Clarke put his Stark Future machine into the lead with the very first attempt after having technical issues in Practice. He held on to the top spot until his teammate Jack Brunell came through, holding up proceedings somewhat by snagging a tuff block on landing.
Matt Bayliss looked like he might have taken pole when Dylan Woodcock just missed his timing, but that man Wilson came through with a unique combination through a rhythm section that set the best time by two-tenths of a second.
Pro Main Event One
In the first Pro Main Event, the Holeshot was taken by John Adamson on his Phoenix Tools Fantic, but as Adam Chatfield drew level, the fiery Scotsman took him to the top of the corner, and both men went down.
“It was like a landmine had gone off!”
Wilson later used those words to describe the carnage as he charged through the pack from sixth position after mis-timing the gate.
Eddie Jay Wade picked up at the front from the battling Clarke, with Matt Bayliss, Martin Barr, and Dylan Woodcock all between Wilson and the leader. The Champ started to pick off a rider per lap, either with his incredible speed in the whoops or through a triple-triple combination that took him past Clarke.
By lap seven of twelve, Wilson had clawed back the gap to Wade and taken the lead from the Dirt Store Triumph rider. Clarke successfully boxed off an attack from Bayliss for third, leaving the J3M Shocktech Racing man to fight back from seventh.
Woodcock fought through to third behind Wilson and Wade, while Clarke secured a fine fifth ahead of Barr — leaving Armor Vision powered by St Blazey level on points with Dirt Store Triumph Racing in the team standings.
Pro Main Event Two
After finishing ninth in race one, Stark Future’s former Champion Jack Brunell shot into the lead at the start of the second Pro Main Event, with Matt Bayliss and Clarke snapping at his heels.
Wilson had work to do early, first getting past his Armor Vision powered by St Blazey teammate Martin Barr to move into fourth. He then found a unique passing spot on the exit of the corner after the finish jump, using it to pass Woodcock and finally Brunell on lap eight of the fourteen-lap race.
Woodcock, recovering from ninth on the opening lap, demoted Bayliss for third on lap nine but couldn’t close the gap to Brunell. With Wade finishing seventh, the Triumph riders and Brunell were separated by just two points heading into the Head-to-Heads.
Head-to-Heads
The Head-to-Heads introduced a fresh twist to the night’s format, with twelve riders battling down to a three-way final. Wilson fended off a typically aggressive challenge from Adamson before easing past a fallen Wade to reach the final.
Brunell joined him after edging past Barr and surviving a close contest with Woodcock.
The star of the Head-to-Heads — particularly for the local fans — was Steven Clarke. A late block pass on AJP Racing’s Adam Chatfield, followed by a narrow victory over Matt Bayliss, left him sandwiched between the last two Arenacross Champions and believing he could take the win.
He pushed to the limit but crashed in the whoops while right in the fight. The crowd erupted as Wilson edged past Brunell through the whoops and squeezed around the outside by just 0.005 seconds.
It was the closest anyone came to beating Wilson all night. With the longer final Pro Main run in reverse gate-pick order, Deano lined up for his first-ever second-row start.
“I actually got the best jump of my whole night!”
From sixth out of turn two, Wilson went on the charge once again. Adamson claimed a flying Syntol Lubricants Holeshot and led for four laps before Wilson and Brunell closed in. A stalled Fantic before the finish jump opened the door, allowing Wilson to take the lead and control the race.
Woodcock fought through to secure second overall, with Brunell completing the podium. Wilson’s perfect night left him twenty points clear at the top of the standings as the series heads to Belfast.
Pro-Am
The opening Pro-Am race mirrored the morning heat battle between Louis Brookes and Josh Greedy, with Brookes taking the Holeshot. Despite early chaos, the Welshman salvaged third behind Brookes and Neville Bradshaw.
In race two, Greedy hit the front early, but Brookes produced a stunning late move through the whoops to take the overall victory. Just nine points covered the top four riders, setting up an intriguing battle for Belfast.
Supermini
Mason Staddon claimed a Syntol Lubricants Holeshot in race two, but John Slade once again controlled proceedings with jump combinations worthy of the Pro class.
Berry edged Staddon for the class win, while Slade maintained a perfect scorecard. Mason Brown took second in the Big Wheel class, with Frank Bishop holding on to third overall despite a crash-affected ride.
E-Mini
The E-Minis were greeted with huge support from the Birmingham crowd. Oliver Fostun grabbed the Holeshot, but Harley Patel quickly moved into the lead and never looked back.
Behind him, Swan and Westwick battled hard, with Swan securing second and Fostun’s consistent finishes earning him second overall. The championship fight remains wide open as the series heads to Belfast.
Mini
The Mini class delivered another thrilling encounter, with Finlee Pope leading early before Preston Killoran stunned the crowd with a bold double-jump move into the lead.
Marks-Bracey responded to take a perfect 1–1 on the day, while Pope claimed second overall on the tie-break. These riders promise more fireworks across both Belfast nights.
