ACU British Supercross Series Finale at the O2 Arena
| Published by Mike Dodd 26 February 2008, 03:30 | 2 Comments  |
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For those of you that don't know, Saturday the 23rd February saw the ACU British Supercross Series Finale come to the O2 Arena in Docklands, East London, otherwise known as the Millennium Dome. Not knowing what to expect and eager to find out what goes on at a Supercross event (aka SX, which is basically indoor motocross), we headed into the O2 Arena to get you the best coverage that you'll find online.
When we arrived inside the arena, the riders were firing off quick practice sessions, giving us just a small taster as to what lay ahead. The evening event kicked off at 7pm with a very excited crowd cheering, and four scantily clad babes dancing to, The Jam's 'London Calling,' which was very apt considering that we have needed an event like this in London town for a very long time.
The chequered flag came down as another winner crossed the finish line. Standing up from where I’d been crouching in the dirt, I shook off all the stones and soil that I was covered in. I think the Pro-Lite riders saw me there taking pictures because as the race went on they came deeper and deeper into the corner, gunning it hard covering me in more dirt each time. Although, to be honest I think, they had much more important things to think about, like winning the British Supercross Championships that night and going home with their trophies.
Most of the LB crew hadn't seen Supercross live before so weren't really sure what to expect. The lack of noticeable advertising for this event meant that the venue wasn't at full capacity which is a real shame as the night was fun packed and full of action, but the arena was well populated with a good and very loud crowd. Whilst in the paddock at the back of the arena, we started chatting with the riders and teams, which were their friends and families; it appeared to be quite a small affair, but very family orientated and friendly. Worried that this was going to be a bit of a Mickey Mouse show, or at least something smaller than the usual racing that we'd seen, we headed out to the surprisingly small and completely mental track ready for the big nights racing...
With legendary motorsport commentator and original petrol head Jack Burnicle guiding us through the racing, the first guys burst out of the gates and into the first corner. Kicking off the nights racing was the Pro Lites qualifier, it was then into the first final with the 50cc Autos and Tommy Schofield taking the number one spot. Then two more qualifiers followed by the Clubmans and then the 65cc Final.
Seeing these little guys line up behind the gates, their dads holding the back of the bikes and giving them last minute words of motivation and instruction, they held an innocence that belied the fact they knew how to race! Revving the small machines in earnest they took off as the gates dropped. Backing into the corners, getting air, jostling hard and ragging the little machines out of the corners they seems just a smaller version of their adult counterparts. When sitting astride their machines in the paddock they certainly had the “awww” factor but out on the track they were no longer cute little kids, but proper race demons out there to win!
Admittedly the crazy little racers did dissolve back to their little angle status when in some situations, like missing a spot on the podium for example. Gradie Featherstone had been in fourth place in the championship at the start of the race, a podium position almost in his grasp but ended up being pushed into fifth missing that number three spot by 15 points. Hands over his goggles he was not a happy rider after the race. Tom Neal zipped his way to victory with a very slim three-point lead.
After the interval when the diggers had chance to make repairs to the track a series of riders lined up at the start with just two taking to the track at one time for a series of Head to Head races. With just two competitors there is no second or third, just a winner and a loser and nobody wants to be the later. With no actual title to lose they really pushed themselves and looked like they were just enjoying it. This made for some exciting and really fun races! When one wiped out it was obvious they would never catch their opponent so the race would dissolve into crowd pleasing big airs and whips.
Although the 125 and even 85cc guys put on a good show it was nothing compared to the Pro Open and Pro Lites finals. Dominated by US, South African and Canadian riders, British Ashely Greedy missed out on podium finishes by as little as five points putting him into fourth place in both finals. With huge air on the finish straight clearing all the jumps and sometimes even over-shooting the landing of the last hump the bikes would compress completely down to the ground even pushing the wheel right down through the tyre. Impressive stuff to watch. With six times Canadian Motocross Champion Jean Sebastien Roy taking first place and team mate Colton Facciotti second it was a 1-2 win for Yamaha and Canada in the Pro Lites. Facciotti won the British Supercross Championship at the unprecedented age of 15 back in 2005. In the Pro Open these guys got pushed into second and third place respectively by former US Champion Mike Brown riding for Honda. Watching these guys launching themselves so hard again and again often side-by-side, jostling in the corners elbow to elbow as they battled for a place on the podium or at least the top 12 for a cash prize, made for an exciting spectacle.
Despite the questionable O2 Arena facilities and security organisation, it was a great nights racing amongst the spray of dirt, flying bikes and petrol fumes! Being the series final probably pushed the riders a little more and it was good to be at the event where the seasons bests riders won the final race and held their trophies high as they stood as #1, #2 and #3.
If this sounds a little critical, don't be misled; as Londoner's, we have a lot of experience with road racing which is a very high-profile and mature racing world. Off-road racing is not as high profile here compared to hotter countries, but we came away really excited by the evening put on and perhaps more impressed that London was able to host this event. Right smack bang near enough in the middle London, we had a superb racing event that any petrol-head would appreciate. We're left thinking that London could do with a lot more of these evening events, providing a great social event that bikers and non-bikers alike could easily appreciate. The opportunities for organisers, the local motorcycle industry and racers is waiting to be capitalised in our opinion.
Supercross returns to the o2 this January 2009The O2 will once again come alive to the sounds of Supercross on Saturday 31st January, just one week after the Liverpool double header on 23rd January and 24th at Liverpool's Echo Arena.
The British Supercross Championship series will kick off at Sheffield Arena on Saturday October 25th marking the 12th consecutive return to the South Yorkshire venue. Future West's John Hellam said "We currently have three of the best venues in the country and would like to expand the championship by adding more quality venues each year until the sport reaches its maximum potential in the UK".
This year's calendar has been tightened up and will end three weeks earlier than last year to avoid any possible calendar conflicts with major British outdoor events. The early championship ending will give all of the top British riders an unobstructed shot at the new British Supercross Championship class, which will debut at this year’s championship and compliments the existing SX1 and SX2 pro titles classes. The popular youth classes will also return.
Tickets are now available to buy online from https://goldstartickets.co.uk/products/Supercross.html
For more information regarding this event please visit http://londonbikers.com/articles/4732/acu-british-supercross-series-finale-at-the-o2-arena
