Buildbase Honda riders kept their momentum rolling forward with solid performances at round two of the 2017 Arenacross Tour at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday night.
Fielding an extra rider with local hero Billy MacKenzie making a one-off appearance, the four-man team was in contention all night to ensure the series leads in the Pro AX and AX Lites classes and the overall team classification remain within reach.
After his third-placed finish in the opening round, Adam Chatfield was again the team’s top performer in the super-competitive Pro AX class. Running 3-1 in his heat races on the new CRF450R, Adam started the Main Event in fourth, moved quickly into third and held his position for two-thirds of the 14-lap race before slipping back to fifth.
“It’s an all right result I suppose but I struggled a little bit,” he said. “I was in third in the final and made a few mistakes – the track was slick and the front wheel kept wanting to wash out.
“I should have been third – no excuses, I just couldn’t get it done – but I’m still in the hunt for the title and only a few points away from the lead and I was the first English rider so it could be worse.”
Matt Bayliss showed his class in his two heat races, taking second first time out and leading the second until a late crash. A bad start in the Main Event saw him playing catch-up and after suffering with arm-pump for most of the race he came home seventh.
“Getting a second in the first heat was pretty good considering I didn’t feel too great today,” said Matt. “I holeshot the second one and was leading it until the second-to-last lap when Florent Richier went past me and then crashed in front of me which caused me to go down.
“In the final my arms just locked up from about the third lap and couldn’t do much really. It was all right but I set myself higher standards. Being positive I led almost the whole of my second heat so I know my speed is good – I just have to put everything together in the final.”
After being drafted in for the Scottish round, former British champion Billy – who’s been semi-retired for the last two years – adapted quickly to the tight and technical AX track. His 8-7 scores in the heats forced him into the LCQ head-to-head races where a rousing win had the fans on their feet.
“I needed all the track time I could get today but once I was behind the gate I just did what comes naturally to me,” he said. “I didn’t take any chances, did all the jumps and ended up eighth in the final so I’m all right with that. The fans were really cool – I got a great reaction from them, especially after I won the LCQ.”
Heading into Glasgow on the back of a second overall in the AX Lites class in Manchester, Chris Bayliss came out swinging and powered his CRF250R to the win in the first of the two eight-lap finals.
In the second final he almost crashed hard in the whoops but stayed upright to finish third, scoring the same points as the overall winner but just missing out on a tie-break.
“I got my first final win in the first race and I’m absolutely buzzing with that,” said Chris. “I wish I could have done the same in the second final but I’ve come away tied on points for the win. I’m happy with second again and I’ve moved closer to the series lead.
“In the first final race I was third, moved into second and took the lead when the guy at the front crashed and then kept my cool. I nearly had a massive crash through the whoops in the second – I don’t know how I stayed on it – but managed to keep with the leaders and nearly grabbed second on the last lap.”
Team boss Dave Thorpe was quick to acknowledge his riders’ performances on the slick and challenging circuit.
“The lads rode well today,” he said. “The ground was quite hardpack in places which didn’t make for aggressive passing. It was a very good track and was technically challenging in places but it was a bit slippery.
“Knowing Adam he’ll probably be a bit disappointed with fifth but he rode well. Matt tightened up on lap two of the Main Event but still scored good points. As for Billy, well, he was fantastic for the crowd, was great entertainment and tried right to the end. I think he just enjoyed the day and I’m really pleased for him.
“Chris rode impeccably in the first final but didn’t get a great start in the second and almost had a big crash in the whoops. Somehow he stayed upright and from then it was just a three-man freight train until the end. He couldn’t do any more than he did – he was strong right from the word go today and the bike worked really well.”
Adam goes into round three of the series at the Genting Arena, Birmingham, next Saturday sitting fifth in the Pro AX standings just three points from the lead. In the AX Lites class Chris lies second having reduced the deficit to the leader to three points. The Team Championship is almost as close with Buildbase Honda only five points adrift of the leaders.
