The 2026 Arenacross Tour got stuck into its first day in the SSE Arena in Belfast this morning, with the Qualifying sessions for the AX Pro class, Qualifying Heats for the AX Pro Ams, and the youth classes all contesting their first races behind closed doors!
As always, the Pro riders took to the circuit first to show how it should be done, and Dean Wilson got things nailed pretty quickly on his #1 Armor Vision powered by St Blazey CRF 450 Honda, finishing well over a second clear of Stark Future man Jack Brunell, with the J3M Shocktech Racing brothers Matt & Chris Bayliss packing the places behind the two previous Champions. A fine showing from Chris who has a painfully bruised leg from the opening round.
The second session saw the pack edge closer, three-quarters of a second separating Wilson from Brunell with Matt Bayliss again third, but Dylan Woodcock improved by firing the Dirt Store Triumph up the order to fourth.
In the final Timed Qualification session, that establishes the running order for the night show’s Hot Laps session before the races, Wilson again set the pace, but Woodcock got close with a final run leaving him just 0.142 of a second behind the reigning Champ. Brunell was just another two-tenths back in third, ahead of Matt Bayliss and the second Dirt Store Triumph of Eddie Wade. However, there was concern for Deano’s teammate as Martin Barr went down hard in the whoops and got hit by his own bike. Fingers are crossed that the local favourite can recover for tonight’s event.
AX Pro Timed Qualification
- Dean Wilson 23.532 seconds
- Dylan Woodcock 23.674
- Jack Brunell 23.895
AX Pro-Am
Pro-Am Championship leader Louis Brookes and a heel-clicking Neville Bradshaw took the top two spots in Pro AM Group 1 Qualifying, while newcomer Nathan Green just edged out Josh Greedy for top spot in Group 2.
Brookes looked unstoppable in the opening heat race as he flew away from the pack, with Scottish ace Kyle McNicol making it a Stark 1-2 for his best showing of the season yet, and Green took a solid third. There was disappointment for Dan Bewley, however, who was unable to get any higher than eighth, knocking him out of the action for tonight’s show. He’ll be fired up for a better result tomorrow!
Heat two saw a corking scrap between Greedy and Bradshaw, with Josh Taylor settling into a decent third spot. With nearly identical best lap times, the Welshman and the South African duelled out front, with Josh just getting the edge by a bike length over the finish line! Adam Wells had to pull out after a crash on the opening lap, with Noah Annett just squeezing into the last qualifying spot. The races should be close tonight, but Brookes is the favourite after this morning’s action.
AX Pro-Am Heat 1
- Louis Brookes 3:48.782
- Kyle McNicol +7.305
- Nathan Green +9.906
AX Pro-Am Heat 2
- Josh Greedy 3:53.065
- Neville Bradshaw +0.600
- Josh Taylor +7.206
AX Supermini
The growing superstar that is Kentish flyer John Slade was over five seconds clear of the pack in Qualifying, so it was no surprise to see him bolt clear in the first Supermini main Event, pulling clear by over 21 seconds. Cameron Berry was top Small-Wheel in second place on track, again followed closely by Mason Staddon, while behind them Mason Brown claimed second in the Big-Wheels ahead of Corey Heffernan.
Supermini Big-Wheel
- John Slade 3:44.518
- Mason Brown 1 lap +1.903
- Corey Heffernan 1 lap +5.889
Supermini Small-Wheel
- Cameron Berry 4:06.024
- Mason Staddon +0.706
- Kai Benjamin +1 lap
AX Mini
In the 65cc Mini class, Championship leader Blake Marks-Bracey set the top time in Qualification to grab the first gate pick, but in a complete turnaround of fortune it was Bradford’s own Roy Townley who took the race win by just over a second from BMB, after taking fourth in both races in Birmingham. Finlee Pope and Preston Killoran, joint second in the series coming in, resumed their battle in Belfast, with Pope getting the better of the Welsh kid to claim second in the standings.
- Roy Townley 3:39.755
- Blake Marks-Bracey +1.101
- Finlee Pope +9.057
AX E-Mini
Series leader Harley Patel continued his domination with the top times in Practice, then clearing off to over a seven-second win in the first E-Mini Main Event that drew the morning proceedings to a close. Maddox Knifton repeated his second place from the first race in Birmingham, and lifted himself back above Oliver Fostun in the points table. Cooper Swan took a good third place ahead of local ace Zack “Attack” McCorkell, with Finley Shipton taking his best result yet of fifth position!
- Harley Patel 3:32.224
- Maddox Knifton +7.379
- Cooper Swan +11.618
The preparations have been made, the riders have settled into the circuit, so Arenacross, Presented by Dirt Store, is ready to roll for the main show tonight! If you haven’t got tickets yet, what are you waiting for? The Fan Zone opens at 5pm, where any ticket holder can meet the riders and check out the bikes and teams for NO EXTRA CHARGE! The first night show in Belfast is ready to roll, come and join us!
