Review: Arenacross, LG Arena, Birmingham
This was a night full of the unexpected. I did not expect to see the LG Arena so completely transformed into the rugged terrain of a rural mud track. I did not expect to see the whole arena packed to the rafters with excited families. And I did not expect to have such an exhilarating time.
The LG Arena hosted the third round of Arenacross 2014 which is a series of seven race meetings bringing together top motocross riders from across the globe competing for the championship title.
It is a sport event – but it is more than that. This is family entertainment. Aside from the excitement of the pro races and all those men in leather (!) there are a number of other races and displays to capture the imagination. A highlight was the head-to-head races, one lap races which force riders to overtake as soon as possible, no time for patience.
But the most breathtaking moments came in the nail-biting, jaw-dropping displays by the freestyle motocross performers. This is Evel Knievel meets Louis Smith as the team perform gymnastics 40ft in the air on a motocross bike. It is surreal watching the rider AND his bike somersault above the NEC crowd as it takes off before landing back safely on the ramp.
Definitely do not try this at home kids.
For the LG Arena crowd on Saturday night there was a bit of local pride as riding high in the championship is Stourbridge pro rider Steven Clarke. And it was certainly a rollercoaster ride for him at his hometown event.
In both of his heats Clarke took tumbles which meant he did not qualify for the final race and found himself in the last chance qualifier. But fans were not left disappointed here as Clarke, second in the championship standings, led from the start to easily win his final place.
Then, more bad luck struck and our local hero found himself well behind the pack in the final. He must have heard the raucous support of the crowd as he managed to pull up to ninth place and finished the night third in the championship.
I almost shouted myself hoarse cheering on our man from Stourbridge, the pride of the Black Country was at stake. The atmosphere at the event is infectious, the racing exhilarating and the displays simply stunning. Dads, lads and whole families lapped up the whole event.
The event moves to Liverpool's Echo Arena next Sunday, followed by Newcastle, Sheffield and finishing at Wembley Arena on March 1.
Diane Davies
