Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

SFX National Arenacross Series Rounds 9/10: Palexpo obstacle.s down one of the straights. It made for some great racing. Thor/Honda/Tuf Racing's Willoh rode his Tracin Seng-tuned Hondas to a fourth, two thirds, and a win in Saturday's 250cc final. His top-four consistency earned him the title of King and 20 points toward the title. "I had a good weekend, and my Pro Circuit Hondas worked great," Willoh commented. "This was my first time overseas, and I had a good time, but I tried to keep my head straight even though I drank a lot of wine. " Omaha, Nebraska's Denny Stephenson finished runner-up in Geneva. The 30-year-old St. Louis Powersports Kawasaki rider finished 6-2-4-3 throughout the four finals and was in the mix at all times. Stephenson was not really looking forward to the one-off race, but his attitude was completely different after the event. "It was a good time, and I did good, which makes it even better," Stephenson remarked. "I've been here before, but it was real fun to come with a group of 45 friends. " Bill's Pipes/Axo Suzuki's Buddy Antunez had somewhat of a rollercoaster weekend, finishing 2-13-1-6 throughout the four mains. The fourtime champ was in the hunt in all of the races, but a crash and a miscalculation took him out of the equation in two of the races. The surprise of the weekend was Yamaha-mounted Mathieu Lalloz. The 21-year-old from France came out .Ieff Wllloh left Switzerland as the King of Geneva after racing up front In all four main events, eventually winning Saturday's 250cc final. By DAVE DERINGER PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN GENEVA, SWITZERJ.AND, DEC. 15-16 fE or the first time in the history of the 1..1 sport of Arenacross, the Speed Stick-sponsored tour traveled overseas to Switzerland, and it was Jeff Willoh who made the most of his first time abroad, leaving Europe as the King of Geneva. Those invited were the top 15 in points after round four in Rockford, Illinois, two weeks earlier, and their 36 JANUARY 10, 2001 • cue • mechanics. Several of these racers were injured, however, and a few others had previous commitments, so the riders next in line were invited. The event was held at the Palexpo, a convention-center-type building which was tumed into a stadium via movable grandstands, lighting and sound systems. The track was longer than most Arenacrosses in the States, and the layout was much more Supercross-esque as well. A two-lane-option section was also added, giving the riders a choice of n _ ... s e It was apparent at Geneva that things were stirring for an intemationnal future of indoor motocross. Although the event was run by Swiss promoter Daniel Perroud, SFX's Roy Janson and Mike Hathaway, Arenacross honchos Mike and Gary Kidd, and International motocross consultant Eric Peronnard (right) were all visible and very active at the two-day event. When asked what Arenacross founder Mike Kidd (left) thought of the event and the future of Arenacross, he replied, "' think that this event went very well. I know that the riders enjoyed it. I've been dreaming about this for about 10 years. My goal would be to have a U.S. tour and a World tour, and maybe one or two of the U.S. rounds counting toward the World tour. It's still early, and we'll just have to see where it will go." Peronnard was a little more tightlipped but had a big-grin and said, "The future still has a lot in store. It took a lot of work to get this one together, and the response has been unbelievable and above expectations. Maybe we'll do two next year as a start. We worked on the U.S. Open for three years before we even said a word. so give us time,"

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