FUS Marsh Husqvarna have launched their team that will be strong contenders for the Team Championship that adds another exciting element to the already thrilling Arenacross spectacle.
Words: Ben Rumbold Images: FUS Marsh Husqvarna
Jack Brunell, 3rd in the 2023 Championship held in January and February this year, will line-up alongside Elliott Banks-Browne and Jake Preston to tackle the new Championship, which begins with the Arenacross Festival at Bolesworth Castle on the 15th-17th of September.
Jack recovered from a massive crash in the very first heat race of the Belfast opener, which saw him taken to hospital with bruised lungs, to finish 3rd in every remaining Superfinal of the series to pip Josh Gilbert for the Bronze trophy of the Tour. He signed with FUS soon after the conclusion to that Championship, and has been practising with the bike on Arenacross circuits throughout the summer.
“I’m at the best level I’ve been at for a long time,” says a fired-up Jack, “I was running out of steam after the injuries from Belfast, but now I’m healthy and I’ve got something to prove. Moving to the Husqvarna means that I’m on the new chassis, and I wanna do ’em! I’m hoping that the track at Bolesworth is nice and technical, with some bigger rhythms that I can gain an advantage on, then I can get the crowd on my side and give it to ’em!”
Elliott finished 6th in the winter series, riding a 250F Husqvarna to match his outdoor bike, and was consistently in the top five despite the lack of horsepower.
“I like riding the 250, and I will stay with one outdoors for next year after such a good season in 2023. But for Arenacross you just give so much up on the start, which is impossible to recover from, plus there were a few occasions where I just couldn’t complete the big jumps every lap. With the 450 I should be able to man-up, do all the triples and bigger rhythms, and really help the team to challenge for that Team Championship against the Honda boys.”
No stranger to a bigger bike, Elliott won a Team Race moto at the VMXdN Foxhill on a 1989-spec CR500 Honda, putting the likes of Tommy Searle, who he will meet in Arenacross, and Evgeny Bobryshev behind him. Riding for the SC Sporthomes Husqvarna squad, with support from Geartec, EBB has been a revelation in the Revo British Championship, taking race wins at Foxhill and School House – where a broken chain denied him a certain 1-1 scoreline – and lying 3rd in the series. The 2012 & ’13 MX2 British Champion is enjoying his riding again, and can’t wait for Bolesworth.
“I’m excited because this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this for Motocross. The site map, the entertainment, it looks like a cool dynamic, and compared to a regular Arenacross it will be cool to experience a more laid-back, festival-style atmosphere.”
Along with Spiral GFX boss Jake Preston, who also competed in the Tour earlier this year, the team are primed for a good series and should be a strong line-up. The team would like to thank all of their sponsors, listed below, and invite everybody to “Come and join us at AXFEST on the 15th September as we showcase our team against the very best Arenacross racers & teams!”
@marshpowersports
@husqvarnamotorcyclesuk
@geartec609
@rockoilnews
@rsmotorhomes
@anja.potze
@michelinmotorcycle
@rfx_racing
@fxrmotoeurope
@spiralgfx
@strikeseats.eu
@kandnsurfacing
@factoryridepremiumoptics
@motoverde
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