Above: Cedric (Soubeyras) and Angello (Pellegrini) – Sheffield Arena 2017.
Chances are you’ll see Rob Stringer at most major motocross events in the UK. He’s easy to spot for the best part as he limps around with his dodgy knee from his riding career (which hasn’t stopped him riding by the way!) Like so many in our sport, Rob has an obvious passion for it and is a well-liked member of the sport’s community, either as himself or his alter ego, ‘Reg Trater’, who highlights Rob’s personality. Down the years he’s turned the spanners for several top racers both in Motocross and Arenacross so Rob is a good person to ask what it’s like to be a mechanic in the intensity of Arenacross.
Is being a mechanic at Arenacross more stressful than being a mechanic for Motocross?
Being a mechanic at AX definitely has different stresses than racing outdoors. Of course, the bikes don’t get muddy, so you don’t have to powerwash them between races, which is an obvious bonus, and riders tend to make fewer adjustments to their set-up between races. The flipside of that is there’s less time between the races, which is okay if the riders don’t have a crash! If they have a big one, it’s pretty frantic trying to rebuild the bike for the next race, and you feel the heat and pressure a bit then. There’s a slightly different vibe in the Arenacross paddock, and it feels like everyone pitches in more if you have an issue like that. I like that side of it. Maybe it’s because we’re all in closer proximity to the Arenacross paddock? I don’t know, but it’s a good place to be, and everyone gets into it, especially as we get closer to showtime.
What’s your favourite thing about Arenacross?
I like the intensity and the excitement of it. For everyone really, from us as mechanics to riders to the fans. I like what it’s done for the sport in the UK in putting us in front of new audiences and giving us a chance to go racing in the winter when there’s no major motocross championship racing. The whole family can come along and stay warm and dry and have a decent weekend of it visiting the cities and see some brilliant racing and freestyle mx and soak up the atmosphere of a brilliant event. It’s like going to a large music gig but for dirt bikes and you can’t help but get into it.
What’s been your best moment of AX down the years?
Sheffield arena 2017. Cedric (Soubeyras) and Angello (Pellegrini) were first and second on the night. Cedric took the win. For a ‘pop up’ team just for Arenacross and relatively short notice, it was a rewarding night for both of our riders to go 1-2. A huge amount of credit has to go to Paul Irwin and RFX, as well as the guys at St.Blazey, for putting it all together. As a mechanic, nothing beats seeing your guys doing well, especially when they win, and that was a memorable night for me and the rest of the team.
Do you think AX helps British riders and the industry in the UK?
Yes, I do. Riders like Jack (Brunell), Joe (Clayton), Adam (Chatfield), Ash (Greedy) and a new breed of riders get to hone their skills indoors, and that has come on a lot, no doubt about it. The Bayliss brothers are another example. Then you get riders like Tommy and Conrad coming in from racing motocross, and that’s good because they bring even more interest from the industry, and they’ve helped raise the bar of Arenacross in general, and they’ve probably even helped themselves with the skill set needed for AX. It’s also a chance for all of them to earn money in the winter and give their sponsors more exposure, which is good for the industry obviously. For example, Paul Irwin at RFX backed us with our little team, and it was a good return on what he put in straight away because we won the first time out in Manchester with Angelo (Pellegrini). It puts a lot of bums on seats watching, people seeing it who maybe wouldn’t come out to a motocross, so it’s got to be a good thing for British dirt bike racing.
