As we head into Rd 4 of the 2024 Arenacross British Championship presented by Fix Auto UK at the SSE Arena Belfast, Jeff Perrett chats to Mark McCann 64 YouTube Channel’s Dylan Woodcock after a successful start to the tour.
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Rd 5: P&J Live Aberdeen Friday 26 January
Rd 6: P&J Live Aberdeen Saturday 27 January
Rd 7: Resorts World Arena Birmingham Saturday 3 February
Rd 8: OVO Arena Wembley Saturday 24 February
Okay here we are in the underbelly of the SSE arena in Belfast catching up with Dylan Woodcock uh talking all things Arena cross for this year Dylan um I hope you don’t mind saying but obviously you got yourself in a bit more shape this year we see a little bit of
The puppy fat when um you decided not to race the AMA yeah and committed to Arena cross so how did what was the decision in that what how did that come around things has happened with my actual work and going to America is a big cost of
Mine and I didn’t have the money to spend it this year so I thought I’d switch it up do a bit of work like in the week and and race the weekends and have fun with this Arena cross and uh I’ve raced with yourself like you
Launched in green I was one of the Riders there and I mean I I love it I always watch it when I’m racing and stuff like that so it’s good to come back and good to like start it off the way I have you know with a third and a
Second and uh yeah I’m enjoying it like I tried trained hard before I come here on Purely Arena cross tracks so I think that showed when I’ve come here cuz a lot of people are impressed with my riding and stuff like that so it’s good I’m I’m feeling confident on the bike as
Well so like you’re basically saying there is a big difference between training for Supercross and Arena cross because yeah you’ve done Arena cross you kind of dived in and out down the years like you said very first one at the O2 oh for sure you was on a 85 but you’ve
Never committed really fully to the series until now so you you think it’s it’s a different way of riding an actual even Supercross oh totally I’ve come to these Arena cross races before and filled in and like I’ve been around Arena cross while I’ve been racing the
AMA because obiously it ends at a specific time and I’ve been able to come and do these and the suspension that I ride in America compared to here is two different things but I used to come with my American suspension here so it’s all confusing and like big 180 BMS 10 m
Before a set of whoops like we’ve got 90s with 5 m yeah and it’s different like it’s different soil it’s different way of riding and it took me a few years to actually mature and figure out that I have to change my style to these tracks
Or this track or this track so it’s fun I’m enjoying it I’m using my a bit more like and it’s actually starting to pay off so at the minute I’ve been enjoying riding and all that stuff so it’s just coming easy to me at the minute I know
We’ve spoke about it before but we’ll quickly touch on it again of course you you know you’re you’re acting you’re riding as a professional metal cost Rider to a degree but you’re also simultaneously training in another industry to make a career in another industry tell us more about that I mean
My dad’s been a stunt man he went to the Navy he was a bit of a naughty boy back in the day so my Grandad kicked him off to the Navy and uh he come out had the SK and started his stunt career and he’s been in it for maybe like two decades
Now and built his built his purpose up and now he’s a stunt coordinator and he’s working with great guys like Roy Taylor and people like that and uh yeah I mean like you I was living at your house so you know I didn’t want to do it
I really didn’t want to do it and uh I got this opportunity to ride a bike and and I fell in love with it and I loved it and it was about the same year when I broke my back so I didn’t know whereever I was over racing and wanted to start a
New career and just forget about it but I mean it took me two weeks and I done a bike job and I bought a c so I was State racing straight away and uh that that life is different it’s two different lives like how you train for this life
And how you train for that life is two different things and uh it’s the work and work here this is play there is serious you know I mean you’re getting paid to do an actual job and it’s got to be right cuz you’re getting relied on by
A lot of people you know so I’m not a fully qualified St man yet got three of my skills I got three more to go and I’m enjoying it like I’ve only Rod BMX dirt bikes and surfed now I’m doing all these different activities and playing doing
All this new stuff that I didn’t even know about so I’m just enjoying all the all the steps that’s coming along with it and you’re certainly looking good uh getting a lick on like we said with with Arena cross I I personally think you’re riding the best I’ve ever seen you you
Know and the training is evident I can tell that you’ve really focused on this because it is this is your first real go at trying to win an arena cross title and from a British perspective with us trying to build this thing it’s so important to our British Riders you know
We’ve all followed you go off do AMA like Jack did some so from Arena Cross Point of View it’s so cool to have a British Rider committing to want to try and win it yeah yeah do you feel that kind of love and thing spreading the
Word of Arena cross as a British Rider yeah yeah I mean like even when I was not here I think it’s called that the British day I know we have a couple odds and sods that have done in with the Stark thing and all this type of stuff
But you need these guys like some of these English guys are not really too keen on it but I think they need to come and and see it and and actually train for it don’t just turn up two weeks before and try try ride Supercross cuz
It’s a different skill set and I think people have realized that now and uh yeah like you said it’s great to be in front of an English crowd people know you I mean I’ve been out of it for a little while so people are a bit like
They don’t know if I’m American or English or what I am so but it’s good you see old faces that have been here since like when I first started like and and new faces and new kids and seeing kids progress and come up and I’ll probably be Racing Pro when these kids
Are coming up and trying to race like EX exactly that they’re going to they’re going to look up to you you’re that kid that was looking up you are now yeah and and like I love Supercross so if I can help do anything to promote anyone or do
Something with kids in England and stuff like that I love it cuz I think it’s it’s a cool it’s like a circus isn’t it like you see how it goes like it’s an unscripted circus every night something it’s always something different but it’s always the same people so it’s great I
Love it same AMA it’s unscripted circus there it’s just at a higher level it’s the best in the world all on that line 22 guys here it’s the best the British or what whatever you want to call it but going back to like you said about the
Championship I’m around down so I’m a bit of a underdog and and coming into if I would have known that back then I would have probably done that round but I had work commitments thing but uh yeah I feel like if we can keep this ball rolling
It’ll be a good Underdog Story in wimbley and uh let’s let’s talk about that then because you’ve started off um like I said you missed the festival soon around down but you came in at Manchester Podium third which you look happy about after but at the time you looked a
Little bit Yeah I was BIG gued my start I practiced a lot of starts in America before coming and and they was mint and I actually spoke to par about it like he’s a European guy and he was at the track and I see him kind of there lonely
And we was just talking about stuff and he was helping me out I was thinking right I got the starts St like this guy’s King at starts I’ve got and I come to Manchester and I just had three poor starts and I was so like fuming with
Myself that this happen and I kind of got gifted with the third Ash crashed and Bogle went down but last night I proved that I can hang with comrad and and put it to him like I was I didn’t drop the Gap he didn’t drop the cap and
Uh I feel like if we would have gone off it would have been a good good good battle so uh I’m excited yeah with that in mind so a good start third then you went one better last night yeah second yeah um looking looking good on the bike
Quickly talk through last night’s race and how that that went last night’s race was good obviously I had that little uh issue in the heat which is it is what it is to Arena cross come out got second I went 82 for eight to make the main so
Didn’t have the best gate pick I started up the inside I actually got a really really good start and uh I just didn’t have that first two laps where it was like to get him you know and then once we I got into second and kind of got
Around it it was it was on from there so uh yeah so you know commentator curse always got to be te because I’m always responsible apparently I always lay the bad luck on people but you know you’ve gone three two yeah come on you know I know how you feeling out there this
Morning yeah I felt great be honest I’m one of them I’m not really a hot lapper I like to clutch it and throw a bit of sauce but I’m not a hot lapper but um yeah I mean last last night was great I I put it to Conrad a little bit I
Thought and I think he was a bit shocked by it cuz someone like me that’s not a full-time dirtbiker in years I think it kind of was bit like wild you know what I mean so tonight I’ll definitely be going for it and uh I’m excited for it
Just to tell you this cuz he’s not in the room but even even Tommy s was saying earlier on he’s saying yeah woodcock’s got it going on at a minute so even even he sees what’s going on and thinks that you’re in for a sh winning
It so well look mate good luck tonight stay safe out there there you go that’s Mr Dyan wock uh he’s in the hunt for the championship at least we hope he is