STOURBRIDGE professional dirt bike racer Steven Clarke goes into round three of the 2014 Garmin Arenacross Tour at Birmingham’s LG Arena this Saturday just one point adrift of the series lead.

Clarke is hoping to put local advantage to good use as he chases £100,000 in prize money.

The Garmin Arena cross Tour is Europe’s biggest indoor motorcycle race series which is contested by an international field of 24 pro riders representing 10 different countries.

Riders compete in a series of intense heats and finals over a spectacular jump-filled track constructed from 10,000 tons of dirt.

The opening two events of the series were staged at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena last weekend, where 23 year old Clarke claimed victory on the opening night, followed up a bruising second place just 24 hours later.

It could have been even better for Clarke who was leading with two laps remaining but then suffered a crash which allowed Frenchman Fabien Izoird through to snatch victory and the championship lead for good measure.

Clarke claimed: “I went down hard, but I pretty much bounced straight back on my feet and only Fabien got past. Nevertheless, I was a bit disappointed – but just one point down going into round three is nothing and being my home round, there should be lots of family and friends there to support me”.

The Garmin Arenacross Tour not only provides racing but also includes all the thrills and spills of Freestyle Motocross, where some of the world’s top talent whip and backflip their machines some 40 feet over the arena floor.

TICKETS for the LG Arena start from £11-80 for children and £21-70 for adults and can be obtained from www.theticketfactory.com or by calling 08443388000.