The Arenacross Tour is celebrating 25 years of delivering indoor motocross excitement to The SSE Arena, Belfast, from February 13-14 2026.

Heading the Pro class entry will be local heroes Martin Barr, Jason Meara, and James Mackrel.

For Ballyclare’s Martin Barr, it will be a return to the same venue where many years ago he won the 85cc British Supercross Championship in one of his first appearances indoors.

Barr went on to race with many leading UK teams throughout his long career and represented his country nineteen times at the most significant off-road event of them all, the Motocross of Nations.

placeholder image — Ballyclare’s Martin Barr (far right), pictured on the podium with Dean Wilson and Conrad Mewes after the 2025 Belfast Arenacross final. Photo by Maurice Montgomery

At the end of the 2025 season, the motocross legend announced his retirement from full-time racing, however, he added that he would not stop racing altogether and has agreed to join forces with reigning Arenacross champion Dean Wilson in Mark Chamberlain’s Armor Vision St Blazey squad for the 2026 Arenacross campaign.

“I’m looking forward to the series getting underway in Birmingham, and I can't wait for the double-header in Belfast,” Barr said. “When the offer came to team up with Dean in the Armor Vision St Blazey squad, it was just a no-brainer, and I said yes immediately.

"I finished third on Friday night in 2025, and the home crowd's reaction was unbelievable. You don't get that feeling anywhere else in the world.”

Loughbrickland’s multi-Ulster and Irish champion Jason Meara had the crowd on their feet last year when he won a Head-to-Head final, beating both Ash Greedy and Eddie Wade.

“Even though I had won a Pro Lites class in London years ago, that Head-to-Head win is probably the highlight of my indoor career,” said Meaea. “They both took their shot, but I got the win, and the crowd went mental!”

Meara started the 2025 season well, running inside the top six in MX1 before a mystery illness struck, sidelining the local rider.

He explained: “I went through about three months bouncing from pillar to post trying to figure out what was going on. I was having vertigo-type symptoms, my head was spinning, my vision was unclear, and it was impossible to ride through this.

"I ended up paying a private medical specialist, and they found that I had an enflamed nerve in my inner ear, the nerve that sends all the signals to your brain that determine your balance and vision, etc. I was put on to a vestibular physiotherapist, and after nearly two months of seeing him, the problems began to clear up, which was a big relief.”

Meara will ride a 450 KTM for Jake Preston and is looking forward to the experience.

“He is mad keen on this, and it’s a whole lot easier just to show up and ride for him; he has a pretty impressive set-up.”

James Mackrel is back for his third year of Arenacross after missing out on the 2025 series through injury. The fast and spectacular Dundonald rider will race for the Mark McCann team.

Lewis Spratt was on the podium both nights last year in the AX Futures class, but the Omagh teenager will move up to the Pro Amateur class for 2026, riding the Jet Products Yamaha.