While many will be crossing the Irish Sea to compete in the two rounds at the SSE Arena in Belfast that conclude the 2026 Arenacross Tour, there are three riders in the Pro class who will enjoy the biggest dirt bike events of the year on their own island, and are looking to make that crowd support count on-track!

Martin Barr, Jason Meara, and James Mackrel are three well-established names in the Arenacross world who can’t wait to get stuck into the series, and especially the two nights in front of their Belfast brethren, where they know that every move they make will be watched and, if successful, cheered to the rafters!

The Veteran – Martin Barr

To fans from anywhere in the British Isles, or even worldwide, Martin Barr has symbolised Irish Motocross with his professional, never-say-die attitude on track, as well as his approachable friendliness off it. It was under the lights in Belfast that his career was truly launched, as he won the 85cc British Supercross Championship in one of his first appearances indoors, leading to a career-long love affair with this branch of motorcycle sport.

His performance there opened the door for him to secure rides with top teams in the UK, that allowed him to compete both domestically and internationally to the highest level. Representing Team Ireland in the biggest off-road event of them all, the Motocross of Nations, no less than 19 times, Marty has inspired the famous Leprechaun-costumed fans to travel the world in his wake, missing only one event since his debut in France in 2005 and leading his team into the top 15 in the world on four occasions!

Martin has hit the podium many times in British Championship competition over his long career, but announced his full-time retirement from the sport at the end of last year’s British Championship, finishing with a typically gutsy ride in the sand of Lyng just a month after a painful leg break at Foxhills in August. One of his career highlights came at the SSE last January, with an amazing third place on the Friday night behind two of the fastest men on the Tour, his 2026 teammate Dean Wilson and multiple British MX Champion Conrad Mewse. Conrad in particular echoed the thoughts of the paddock by paying tribute to Marty during his podium interview.

So as his retirement is put on hold – “I’ll always try and race, and I just love Arenacross anyway!” - so that he can once more enjoy two nights in the lights in Belfast, Martin Barr lines up for the 2026 AX campaign alongside defending Champion Dean Wilson on Mark Chamberlain’s Armor Vision St Blazey squad. Write off the 38-year-old battler from Ballyclare at your peril, as the fans will hit the roof if he can get to spray the bubbly again!

The Fighter – Jason Meara

Motocross and Arenacross is all very much a family affair, as virtually every pro rider will tell you of their parents’ sacrifices to put wheels under their kids in the first place, as well as the worry of watching their offspring tear around a rough circuit amongst dozens of other nutcases on their way through the ranks. Imagine, then, what the parents of Jason Meara has lived through, as he is the second-oldest of four racing brothers between the ages of 31 and 17 to have raced professionally, while an even younger brother has started ripping around on 65cc machines in the last year as well! Older brother John, by three years, has backed away from it a little, as has Jason’s equally younger sibling Cailum, but young Jack Meara is becoming something of an MX2 rising star and will no doubt benefit from the family experience.

Jason has lined up three times for the Irish Nations team, and has built steadily towards the top of British Championship racing. At the start of 2024, a fine third place finish behind Dutch legend Jeffrey Herlings and the world’s fastest current Englishman Conrad Mewse set Jason up for a solid British Championship run that put him sixth in the final reckoning, just three points ahead of countryman Martin Barr at the end of 11 points-scoring races!

Jason was running in that top six again after the first two rounds of 2025, until experiencing one of the worst nightmares that can strike a racer at the peak of their career – a mystery illness.Injuries are, of course, not unheard of in this sport, and although freaky things can happen, the riders know that eliminating mistakes can help avoid them. For several months in 2025, however, Jason had to deal with one of the most frustrating situations for a pro racer in the prime of his athletic life – a medical issue that proved very difficult to diagnose.

“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.”

It took four further months for Jason to feel good enough to get back on a dirt bike again, and unlike the usual scenario of coming back with a physical impairment to work through, he was even more relieved that it felt like he’d never been away! Building up his undoubted speed, and with two night in Belfast to look forward to, he is chomping at the bit to get behind the gate for Arenacross 2026!

“I’m terrible at asking for help, so I put a post on Instagram to see if I could get a ride, and Jake Preston responded almost straight away. He is mad keen on this and it’s a whole lot easier to just show up and ride for him, he has a pretty impressive setup!”

Hailing from Loughbrickland near the town of Banbridge just 30 minutes south of Belfast, and with four years of experience in the pro ranks, Meara has got the Belfast crowd behind him before – “I won a Head-to-Head final last year, beating both Ash Greedy and Eddie Wade, and 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! They both took their shot, but I got the win and the crowd went mental!”

After his turbulent year in 2025, Jason will be fired up to perform in 2026 and could be a good outset bet for a podium spot, which would certainly complete a comeback tale for the ages.

The Underdog – James Mackrel

Another rider returning to action in 2026 is local boy James Mackrel. The lad from Dundonald, just nine miles from the Arena itself, is back for his third year of Arenacross action after breaking his arm badly in preparation for the 2025 Tour.

A self-proclaimed aggressive rider who loves the intensity of Arenacross, he is another local favourite who can’t wait to return to the SSE, so much so that he even forgot that the Birmingham round happens before the Belfast double-header!

“I had my left arm plated but it got infected, it was really sore and I very nearly lost it, so it took a lot longer to get over than it should have done and really cost me the whole year.” Fighting from the Mark McCann team awning in 2026, Mackrel’s career highlight was an LCQ win in Belfast 2024, with the crowd behind him all the way! “There’s no opportunity to pace yourself in Arenacross, if you’re not flat put you’ll be at the back, and that suits me fine!”

The 27-year-old is a real underdog ready to fight his way forward, and with enough backing and experience behind him, as well as that Belfast bedlam urging him on, he will be another one to watch as he battles to keep the home fans happy!

All three local favourites have good reason to put up impressive performances at Belfast, as well as that opening night in Birmingham. As Martin himself says, “We’re all petrolheads here!” and that Irish flavour certainly adds another awesome element to the Arenacross hot sauce in 2026!