Arenacross

Gavin Faith Sweeps Louisville for Second AMSOIL Arenacross Victory

Posted:

Sunday, February 5th, 2017

1:55 PM

AMSOIL Arenacross hosted its fifth round of the 2017 season on Saturday with an exciting night of competition from Freedom Hall.

A sweep of the 250AX Class Main Events gave Team Babbitt's/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki, presented by AP Design, rider Gavin Faith his second overall victory of the season. In the Eastern Regional AX Lites Class, Yamaha Rock River bLU cRU rider Justin Cooper raced to his third win of the season, extending his points lead.

Before the Main Events got underway, defending AMSOIL Arenacross Champion Faith raced to his fourth RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge win of the season, outlasting TiLUBE/Jack Link's/TUF Racing Honda rider and championship leader Jace Owen.

Faith carried the momentum of the Head 2 Head Challenge right into the first Main Event, grabbing the holeshot over Owen, with Matt Goerke in third. By the conclusion of the opening lap Faith already held a lead of over a second on the field, which he would never relinquish. Owen was able to keep Faith in sight and solidified his hold on second, while teammates Goerke and Blose engaged in an exciting battle for third over the early stages of the race.

Gavin Faith's (1) Head 2 Head Challenge win over Goerke (101) vaulted him to the overall victory. Photo: ShiftOne Photography

Faith pulled away over the second half of the race to take the win by 3.5 seconds over Owen. Behind them, Goerke fended off Blose for third, with Motosport Hillsboro Kawasaki's Gared Steinke in fifth.

As the field roared out the gate to start the second Main Event it was Owen who edged out Faith for the holeshot, taking the early lead. TiLUBE/Jack Link's/TUF Racing Honda's Ben Lamay was third, with Goerke fourth. Owen and Faith began a battle for the top spot that saw the gap between them hover around a second. As they entertained the crowd out front, Goerke made the pass on Lamay for third on Lap 4. On Lap 8 Faith's persistence paid off as he was able to get by Owen for the lead. In the closing stages Owen fell into the clutches of a hard-charging Goerke, who made the pass for second on Lap 12.

Faith went on to take the win 1.4 seconds ahead of Goerke, with Owen third. Blose fought his way from seventh to finish fourth, with Steinke fifth.

Jace Owen maintained his points lead with an overall podium result. Photo: ShiftOne Photography

Faith's sweep of the Main Events gave him his second overall victory of the season. Goerke's late pass on Owen was enough to land him second overall (3-2) with Owen third (2-3). Blose was fourth (4-4) with Steinke fifth (5-5).

Faith was able to close his deficit to Owen in the 250AX Class standings, which now sits at 17 points. Goerke held on to third, 25 points out of the lead.

Justin Cooper added to his lead in the Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Championship. Photo: ShiftOne Photography

The start of the 15-lap Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Main Event saw an early battle between Woodstock KTM's Hunter Sayles and Cooper out of the gate, but it was Babbitt's/GPF/Monster Energy Kawasaki/MMCR's Jacob Williamson who emerged with the lead coming out of the whoops.

Williamson was able to sprint out to an early lead, while Cooper settled into second and Sayles third. However, the race turned into Cooper's favor on Lap 2 when Williamson crashed out of the lead in the whoops and dropped to the tail end of the field, eventually reentering multiple laps down. That allowed Cooper to take over control of the Main Event, where he proceeded to check out on the field.

Behind him, Sayles and MTF Yamaha's Wilson Fleming fought for the final two spots on the podium, but it was Isaac Teasdale who was the rider to watch. After starting seventh, the KTM rider began an impressive march to the front, taking over fourth on Lap 3, and passing Fleming for third on Lap 5. He methodically closed in on Sayles for second and waiting for the opportunity to make the pass, successfully doing so on Lap 11.

Cooper went unchallenged for the win and crossed the finish line more than 12 seconds ahead of Teasdale. Sayles rounded out the podium in third.

Cooper added to his championship lead, and now sits 18 points ahead of Williamson, who finished 15th. Teasdale moved into third, 19 points out of the lead.

AMSOIL Arenacross will observe its first off weekend of the season and will continue with the sixth round from Kansas City, Missouri's Sprint Center on Saturday, February 18.

Main Photo: Gavin Faith earned his second overall win of 2017.
Credit: ShiftOne Photography

250AX Class Results - Main Event 1
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
2. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha
4. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM
7. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
9. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
10. Josh Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Kawasaki

250AX Class Results - Main Event 2
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
2. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha
3. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
4. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM
7. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., Kawasaki
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
9. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
10. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki

250AX Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha (3-2)
3. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (2-3)
4. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (4-4)
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (5-5)
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (6-6)
7. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (8-8)
8. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM (7-9)
9. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., Kawasaki (11-7)
10. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (9-10)

RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (Bonus Points)
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (2 points)
2. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1 point)
3. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)
4. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha (1 point)
5. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (1 point)
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (1 point)
7. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (1 point)
8. Keith Tucker, Fuquay Varina, N.C., Yamaha (1 point)

Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Results
1. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha
2. Isaac Teasdale, Robbinsville, N.C., KTM
3. Hunter Sayles, Merrill, Wis., KTM
4. Wilson Fleming, Cairo, Ga., Yamaha
5. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
6. Max Markolf, Winchester, Calif., KTM
7. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ind., Kawasaki
8. Jeramy Taylor, Canton, Ohio, KTM
9. Brandon Marley, McEwen, Texas, KTM
10. Lane Shaw, Alvin, Texas, Honda

250AX Class Championship Standings
1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda - 191 (7 Main Event Wins)
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki - 174 (4 Main Event Wins)
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha - 166
4. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki - 119
5. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha - 133
6. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda - 130 (1 Main Event Win)
7. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM - 118
8. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki - 89
9. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM - 87
10. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM - 69

Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Championship Standings
1. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 90 (3 Main Event Wins)
2. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki - 72 (1 Main Event Win)
3. Isaac Teasdale, Robbinsville, N.C., KTM - 71
4. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM - 58 (2 Main Event Wins)
5. Brandon Gourley, Boonville, Ind., KTM - 40
6. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., Kawasaki - 40
7. Josiah Hempen, Argyle, Iowa, Yamaha - 31
8. Broc Gourley, Boonville, Ind., Suzuki - 27
9. Dylan Greer, Summerfield, Fla., Yamaha - 26
10. Cody Williams, Barneveld, Wis., Kawasaki - 24