It had been over a decade since AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael‰Ûªs Road to Supercross, had last visited Nampa, Idaho, and the first night of the championship‰Ûªs anticipated return produced a historic and memorable result.
Babbitt‰Ûªs Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis rider Tyler Bowers emerged with his fifth Arenacross Class overall victory on Friday night, but needed to rely on a tiebreaker to overcome his teammate and current points leader Zach Ames.
Motosport.com/MJM Express/Spinechillers Racing Kawasaki‰Ûªs Michael McDade grabbed the holeshot and early lead in the first Arenacross Class Main Event of the evening, with Ames and Bowers in tow. The trio maintained their positions for the bulk of the 15-lap race and opened a big lead over the rest of the field that eventually grew to over 10 seconds.
On Lap 10, Ames made his move on McDade after patiently waiting for the opportunity to arise and went on to lead the final five laps to take the win. McDade held on for second, keeping a hard charging Bowers at bay.
Ames selected the inversion for the second Main Event, with half the field ‰ÛÒ eight riders ‰ÛÒ ultimately alternating positions.
Farmers Insurance/Reynard Mods Suzuki‰Ûªs Cory Green moved into the early lead to start the second Main Event, with TiLUBE/PBR/TUF Racing Honda‰Ûªs Kyle Regal and McDade following in second a third. Bowers crossed the line in fourth, with Ames a couple positions behind in sixth.
On the opening lap, McDade made the move to first and set his sights on victory. Behind him, both Bowers and Ames made quick moves to the front and by the time the fourth lap was completed, it was once again McDade, Bowers, and Ames pacing the field. McDade appeared to have control of the lead but lost control in the whoops on Lap 7 and went down, allowing Bowers to move into first with Ames in second.
Green took over possession of third while McDade fell outside the top 10 and ultimately lost two laps on the field. Once in the lead, Bowers never looked back and took the win with Ames in second. Regal made the pass on Green for third on Lap 13 when Green experienced misfortune and fell to sixth.
As the total points from the Main Events were tallied, Ames held a one-point advantage. However, earlier in the evening Bowers outdueled his teammate in the final of Head-to-Head Bracket Racing to earn an additional championship bonus point and put the duo into a tie. By virtue of his win in the second Main Event, which carries more weight in a tiebreaker, Bowers was awarded the win and further proved the value of winning the Head-to-Head Bracket racing each night.
Bowers has won six Head-to-Head Brackets this season, including the last four, resulting in six additional bonus points towards the championship.
Bowers (3-1) and Ames (1-2) were joined on the overall podium by Regal (5-3).
By virtue of their tie, Ames maintained his three-point lead over Bowers in the Arenacross Class standings.
Arenacross Lites
In the second race of the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship, Gateway Cycles Kawasaki‰Ûªs Steven Mages took the win to extend his early points lead.
The second night of action in the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship began the same way it did one week ago in Sacramento with Frontier Lubricants KTM‰Ûªs Daniel Blair taking over the early lead. Mages moved into second place off the start and instantly set his sights on Blair, while Team DirtBikeMike KTM‰Ûªs Brandon Glenn assumed third.
Mages pressured Blair for several laps before making the pass for the lead on Lap 4. Once out front, he never relinquished the position despite consistent pressure from Blair. A battle for third ensued in the late stages of the 18-lap Main Event with AJ Oilfield Services Kawasaki‰Ûªs Gray Davenport taking over the spot on Lap 12, only to be passed by Motosport Hillsboro KTM‰Ûªs Gared Steinke on Lap 16. Steinke held on to join Mages and Blair on the podium.
In her anticipated return to AMSOIL Arenacross, Babbitt‰Ûªs Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki‰Ûªs Vicki Golden qualified to compete in both the Arenacross Class and Arenacross Lites Class, earning her first of three required points in the Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross.
The Nampa round of AMSOIL Arenacross continues tomorrow night inside the Idaho Center.
Arenacross Class Results ‰ÛÒ Main Event 1
1. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
2. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki
3. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
4. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
5. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda
6. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Kawasaki
7. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
8. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
9. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki
10. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Results ‰ÛÒ Main Event 1
1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
2. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
3. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda
4. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
7. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki
8. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
9. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Kawasaki
10. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Points (After Race 10 of 19)
1. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 271 Pts
2. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 268 Pts
3. Jacob Hayes, Greensboro, N.C., Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 198 Pts
4. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 196 Pts
5. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda ‰ÛÒ 177 Pts
6. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM ‰ÛÒ 176 Pts
7. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki ‰ÛÒ 174 Pts
8. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM ‰ÛÒ 164 Pts
9. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 157 Pts
10. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., KTM ‰ÛÒ 144 Pts
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Round Results
1. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
2. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
3. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., KTM
4. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki
5. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
6. Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM
7. Brian Alquist, LaGrange, Calif., KTM
8. Jeremy Pronovost, St. Phillipe, Quebec, Canada, KTM
9. Lane Staley, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM
10. Josh Diercks, Atascadero, Calif., Honda
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 2 of 10)
1. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 31 Pts
2. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM ‰ÛÒ 26 Pts
3. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda ‰ÛÒ 25 Pts
4. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 20 Pts
5. Lane Staley, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM ‰ÛÒ 17 Pts
6. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM ‰ÛÒ 15 Pts
7. Ryan Breece, Athol, Idaho, Kawasaki ‰ÛÒ 13 Pts
8. Brian Alquist, LaGrange, Calif., KTM ‰ÛÒ 10 Pts
9. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda ‰ÛÒ 10 Pts
10. Josh Diercks, Atascadero, Calif., Honda ‰ÛÒ 7 Pts
