After Strong Opening Weekend, Bowers Leads AMSOIL Arenacross into Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena2013-01-08 16:39The revamped AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, ushered in its new era last weekend with the opening round of the 2013 season from Worcester, Mass. With one of the most talented fields in history, a pair of Main Events on each night of competition, Head-to-Head Bracket Racing, and a live Saturday night broadcast on SPEED to cap it off in front of a stellar crowd, the first stop of the season was a fitting wait to get the New Year underway. This weekend, AMSOIL Arenacross returns to “The Charm City” of Baltimore and 1st Mariner Arena for the second round of the season on Friday and Saturday night. With the new, exciting changes and competitive lineup of riders, back-to-back AMSOIL Arenacross Champion Tyler Bowers knew he would have his work cut out for him in his quest for a third consecutive Arenacross Class title aboard his Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki, presented by Maxxis machine. In Worcester, his biggest challengers were his Babbitt’s teammate Zach Ames and up-and-coming rider Michael McDade, who rides for Mosites Motorsports Kawasaki. Both riders forced Bowers to be at his best over the course of two nights of competition, with all three ultimately finding success over the weekend. On Friday night, Bowers got his title defense off to a strong start by winning the first Main Event of the 2013 season. Following an eight-rider inversion, Bowers needed to overcome an outside gate pick for the second Main Event. When the champ stalled his bike on the opening lap, Ames and McDade took over, with McDade ultimately prevailing. Bowers was able to recover for a fifth-place finish, but it was Ames who stood atop the overall podium for the win and points lead with a pair of runner-up finishes. On Saturday night, Bowers made a statement to his rivals, showing that the championship would still run through him with an impressive sweep of the Main Events. To make his triumph even sweeter, Bowers overcame a full 16-rider inversion in the second Main Event to take the last gate pick and turn it into victory. Once again, McDade and Ames were consistent, but Bowers now enters the Baltimore stop as the points leader thanks to his dominant performance. One of the most intriguing elements of the championship will be Head-to-Head Bracket Racing, which pits the top four finishers from each night’s pair of qualifying Heats for the Main Events. The eight riders will battle it out over the course of two-lap sprints, eliminating the losers until one rider prevails to earn and important championship point. In Worcester, Bowers and Team Faith/FLY Racing/Pilot Travel Centers KTM’s Jeff Gibson emerges triumphant on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. Consistency will be of an even greater emphasis for the 2013 season as a result of the new format. With points at a premium virtually every time the riders take to the track, being able to qualify in one of the 10 spots for the season-ending Race to the Championship will be the only way to have a chance to win the title. The Race to the Championship begins at the seventh round of the season. As the fourth-winningest rider in AMSOIL Arenacross history, Bowers knows what it takes to be consistent. However, with the emergence of Ames and McDade, along with veteran contenders Gibson, Kelly Smith, Nathan Skaggs, and more, he will be heavily challenged in his quest for a third consecutive title. Nevertheless, with three wins in four Main Events, Bowers is getting the season off to the start he needs as the points leader. In the Arenacross Lites Class, McDade also found success, winning on Friday night. However, with consistent performances across Friday and Saturday night, Honda rider Derrick Barnaby is in position to assume control of the standings, sitting just three points out of the lead. The Baltimore stop of AMSOIL Arenacross inside 1st Mariner Arena kicks off Friday, January 11, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The action continues with a second night of action on Saturday, January 12, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Broadcast coverage of Saturday night can be seen via tape delay on Sunday, January 13, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Previous Round Results: DCU Center – Worcester, Mass. January 4-5, 2013 Round 1 of 10 Arenacross Class Results – Night One (Main Event Finishes) Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (2-2) Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki (5-1) Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1-5) Robby Marshall, Stow, Mass., KTM (4-3) Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (6-4) Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki (3-12) Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (10-10) Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda (9-11) Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM (12-9) Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (8-13) Arenacross Class Results – Night Two (Main Event Finishes) Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1,1) Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki (3,2) Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (2,7) Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM (4,8) Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda (12,5) Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (11,6) Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Kawasaki (14,4) Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki (6,12) Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (16,3) Robby Marshall, Stow, Mass., KTM (9,10) Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results – Night One 1. Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki 2. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki 3. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda 4. Derrick Barnaby, Sterling, Conn., Honda 5. Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda 6. Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Kawasaki 7. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM 8. Travis Delnicki, Woodstock Valle, Conn., Suzuki 9. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda 10. Brian Alquist, Lagrange, Calif., Kawasaki Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results – Night Two Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Kawasaki Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda Fredrik Noren, Perris, Calif., KTM Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM Zachary Newberry, Fincastle, Va., Suzuki Brice Klippel, Bradford, Tenn., KTM Travis Delnicki, Woodstock Valle, Conn., Suzuki Konnor Buffis, Pittsfield, Mass., Honda Vaughn Mays, Genoa City, Wis., KTM Arenacross Class Points (After Race 2 of 16) Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 61 Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki – 57 Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 55 Robby Marshall, Stow, Mass., KTM – 42 Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 39 Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM – 36 Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki – 35 Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda – 29 Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 29 Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 29 Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 2 of 8) Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki – 16 Derrick Barnaby, Sterling, Conn., Honda – 13 Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 10 Travis Delnicki, Woodstock Valle, Conn., Suzuki – 9 Jeremy Pronovost, St. Philippe, Canada, KTM – 5 Vaughn Mays, Genoa City, Wis., KTM – 4 Nick Hardacre, Dayton, Ohio, Kawasaki – 2 Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM – 1 2013 Head-to-Head Bracket Winners: Worcester Night One – Tyler Bowers Worcester Night Two – Jeff Gibson Source: Feld Motor Sports Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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