Team Babbitt's Matt Goerke Emerges from the Fray as AMSOIL Arenacross Points Leader Heading into Colorado Springs

2015-01-21 11:04
Through three nights of action, the 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael's Road to Supercross, has been as unpredictable as ever. Three different riders have walked away with an overall victory, and attrition has already claimed some of the biggest title hopefuls in the Arenacross Class. Through it all, Team Babbitt's Monster Energy Kawasaki's Matt Goerke has stayed consistent and kept himself out of trouble to emerge as the championship leader heading into this weekend's third round of action from Colorado Springs, Colorado, at Broadmoor World Arena.

AMSOIL Arenacross' first ever visit to "The Springs" will feature the second straight weekend with back-to-back nights of competition on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. As evidenced this past weekend, that means anything can happen and the points could once again experience a major shift. The action gets underway for both nights at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. ET.

This past weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the hometown Babbitt's squad carried the momentum following an impressive opening round in which it swept the overall podium. However, both Chris Blose, who entered the weekend as the points leader, and Zach Ames, who sat just two points behind Blose in second, were both forced out of competition following some misfortune. That left the door open for another rider to take control of the Arenacross Class standings and while fellow Team Babbitt's rider Jacob Hayes made the first statement on Friday night by taking the win, it was Goerke who's incredible consistency over the course of two nights allowed him to open a significant advantage in the points heading into Colorado Springs.

Goerke was a picture of consistency in Grand Rapids, posting three podium finishes out of the four Main Events. Despite coming away with considerably more fortune than his teammates and a large portion of the Arenacross Class field, Goerke still wasn't void of some hard luck of his own. The Florida native was in full control of the first Main Event on Saturday when the Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing machine of Kyle Regal flew into his path following an incident between Regal and Hayes, who were battling for fourth at the time. While Goerke was able to avoid catastrophe by not making contact with the bike, his evasive actions still forced him into the wall and onto the ground, facing in the wrong direction. Fortunately for Goerke, he was able to remount and get going in the right direction quickly, but not before Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing's Gavin Faith took over the lead. Faith went on to win the first Main Event, with Goerke recovering to finish second.

Faith's strong performance continued in the second Main Event in which he capitalized on the momentum from his victory to finish second and secure the first overall win of his career. As for Goerke, he showed his resiliency and battled through the field from an 11th-place start to just miss out on the podium in fourth. That come-from-behind effort proved to be the key to Goerke's ability to take over sole possession of the points lead and bring a 16-point lead into Colorado Springs.

Goerke has stayed out of trouble in 2015 and has been rewarded at the current points leader.

Despite some misfortune of his own on Saturday night, in which he followed up his Friday night win with an 11th-place effort on Saturday, Hayes remains second in the championship standings. A strong weekend by Slaka Wear KTM's Steven Mages, highlighted by a win in the final Main Event on Saturday, has moved him into a tie for third place with TZR Woodstock KTM's Travis Sewell.

The two riders who sat atop the Arenacross Class points coming into Grand Rapids - Blose and Ames - are now eighth and 14th, respectively. Blose was able to soldier his way to a an eighth-place finish on Friday in Michigan, but the effects of some big crashes through the first two weeks of the season left him getting treatment at a local hospital for severe bruising and general trauma to his back and side. Blose fully expects to be back on the gate this weekend. As for Ames, his status remains undetermined after a crash in practice on Friday afternoon left him sidelined for the entirety of the weekend. The title contender is hopeful he can get back into action and will be on track if he gets even the slightest green light to ride.

After such an up-and-down weekend for a large portion of the Arenacross Class field, it's anyone's guess as to what will take place in Colorado Springs. Faith's big win on Saturday surely added to the complexity of this wide open championship battle and it is likely that the parity AMSOIL Arenacross has enjoyed thus far in 2015 will continue this weekend.



AMSOIL Arenacross will be back at it again with two nights of action from Colorado Springs.

Photo: Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography



The debut inside Broadmoor World Arena will also kick off the opening round of the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship. In the first three nights of Eastern Regional competition the rising stars of the Road to Supercross grabbed the spotlight, winning all three Main Events thus far. The Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green tandem of Darian Sanayei and Mitchell Harrison have both proven they have the speed to be successful in the pro ranks and the Western Regional opener in Colorado Springs provides another opportunity for another Road to Supercross star to step into the forefront and make his presence felt.



The third round of AMSOIL Arenacross kicks off in Colorado Springs this Friday night, January 23rd, and continues on Saturday, January 24th, inside Broadmoor World Arena. Racing begins at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.



Previous Round Results

Van Andel Arena - Grand Rapids, Michigan



Night One - January 16, 2015



Arenacross Class Results - Main Event 1

Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna
Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda



Arenacross Class Results - Main Event 2

Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Honda
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda



Arenacross Class Results - Overall (Main Event Finishes)

Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1-2)
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (5-1)
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (3-3)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (4-4)
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (8-7)
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (7-8)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (11-5)
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (2-15)
Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (6-12)
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda (10-10)


Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results

Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM
Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Indiana, KTM



Night Two - January 17, 2015



Arenacross Class Results - Main Event 1

Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Yamaha



Arenacross Class Results - Main Event 2

Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna
Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM



Arenacross Class Results - Overall (Main Event Finishes)

Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (1-2)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (5-1)
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (3-3)
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (2-4)
Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (4-6)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (7-8)
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (6-9)
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (14-5)
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (9-10)
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda (8-11)



Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results

Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Georgia, Kawasaki
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
Christian Telker, Brownsville, Ind., Yamaha
Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM
Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki



Arenacross Class Points (Race 3 of 20)

Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki - 84
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki - 68 (2 Main Event wins)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM - 64 (1 Main Event win)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM - 64
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM - 63
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna - 60 (1 Main Event win)
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda - 50
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki - 49 (1 Main Event win)
Robert Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha - 49
Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki - 44



Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 3 of 10)

Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda - 44
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM - 41
Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki - 33 (2 Main Event wins)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM - 29
Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM - 26
Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki - 24
Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki - 20
Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Georgia, Kawasaki - 18 (1 Main Event win)
Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha - 18
Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM - 18

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About Feld Motor Sports®

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports productions include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross and Nuclear Cowboyz®. Feld Motor Sports is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world's largest producer of live family entertainment. Official Monster Truck Series only at Monster Jam. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

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