Babbitt's Monster Energy TiLube Kawasaki's Tyler Bowers Scores Second Arenacross Win in Toldeo, Ohio.
. By Bikeland Staff
Babbitt’s Monster Energy TiLube Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers scored his second win of the season at round five of the Arenacross series in Toledo, Ohio. Seemingly unstoppable on Friday night, Bowers won the first main event of the second two-day race weekend. With two wins under his belt and three second-place finishes, Bowers is in championship contention, only three points behind the current leader. While his teammates Chad Johnson and Gray Davenport got off to a rough start on Friday night, they were able to work their way back up to fifth and sixth, respectively. Saturday night saw Bowers take the runner-up spot, while Johnson finished fourth and Davenport was sixth.
Determined to Win
Although he did not lead most of Friday’s 25-lap main event, Bowers rode with determination and steadily gained time on race leader Jeff Gibson. He was able to make up most of his time in the whoops section where he finally passed Gibson for the lead two-thirds into the race. After making the pass, he maintained a fast pace, continuing to pull away from the rest of the field. Saturday night Bowers crashed in his qualifying heat forcing him to the LCQ, which he won. Despite the poor gate choice he was able to battle his way through the pack to finish an impressive second, closing in on the series points lead.
“Both nights I didn’t start how I wanted,” said Bowers. “I was able to work my way back out front to win Friday, and take second Saturday. My KX™450 was great, I was able to charge through the whoops and power past everyone. It’s all about the main event, both nights I rode smart and kept pressure on the point leader Jeff (Gibson).”
Not Far Behind
This weekend Chad Johnson saw a fair amount of contact with other riders, which kept knocking him down the leaderboard. Friday night while attempting to move into fourth place, his handlebars clipped another rider’s fender, knocking Johnson down and back to finish sixth-place. On Saturday night he got off to a good start, but again tangled with another rider, knocking him back to fourth place. Davenport was able to overcome bad gate picks to finish in fifth and sixth respectively. His good results kept him in fourth place in the point standings, leaving him just behind his teammate Johnson, who is currently ranked third.
“Friday night I clipped my handlebars attempting to make a pass, which put me behind Davenport at the finish,” said Johnson. “Saturday night I had a pretty good start in the main, but then stuck my foot in someone’s wheel. I later battled with Gibson for third, but just couldn’t get by him.”
Friday Night Special
The Babbitt’s Monster Energy TiLube Kawasaki team has proven to be a threat by securing podium finishes in every main event of the season. At both Friday night events this season, the team has been able to come away with wins and consistent finishes.
“I’m pretty happy with the team, in particular with how Tyler rode,” said Team Manager Denny Bartz. “He rode patiently both nights and kept the pressure on Gibson, waiting for him to make mistakes. Chad and Gray did well too, despite tough starts, and were able to collect enough points to maintain their standings in the overall championship.”
Louisville Sluggers
Next weekend the series heads to Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. for round six of the AMA Arenacross series. Now ranked second, third, and fourth overall in the championship standings, the Babbitt’s Monster Energy TiLube Kawasaki team is looking to keep the momentum going and the wins coming in another exciting race weekend.
Results
AMA Arenacross Series
Huntington Center – Toledo, Ohio.
February 4-6, 2011
AMA Arenacross Class Results (Friday)
1. TYLER BOWERS, DANVILLE, KY, BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI
2. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
3. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Honda
4. Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, Yamaha
5. GRAY DAVENPORT, LEHI, UTAH, BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI
6. CHAD JOHNSON, RHINELANDER, WIS., BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI
7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Yamaha
8. Brock Sellards, Sherodsville, Ohio, Honda
9. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
10. Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatlong, NJ, Suzuki
AMA Arenacross Class Results (Saturday)
1. Cole Siebler, Emmett, Idaho, Honda
2. TYLER BOWERS, DANVILLE, KY, BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI
3. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
4. CHAD JOHNSON, RHINELANDER, WIS., BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI
5. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Honda
6. GRAY DAVENPORT, LEHI, UTAH, BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI
7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Yamaha
8. Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatlong, NJ, Suzuki
9. Daniel Aulseybrook, Ortonville, MI, Suzuki
10. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
AMA Arenacross Point Standings
1. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda, 155
2. TYLER BOWERS, DANVILLE, KY, BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI, 152
3. CHAD JOHNSON, RHINELANDER, WIS., BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI, 140
4. GRAY DAVENPORT, LEHI, UTAH, BABBITTS MONSTER ENERGY TILUBE KAWASAKI, 112
5. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Honda, 112
6. Cole Siebler, Emmett, Idaho, Honda, 109
7. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda, 89
8. Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, Yamaha, 82
9. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., Yamaha, 79
10. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki, 73