The KX250F Claims the Top Three Spots in Arenacross Championship
. By Bikeland Staff
The 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross season came to an exciting conclusion in the Orleans Arena Saturday night, with Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy®/AMSOIL Kawasaki riders Gavin Faith, Chris Blose and Jacob Hayes finishing first, second and third respectively in the series championship standings. All three riders put in amazing rides in both Main Events as they swept the podium for the overall on the night. Despite winning both main events, Blose was unable to take the championship from his teammate Faith who finished second in both races. The championship podium sweep marks the sixth Arenacross title in seven years for Kawasaki and the KX™250F.
In Main Event 1 Blose was strongest out of the gate, followed closely by Faith in second with Hayes in fourth. On Lap 2 Faith put in the fastest lap of the race while on a charge for the lead, but would think better of it and settle in for second. With five laps to go Hayes stuck his pass and moved into the final podium position. The running order of the top three would remain unchanged until the checkers for a Kawasaki podium sweep. In the second main the fans watched as Blose was bravest on the brakes yet again, crossing the line on Lap 1 in first, with Faith in third and teammate Hayes in seventh. After five laps Faith moved himself into second place where he would remain until the checkers, while Hayes started ticking off passes. When the dust settled on Main Event 2 it was déjà vu on the podium with Blose, Faith and Hayes finishing first, second and third respectively. This result earned Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki a one, two, three sweep of each Main Event, the Las Vegas event overall win and one, two, three sweep of the AMSOIL Arenacross Championship!
Jacob Hayes:
“It was an interesting day for the final round of AMSOIL Arenacross,” said Hayes. “Practice started out a bit rough for me because we’ve been chasing our tail a bit trying to get my suspension dialed in. After practice I went back to my practice setup that I was running earlier in the year and immediately felt comfortable and was able to ride like myself. My team went one, two, three in both main events and in the overall championship. I ended up third in the series but I feel like I’ve matured and learned a lot this year. I was on a tear in the middle of the season with a 20-point lead until an injury kept me out for a couple races. Even with the races I missed I have the most Main Event wins out of anyone so I’m proud of how my season went.”
Gavin Faith:
“It was a pretty nerve-racking day for me,” said Faith. “It was the most pressure I’ve had in my career but I feel I handled it pretty well. In both mains I had good starts on my KX250F and ran up front, I finished behind Blose but I knew I didn’t need to pass him to win the championship so I settled in and rode smart. It feels absolutely incredible to walk away with the No. 1 plate!”
Chris Blose:
“Practice for me didn’t go exactly as planned,” said Blose, “but I came back and won the Head 2 Head Challenge and both Main Events. I’m bummed about ending the season second but it was really close to the win and I ended on a high note with tonight’s results. I said I was going to let it all hang out tonight and that’s exactly what I did, all I can do now is look forward to next year.”