EnduroCross Championships On the Line This Weekend
. By Bikeland Staff
The 2016 AMA EnduroCross Championship will wrap up inside the Citizens Business Bank Arena this weekend in Ontario, California and Colton Haaker is on the verge of wrapping up his first title. The Husqvarna factory rider comes in with a fourteen point lead over KTM’s Cody Webb and only needs a seventh place finish to clinch it. Haaker has five wins and two second place finishes so far in 2016 but EnduroCross obstacles make nothing a sure thing.
Webb, the two time defending AMA EnduroCross champion, has two wins, four seconds and one third place finish so far in 2016 and will need to win to keep any hopes of a third championship alive.
The battle for third position in the championship is also very interesting as Husqvarna’s Mike Brown currently holds a five point lead over twenty year old Ty Tremaine, who rides for the RPM KTM team. Brown is a motorcycle racing legend that refuses to give an inch while Tremaine is proving to be one of the stars of the future.
Beta backed Kyle Redmond and Max Gerston are currently fifth and sixth and still have a chance at third as well. Seventh is held by SRT KTM backed Cory Graffunder. Trystan Hart and Noah Kepple are close behind holding eighth and ninth respectively and are also among the young riders mixing it up with the extablished stars. And speaking of established stars, GasGas backed Geoff Aaron rounds out the top ten.
The EnduroCross Junior Championship within a championship recognizes riders that are 21 and under and Tremaine holds a solid lead in that battle. Canada’s Hart is second and followed closely by Kepple.
There is also a manufacturer’s championship on the line in Ontario and for the first time in several years, KTM is facing stiff competition from Husqvarna. The manufacturer’s championship counts the main event points for the top two finishers for each brand and Husqvarna currently has a one point lead over KTM, 289 to 288 respectively. And Beta is a solid third with 206 points.
In the Women’s class, Canada’s Shelby Turner holds an almost insurmountable 21 point lead coming into the finals. The KTM rider has six wins and one second place finish so far in 2016 and should clinch her first EnduroCross title this weekend. Beta’s Morgan Tanke is currently in second and RPM KTM’s Rachel Gutish is third but out with an injury suffered at the ISDE.
The Open Amateur, Vet and TrialsCross classes will all be gunning for AMA Grand Championship number one plates as the regional winners at all eight events (including the morning race in Ontario) face off in the evening main events. In the Vet class, former champion Kurt Nicholl will be attempting to take the number one plate on the Alta Electric bike.
Don’t miss out on the action, you can get tickets at www.endurocross.com/buy-tickets. You can also get tickets at the following local Powersports retailers.
John Burr Cycles: www.johnburrcycles.com
Moto UNTD: www.motountd.com
All eight rounds of the 2016 AMA EnduroCross series will air on the CBS Sports Network for the second consecutive year. For CBS Sports Network information, please visit www.cbssportsnetwork.com
2016 AMA EnduroCross Championship Schedule
Date - Location - Arena / Additional Information
August 27, 2016 - Duluth, Georgia - Infinite Energy Center
September 3, 2016 - Brandon, South Dakota - Badlands Motor Speedway
September 10, 2016 - Salt Lake City, Utah - Vivint Smart Home Arena
September 24, 2016 - Scottsdale, Arizona - WestWorld – Intl Off-Road & UTV Expo
October 1, 2016 - Denver, Colorado - National Western Events Center
October 22, 2016 - Everett, Washington - XFINITY Arena
November 5, 2016 - Nampa, Idaho - Ford Idaho Center
November 18-19, 2016 - Ontario, California - Citizens Business Bank Arena