AMSOIL Arenacross Set to Make Championship Debut in Tampa

2015-02-18 15:26
AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael's Road to Supercross, observed its first off weekend of the 2015 season and with an early season break now under their belts, the entire championship field is feeling refreshed and ready to get back in action on Saturday night. The first ever visit to Tampa, Florida's Amalie Arena on February 21 will serve as a pivotal point in the championship and the action will kick off at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.

Through the first eight nights of Arenacross Class competition this season, six different riders have emerged with an overall victory, making the 2015 one of the most parity driven seasons in history despite having yet to even reach the halfway point. With a week of downtime, the contenders have had the opportunity to rest, and in some cases heal up, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated races of the championship right in the backyard of Feld Motor Sports®.

Adding to the anticipation of Saturday's race will be a special guest appearance by none other than the legend Ricky Carmichael, a five-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World championship title holder and creator of the highly successful Road to Supercross program. As a native of Tallahasse, Florida, the inaugural visit to Tampa is as close to home as it gets for Carmichael, who will be celebrated for the recent announcement that he's an inductee for the 2015 American Motorsports Hall of Fame. The racing icon will lend his continued support to AMSOIL Arenacross and the rising stars of the Road to Supercross by taking part in the pre-race track party, opening ceremonies and more.

Broadcast Alert:
Grand Rapids round of 2015 season premieres on FOX Sports 1
this Sunday at 9 a.m. EST/ 6 a.m. PST

Video interview with Night 1 winner Bobby Kiniry

Video interview with winner Matt Goerke

Most recent winners Matt Goerke (36) and Bobby Kiniry (116), along with the rest of the AMSOIL Arenacross field, are set to invade Tampa for the first time ever.
Photo: Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography

At the previous stop of the 2015 season in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, two weeks ago, two nights of action produced two first-time overall winners in AMSOIL Arenacross competition. While both ThermoTec/FMC Racing Yamaha's Bobby Kiniry and Team Babbitt's Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki's Matt Goerke are veterans in the racing world, this year marks their full-time debut in AMSOIL Arenacross. Both riders have proven to be formidable contenders since the championship began and their continued pursuit of victory paid off in a big way.

Kiniry narrowly missed out on his inaugural overall win earlier this season and in Wilkes-Barre he seized the opportunity to break through with his first Main Event win, which ultimately proved to be the deciding factor in his victorious effort. For Goerke the win was long overdue after an incredible start to the 2015 season in which he finished inside the top-five through the first five races of the year and led the championship standings early on.


Goerke will be a hometown favorite as he searches for back-to-back wins.
Photo: Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography

Despite the break in action, this duo has the momentum coming into Tampa and will be ones to keep an eye on as they look to join the Team Babbitt's duo of Jacob Hayes and Chris Blose as the only two-time winners this season. The inaugural visit to Tampa also holds extra significance for Goerke, who is a native of nearby Lake Helen. As the hometown rider, the crowd will surely be on his side as he looks to claim back-to-back wins and continue to close the deficit he faces to Hayes in the championship standings, where he currently sits second.

The Arenacross Class has been as unpredictable as it could be through five rounds and there's no reason to think that trend won't continue with one night of action inside Amalie Arena.

Jacob Hayes remains in control of the Arenacross Class championship standings heading into Tampa.
Photo: Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography

Complementing the edge-of-your-seat action that will highlight the Arenacross Class is the closing stages of the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship. A total of four nights remain in the title fight where Spinechillers Racing KTM's Dave Ginolfi has seized control of the points thanks to a win and runner-up effort in Wilkes-Barre. The former Arenacross Lites Class champion is arguably the most experienced rider in the division, and it's proving to be a significant benefit as he begins to close in on another title.

The sixth round of AMSOIL Arenacross gets underway this Saturday, February 21, for the first time ever inside Tampa's Amalie Arena. Racing begins at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.

Dave Ginolfi hopes to inch even closer to the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class title.
Photo: Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography

Previous Round Results
Mohegan Sun Arena - Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
February 6-7, 2015

Night One - February 6, 2015

Arenacross Class Results - Overall (Main Event Finishes)
Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (1-6)
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (7-2)
Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (4-4)
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (10-1)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (2-10)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (6-7)
Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Honda (13-3)
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (5-12)
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (12-5)
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (3-14)
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Honda
Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki
Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
Chase Marquier, Newcastle, Okla., Honda
Robert Piazza, Easton, Pa., Honda
Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM


Night Two - February 7, 2015

Arenacross Class Results - Overall (Main Event Finishes)
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (1-4)
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki (3-3)
Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (5-2)
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (2-6)
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (8-1)
Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (7-5)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (4-9)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (6-8)
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (9-7)
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (10-10)
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Honda
Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, KTM
Jeremy Hand, Mantua, Ohio, Kawasaki
Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki
Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM
Arenacross Class Points (Race 8 of 20)
Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki - 211 (4 Main Event wins)
Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki - 197 (1 Main Event win)
Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna - 189 (3 Main Event wins)
Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., Kawasaki - 166 (4 Main Event wins)
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM - 163 (1 Main Event win)
Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha - 159 (1 Main Event win)
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM - 153
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM - 132
Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna - 126 (2 Main Event wins)
Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM - 115
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 6 of 10)
Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM - 88 (2 Main Event win)
Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki - 65
Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda - 56
Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM - 48
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasak - 46 (1 Main Event win)
Darian Sanayei, Orting, Wash., Kawasaki - 35 (2 Main Event wins)
Mitchell Harrison, Cairo, Georgia, Kawasaki - 33 (1 Main Event win)
Dave Blanchet, Quebec, Canada, Kawasaki - 32
Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki - 30
Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM - 30
Tickets for each round of AMSOIL Arenacross are on sale now!

The entire AMSOIL Arenacross season will air on FOX Sports 1, including re-airs on Fox Sports 2.

Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMSOIL Arenacross season returns for the 2014 season! To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.
For more information on the 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross season, and to purchase tickets, log on to www.Arenacross.com. For all media requests, please contact Brandon Short brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or 949-365-5750.


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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.

Source: Feld Motor Sports

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