2012 AMA Arenacross
The fifth round of the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series season came to a close on Saturday night inside Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena.
After a strong performance on Friday evening, Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis’ Tyler Bowers, of Danville, Ky., made it a weekend sweep, capturing his sixth win of the year and moving into a tie atop the Arenacross Class standings.
In the Arenacross Lites Class, Reed & Reese Racing KTM’s Dave Ginolfi, of Lake Hopatlong, N.J., achieved the same feat as Bowers, sweeping both nights of action.
As he did just one night prior, FMF Power/Poynt TUF Honda’s Jeff Gibson, of Blacklick, Ohio, took over the lead out of the gate of the 25-lap Arenacross Class main event. Just like Friday night, Bowers followed in second and instantly put the pressure on his rival. Unlike last night, it didn’t take long for Bowers to take his turn out front, passing Gibson on Lap 6 and bringing Bella’s Cupcakes/Club MX Kawasaki’s Zach Ames, of Prospect, Ohio, with him.
Once out front, Bowers pushed the pace to give his Muskegon-based Babbitt’s squad a perfect weekend at its hometown race. Behind Bowers, Ames and Gibson battled it out for the runner-up spot, with Gibson eventually working his way back into second, while Ames settled for third. By virtue of the win, Bowers moved into a tie atop the Arenacross Class standings with Gibson.
In the Arenacross Lites Class, Ginolfi capped off his weekend with a perfect flag-to-flag effort in the 18-lap main event. After grabbing the holeshot, Ginolfi checked out and gained even more ground on his rivals in the championship. Motostar Kawasaki’s Michael McDade, of Indiana, Pa., minimized the damage done to his points lead by finishing second, while Team Faith KTM’s Kevin Johnson, of Spring, Texas, rounded out the podium in third.
In the Dash for Cash, Ames grabbed the win in the exciting four-lap shootout. All proceeds went to the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.
AMA Arenacross Series continues next weekend, with two nights of action from Topeka, Kan., and the Kansas ExpoCentre, on Friday, January 13, and Saturday, January 14. Both nights kick off at 7 p.m. CDT.
2012 AMA Arenacross Class Results (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
- Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
- Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
- Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki
- Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
- Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
- Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
- Brad Ripple, Cypress, S.C., Honda
- Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
- Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Honda
AMA Arenacross Lites Class Results (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatlong, N.J., KTM
- Michael McDade, Indiana, Pa., Kawasaki
- Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
- Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM
- Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
- Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
- Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
- Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., Honda
- Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Honda
AMA Arenacross Class Points (After Race 9 of 19)
- Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (6 wins) – 188
- Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda (2 wins) – 188
- Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki (1 win) – 167
- Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 143
- Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Kawasaki – 127
- Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 117
- Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda – 115
- Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 93
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 74
- Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 59
Eastern Regional AMA Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 8 of 10)
- Michael McDade, Indiana, Pa., Kawasaki (1 win) – 156
- Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., KTM (2 win) – 150
- Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM (3 wins) – 137
- Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 115
- Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM – 97
- Travis Sewell, Westfield, Ind., KTM – 91
- Austin Coon, Spencer, W. Va., Honda – 69
- Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 62
- Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 58
- Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda – 52
Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series returns for the 2012 season! To follow the intense racing action live, log onto Arenacross.com.
