Kawasaki’s Bowers Leads as Arenacross Heads to Tulsa

AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, makes its trek to the Sooner State of Oklahoma as Tulsa’s BOK Center will host the fourth round of the 2013 season.

Last weekend, Babbitt’s Monster Energy/ASMOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis’ Tyler Bowers posted a perfect weekend in Grand Rapids, Mich., by winning all four Main Events across two nights of action. Bowers now has three overall victories this season and carries a 35-point lead into action this Saturday, January 26.

The two Main Event format has produced great competition throughout the 2013 season and the inclusion of an inversion for the second Main Event has added even more intrigue to the outcome of each of the six nights of racing thus far. In Grand Rapids, Bowers overcame a 16-rider and eight-rider inversion on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively, to battle to the front of the field and post arguably his most dominant efforts of the year.

The road to the inaugural Race to the Championship has reached its halfway point, with the seventh round of the season set to kick off the final four-round showdown to crown this season’s Arenacross Class Champion. Only 10 riders will have the opportunity to compete in this coveted battle and with three rounds and five nights of racing remaining, the competition is sure to heat up.

With a commanding 35-point lead in the standings, Bowers has all but clinched his spot in the Race to the Championship. Behind him, fellow Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki rider Zach Ames and Mosites Motorsports Kawasaki’s Michael McDade, who sit second and third, have also staked their claim for a chance of becoming champion despite both riders experiencing an off weekend in Grand Rapids.

Following arguably his best round of 2013 in Grand Rapids, Team Faith/Fly Racing KTM’s Jeff Gibson made a strong move forward in the championship standings and has now asserted himself in fourth place. Behind him, the competition for the remaining six positions in the top-10 are only separated by 29 points from fifth, currently occupied by Motorsport Hillsboro Kawasaki’s Gared Steinke, to 10th-place KMS KTM rider Dave Ginolfi. Outside the top 10, South of the Border KTM’s Robby Marshall and BWRengines.com Honda’s Kyle White are just two and seven points behind Ginolfi, respectively. Simply put, there is still a lot of movement sure to take place within the standings over the next three rounds.

Following three rounds of Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class competition, the talented youth of the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class will make their debut in Tulsa. For the remainder of the 2013 season, the Western Regional competitors will take center stage for six of the next seven rounds, with eight races set to crown a champion.

The last time AMSOIL Arenacross raced inside the BOK Center was during the 2011 season with one exciting night of competition. That evening, Jeff Gibson was able to outlast Tyler Bowers in an intense battle that proved to be the early stages of one of AMSOIL Arenacross’ most captivating rivalries, which was also on display this past weekend in Grand Rapids. Both Bowers and Gibson hope to resume their battle this Saturday night, while Ames and McDade will look to bounce back in hopes of a return to the podium.

The action inside Tulsa’s BOK Center kicks off on Saturday, January 26, beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Broadcast coverage of Saturday night’s competition can be seen via tape delay exclusively on SPEED on Sunday, January 27, beginning at 6 p.m. EST.

Grand Rapids Arenacross Class Results – Night One (Main Event Finishes):

1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM (2-5)
3. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda (9-4)
4. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (7-6)
5. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (4-9)
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (12-2)
7. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (6-8)
8. Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM (13-3)
9. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (5-11)
10. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki (10-7)

2013 Arenacross Class Results – Night Two (Main Event Finishes):

1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM (2-2)
3. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM (4-3)
4. Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki (3-6)
5. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (5-5)
6. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (10-4)
7. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda (8-7)
8. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (6-11)
9. Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM (9-9)
10. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki (11-8)

2013 Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results – Night One:

1. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
2. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
3. Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM
4. T.J. Phillips, New Castle, Pa., Yamaha
5. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
6. Kurt McCabe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Honda
7. Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Kawasaki
8. Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM
9. Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda
10. Davey Sterritt, Athens, N.Y., KTM

2013 Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results – Night Two:

1. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
2. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
3. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
4. T.J. Phillips, New Castle, Pa., Yamaha
5. Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM
6. Jacob Knable, North Chesterfield, Va., Kawasaki
7. Zachary Newberry, Fincastle, Va., Suzuki
8. Vaughn Mays, Genoa City, Wis., KTM
9. Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Kawasaki
10. Tucker Snyder, Proctorville, Ohio, Kawasaki

2013 Arenacross Class Points (After Race 6 of 16):

1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 186
2. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 151
3. Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki – 150
4. Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM – 125
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 110
6. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 109
7. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 108
8. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki – 104
9. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM – 102
10. Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM – 81

Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 6 of 8):

1. Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM – 57
2. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki – 51
3. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 45
4. T.J. Phillips, New Castle, Pa., Yamaha – 36
5. Jim Neese, Jamestown, N.C., Kawasaki – 29
6. Vaughn Mays, Genoa City, Wis., KTM – 29
7. Jacob Knable, North Chesterfield, Va., Kawasaki – 28
8. Zachary Newberry, Fincastle, Va., Suzuki — 21
9. Tucker Snyder, Proctorville, Ohio, Kawasaki — 19
10. Travis Delnicki, Woodstock Valle, Conn., Suzuki – 18

2013 Head-to-Head Bracket Winners:

• Worcester Night One – Tyler Bowers
• Worcester Night Two – Jeff Gibson
• Baltimore Night One – Robby Marshall
• Baltimore Night Two – Michael McDade
• Grand Rapids Night One – Nathan Skaggs
• Grand Rapids Night Two – Nathan Skaggs

Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMSOIL Arenacross season returns for the 2013 season!  To follow the intense racing action live, log onto Arenacross.com.