ArenaCross Media Press Release:
The sixth round of the 2013 AMSOIL Arenacross season came to a conclusion on Saturday night in front of a live broadcast audience on SPEED. Mohegan Sun Arena, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was the sight of Tyler Bowers’ eighth overall victory of the season, as the points leader’s triumphant effort also set the 10-rider field for the inaugural Race to the Championship, scheduled to kick off next weekend.
In addition to the excitement of the Arenacross Class, a champion was crowned in the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class as Michael Willard made it a weekend sweep in Wilkes Barre to secure the title.
In the first Arenacross Class Main Event of the evening, last night’s winner Jeff Gibson grabbed the early lead with Bowers in tow. After applying consistent pressure on the lead, Bowers took advantage of his longtime rival and established a comfortable margin, ultimately claiming the checkered flag. Gibson followed in second, while Dave Ginolfi finished third.
For the second consecutive night, Bowers selected the inversion for the final Main Event. After choosing no inversion on Friday, Bowers selected his least-favorite inversion of eight on Saturday.
Bowers lined up on the outside of the first row for the second Main Event and out of the gate, he took advantage of his size and aggression to take over the early lead. Behind him, Pennsylvania native Michael McDade battled through the pain of an injured wrist to assert himself into second. Willy Browning battled to finish third.
Neither Gibson nor Ginolfi were able to overcome their inverted starting positions, finishing ninth and seventh, respectively.
Bowers’ convincing sweep of the Main Events helped him bounce back from a fall on Friday night and makes him the number one seed in the Race to the Championship. His Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Zach Ames followed in second overall, while McDade secured a third overall finish in front of his hometown crowd.
Bowers will head into the Race to the Championship as the top seed. He will be followed by Ames, Gibson, Kelly Smith, Nathan Skaggs, McDade, Browning, Gared Steinke, Daniel Blair, and Ginofli.
Coming into tonight’s race, Ginolfi was engaged in a tight battle with Kyle White for the 10th and final spot in the standings. After gaining a slight edge on Friday, Ginolfi was able to maintain control of the position, thanks in large part of his podium finish in the opening Main Event.
The championship points will reset for season-ending showdown, with just five markers separating these 10 riders as the Race to the Championship begins in Little Rock, Ark., next weekend. The final four rounds of the championship will determine which one of these competitors will ultimately become the 2013 Arenacross Champion.
In Friday night’s Head-to-Head Bracket Racing, Bowers kept his dominant night going with his fifth victory in the head-to-head showdown and a clean sweep of the weekend.
With only seven points separating the top two riders in the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship, Saturday night provided a dramatic showdown between both Willard and Steve Roman. Willard emerged with the early lead out of the gate with Roman in tow. The pair set the pace of the field before Roman moved into the lead just past the halfway point of the 18-lap Main Event. Just a few laps later Roman went down, allowing Willard reclaim the lead and carry it through to the finish, winning the title on a high note.
Roman rebounded to secure the runner-up finish for the second consecutive night, while Maxx Malatia posted back-to-back third-place results.
The 2013 AMSOIL Arenacross season continues next weekend with the start of the Race to the Championship inside Little Rock’s Verizon Arena on Saturday, February 16, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Next-day broadcast coverage of next Saturday’s action can be seen exclusively on SPEED, beginning next Sunday, February 17, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 1
Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM
Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM
Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 2
Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM
Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM
Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM
Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Overall: (Main Event Finishes)
Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1-1)
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (4-5)
Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki (8-2)
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (7-3)
Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM (3-7)
Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM (2-9)
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (9-4)
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM (5-8)
Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (6-10)
Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda (10-11)
Arenacross Lites Class Results:
1. Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM
2. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
3. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda
4. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
5. Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM
6. Logan Pfleiderer, Galion, Ohio, Yamaha
7. Davey Sterritt, Athens, N.Y., KTM
8. Travis Delnicki, Woodstock Valley, Conn., Suzuki
9. Zachary Newberry, Fincastle, Va., Suzuki
10. Jeremy Pronovost, Canada, KTM
Arenacross Class Race to the Championship:
Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 6
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 5
Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, KTM – 4
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 4
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM – 3
Michael McDade, Edinburg, Pa., Kawasaki – 3
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 2
Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 2
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., Suzuki – 1
Dave Ginolfi, Budd Lake, N.J., KTM – 1
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 8 of 8)
Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM – 89
Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki – 81
Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM – 69
Jacob Knable, North Chesterfield, Va., Kawasaki – 41
T.J. Phillips, New Castle, Pa., Yamaha – 36
Jim Neese, Jamestown, N.C., Kawasaki – 35
Vaughn Mays, Genoa City, Wis., KTM – 29
Zachary Newberry, Fincastle, Va., Suzuki — 29
Travis Delnicki, Woodstock Valle, Conn., Suzuki – 27
Logan Pfleiderer, Galion, Ohio, Yamaha – 26
For more information: www.arenacross.com
