Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Matt Goerke now has two overall wins in the 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross Championship.
Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Matt Goerke earned his second AMSOIL Arenacross overall victory of the season via tiebreaker over Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing’s Gavin Faith as the series reached its halfway point at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, Saturday night. In the second round of the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Championship, Slaka Wear KTM’s Steven Mages also earned his second main event win of the season.
ThermoTec/FMC Racing Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry grabbed the holeshot in the first of the two Arenacross class main events, leading a freight train of past winners including Husqvarna TiLUBE TUF Racing’s Kyle Regal, Faith, Goerke and Team Babbitt’s Kawasaki’s Jacob Hayes. Regal and Kiniry would come together in the sand section, causing Kiniry to crash and allowing Faith to take over the lead. Regal held on to second place, and Hayes moved into third, while Kiniry remounted in sixth place.
The lead group pretty much stayed in place until Goerke made his move into third place when he passed Hayes on Lap 10. When the checkered flag flew, Faith took the win, followed by Regal and Goerke. Hayes was fourth, and Team Babbitt’s Kawasaki’s Chris Blose moved up to finish in the five.
When Faith selected the inversion for the second main event, the number came up zero, meaning no riders would be inverted for the race. Thus the second main event got underway with Goerke nailing the holeshot and leading Regal, Kiniry, and Faith. Hayes encountered some issues while running seventh and pulled off into the mechanics area with what appeared to be a problem with his bike just a few laps into ther ace. He would return to action but ultimately finish 12th.
Up front, Goerke maintained the lead for the entire distance while Husqvarna teammates Faith and Regal battled for. Faith finally cut took the inside of Regal and took over second place on lap 12. Faith then tried to put a charge on Goerke, but in the end it wasn’t enough, and Goerke collected the second main event win with Faith second and Regal third.
Goerke’s earlier win in the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge had awarded him an additional championship bonus point, and that point proved to be crucial as it put him into a tie with Faith for the overall win. Goerke’s second main event victory supplied the tiebreaker that gave Goerke the overall win (3-1). Faith (1-2) was second overall, and Regal (2-3) finished third overall, ahead of Kiniry and Mages.
Goerke’s success, combined with Hayes’ misfortune, brings him to within a single point of his teammate in the championship standings. Regal maintains control of third, nine points out of the lead.
Mages was the man to beat in the MetroPCS Blazing Fast Western Regional Arenacross Lites main event, as he burst out of the gate ahead of TZR Woodstock KTM’s Scott Zont and Motosport.com/Haeseker Racing KTM’s Daniel Blair, the championship points leader. Mages seemed to be on cruise control up front, but the battle for remaining podium spots was anything but chill. College Hunks Moving Junk/Spinecillers Racing KTM’s Dave Ginolfi passed on Blair for third placde on lap four and then proceeded to pressure Zont for several laps before making the pass for second place on lap eight. From there the top three remained unchanged, with Mages first, Ginolfi second and Zont third. TZR Woodstock KTM’s Cody VanBuskirk narrowly missed out on the podium in fourth, overcoming a 10th-place start, while Team DirtBikeMike KTM’s Brandon Glenn was fifth.
Mages’ victory made him the first rider in AMSOIL Arenacross history to earn a main event win in all three AMSOIL Arenacross classes – Arenacross, Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites and Western Regional Arenacross Lites.
The 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross season will continue next weekend with the eighth round of the championship on Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Mid-America Center. Action begins at 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET.
AMSOIL Arenacross Series
Sprint Center
Kansas City, Missouri
Results: February 28, 2015
Main Event 1
1. Gavin Faith-Hus
2. Kyle Regal-Hus
3. Matt Goerke-Kaw
4. Jacob Hayes-Kaw
5. Chris Blose-Kaw
6. Bobby Kiniry-Yam
7. Travis Sewell-KTM
8. Gared Steinke-KTM
9. Steven Mages-KTM
10. Dave Ginolfi-KTM
Main Event 2
1. Matt Goerke-Kaw
2. Gavin Faith-Hus
3. Kyle Regal-Hus
4. Bobby Kiniry-Yam
5. Steven Mages-KTM
6. Travis Sewell-KTM
7. Gared Steinke-KTM
8. Brandon Glenn-KTM
9. Dave Ginolfi-KTM
10. Dylan Rouse-KTM
Overall
1. Matt Goerke-Kaw/3-1
2. Gavin Faith-Hus/1-2
3. Kyle Regal-Hus/2-3
4. Bobby Kiniry-Yam/6-4
5. Steven Mages-KTM/9-5
6. Travis Sewell-KTM/7-6
7. Gared Steinke-KTM/8-7
8. Jacob Hayes-Kaw/4-12
9. Dave Ginolfi-KTM/10-9
10. Chris Blose-Kaw/5-15
RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge
1. Matt Goerke-Kaw/2 points
2. Jacob Hayes-Kaw/1 point
3. Kyle Regal-Hus/1 point
4. Chris Blose-Kaw/1 point
5. Gavin Faith-Hus/1 point
6. Steven Mages-KTM/1 point
7. Gared Steinke-KTM/1 point
8. Cory Green-Suz/1 point
AMSOIL Arenacross Series Point Standings (After race 10 of 20)
1. Jacob Hayes-259/5 main event wins
2. Matt Goerke-258/3 main event wins
3. Kyle Regal- 250/3 main event wins
4. Bobby Kiniry-212/1 main Event win
5. Steven Mages-199/1 main event win
6. Travis Sewell-198
7. Chris Blose-190/4 main event wins
8. Gavin Faith-163/3 main event wins
9. Gared Steinke-158
10. Willy Browning-156
Western Regional Arenacross Lites
1. Steven Mages-KTM
2. Dave Ginolfi-KTM
3. Scott Zont-KTM
4. Cody VanBuskirk-KTM
5. Brandon Glenn-KTM
6. Daniel Blair-KTM
7. Jake Locks-KTM
8. Benjamin Nelko-KTM
9. Tanner Moore-KTM
10. Clay Elliott-KTM
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Point Standings (After race 3 of 9)
1. Daniel Blair-41
2. Brandon Glenn-36
3. Cody VanBuskirk-26
4. Mason Wharton-17
5. Chase Marquier-13
6. Jake Locks-13
7. Travis Bannister-12
8. Josh Struebig-12
9. Dalton Oxborrow-11
10. Clay Elliott-11
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