Photo: Shift One Photography
Riders should be rested, with any lingering wounds well-nursed, for Round 6 of the 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross series on Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL thanks to the first two-week break of the season.
After eight races (16 Motos) with six different overall winners, the Top 3 riders seemed poised to run away with the series and figure out later who stands where on the final podium. Jacob Hayes leads the field with 211 points, his teammate Matt Goerke follows with 197 points and Kyle Regal is in third with 189 points. Goerke won just his first Moto of the season last time out but consistent season-long racing keeps him in the mix with points.
Chris Blose is a distant fourth with 166 points, but has four wins on the season, the same as Hayes and has time to close the gap. Blose took a hit in points after a crash earlier this season dropped him out of the Top 10 in one race and he got held up in another thanks to a multiple bike incident that left those involved scrambling to get back into action.
The tight spaces have proven to be hazardous whether or not a rider is involved in a crash. Leaders can lap those simply trying to get around fallen riders thanks to the short tracks. But Arenacross really consists of two seasons. After Round 9, riders in the Top 10 for points move on to the "Race for the Championship," get their points reset sequentially based on their current standings and whoever emerges in the end with the most points is the Arenacross Champion. Check out the animated track map below for Tampa:
This twist in the series keeps the final podium hopes alive for those in the back of the pack like MotoSport rider Gared Steinke who is in 10th place with 115 points. Steinke, who put in the fastest lap time at Wilkes-Barre, has found trouble this season not only in crashing but getting caught up in the mess when others crash. He's been riding inside the Top 5 for a number of races this year only to crash out and it's not always his fault, according to Kirk Lauerman, team manager for the MotoSport.com/Lauerman MX Race team.
"I used the time off training on starts, whoops, conditioning and training of the bike too," Steinke said.
In the last Round, the team's van broke down and needed towing to the arena. On the second night of racing the throttle tube busted on Steinke's dirt bike in a Heat race and though he still managed to make the Main he finished last for both Motos.
Tampa also represents an East Lites Round and the points spread is a bit tighter though the Top 3 riders in the class also seem ready to make it a three-rider series. Dave Ginolfi leads with 88 points, Steven Roman is second with 65 and Daniel Herrlein has 56 points in third. But Scott Zont is much closer in fourth with 48 points and Steve Mages is in fifth with 46 points.
Daniel Blair, Steinke's teammate, races in the East Lites but competes for points in the West Lites class, where he leads the field with 30 points. After Tampa, the West Lites gets the next two Rounds of competition. He's got five Top 10 finishes in the East Lites and a first and third place finish in the West Lites.
"I used the off week to heal up a nagging injury and spent a lot of time in the gym building some leg strength to help my knee," he said. "I am sick of the lackluster results and am fired up to get to Tampa and get back on the podium and rack up some wins."
Arenacross Round 6 starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa FL. Buy tickets online or at the box office, 401 Channelside Drive in Tampa.
Arenacross Class Points
- Jacob Hayes (211)
- Matt Goerke (197)
- Kyle Regal (189)
- Chris Blose (166)
- Steven Mages (163)
- Bobby Kiniry (159)
- Travis Sewell (153)
- Willy Browning (132)
- Gavin Faith (126)
- Gared Steinke (115) - MotoSport rider
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points
- Dave Ginolfi (88)
- Steve Roman (65)
- Daniel Herrlein (56)
- Scott Zont (48)
- Steven Mages (46)
- Darian Sanayei (35)
- Mitchell Harrison (33)
- Dave Blanchet (32)
- Jacob Williamson (30)
- Dylan Rouse (30)
