AMSOIL Arenacross drops the gates for its biggest season on Saturday in Cincinnati and the 2015 series continues the "Race to the Championship" format in the competition.
A new champion is certain to be crowned this year as Tyler Bowers, the four-time defending champion, took Ricky Carmichael's "Road to Supercross" and is racing in the 250 Western Region class this year. He took third-place on Saturday in Round 1 at Anaheim.
The Race to the Championship, introduced in 2013, starts this year on Round 10 in New Orleans where the top 10 riders in championship points get their points reset for the final rounds and battle it out for the AMSOIL Arenacross title. Rider point totals are staggered based on their finish in the Top 10 but any significant leads after Round 9 are wiped out.
The Road to Supercross also began in 2013 as an official feeder system to Supercross. Amateur riders looking to turn pro must sharpen their skills in Arenacross before earning their license for Supercross. The new rules require amateurs to race in three different Arenacross cities and qualify for three total night shows to earn Supercross eligibility. The required pro-am points from the past is gone for good as of May 2014.
The 2015 Arenacross season is 15 Rounds long and includes first time stops in Tampa, FL, Southaven, MS and Austin, TX. Additionally, the Championship race is held in Las Vegas coinciding with the final race of the 2015 Supercross season. Tape-delayed television coverage starts February 8 on FOX Sports 1.
Gared Steinke practing for Arenacross
MotoSport.com throws its name behind Gared Steinke and Daniel Blair on the MotoSport.com/Lauerman MX Racing team. Both Steinke and Blair bring veteran status and success to Arenacross. Steinke finished in eighth place last year and second overall in the final race to eventual champion Bowers. He also competed in the Lites East class taking 15th.
Blair took fifth in the Lites West class in 2014 and will race the same series for 2015. Last year Blair had four Main wins and seven finishes in the Top 3. He's also the color analyst for the primary Arenacross event.
Daniel Blair competes in the Lites West Class for MotoSport then takes the mic as a color analyst
Though Bowers is gone, Steinke faces a pretty stacked field including 2014 runner-up Jacob Hayes, third-place finisher Zach Ames, Kyle Regal who took fourth overall last year, and Michael McDade. Travis Sewell who finished in seventh last year and is currently one of the top riders in the 2015 MotoSport.com AX Tour is expected to leave that series for Arenacross.
The 2015 Arenacross season visits nearly all corners of the United States so check out the schedule and find a Round near you. As always the pros race on Saturday and amateurs on Sunday. Doors open for Round 1 at 6 p.m. Saturday at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. Save $2 on advance tickets. Buy online or at the box office, 100 Broadway, Cincinnati, OH.
