If anything is abundantly clear in the 2015 AMSOIL Arenacross season it's that leads don't hold, winning isn't everything and no one can be counted out of the Championship.
Chris Blose leads the field heading into Round 11 on Saturday in Austin which is the second round since the start of the "Race to the Championship" series which reset the points for the Top 10 riders. Blose was not in contention for the Championship prior to Round 9, before the points reset, and it was Kyle Regal who led in points despite only having two wins in the previous 12 Main Events.
Now Regal is in third-place but only six points back, and Matt Goerke, who led in points early in the season despite not winning in the first 12 Motos, is in second just three points back. Jacob Hayes, who led all riders with the most Main Event wins (six), is in fifth place tied in points with Robert Kiniry and Cory Green, a rider who only reached the Top 10 in the penultimate round leading to the points reset. Green has no podiums for the year and is within reach of landing on the final podium with stellar racing to finish the year.
MotoSport rider Gared Steinke saved his first podium appearance for just the right time as a crash and another rider taking him out in Moto 1 last week left him in 13th place, the lowest finish of all the riders in the "Race for the Championship." He bounced back for a third-place in Moto 2 and is in ninth-place, just five points from Hayes, Kiniry and Green.
"I worked on more shock changes and also more starts," Steinke said of how he prepared for Austin. "I've rode twice this week so far. I need to be more aggressive and not be afraid to knock people down."
Steinke started in the second row in Moto 2 when he finished third so he said the speed is there he just needs to put solid Motos together for more podium finishes.
"I'm very happy with the team's overall performance finishing every week with solid rides and zero injuries," said Kirk Lauerman, team manager of the MotoSport.com/Lauerman MX Race team. "Bikes are running great, the guys are working and training hard. I'm looking to see Stankdog on the podium this weekend."
The other half of the team is Daniel Blair who leads the West Lites class in points and has been tearing it up in the East Class where he races but doesn't compete in points. In the last two rounds he's finished in first, second and fourth place. For the season, he has four wins and seven total podiums. The competition heats up for him now that the next four rounds count in points for him and he'll be chased by Cody Vanbuskirk who is 19 points back and Brandon Glenn, 21 points back.
"I'm riding great at the moment and ready to keep ball rolling," Blair said. "I've won three Mains in the past month and I'm feeling the best I have this season."
Arenacross Round 11 starts a string of West Lites rounds and is the second "Race to the Championship" event. It all starts at 7 p.m. (CST) on Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center. Buy tickets online or at the box office, 1701 Red River in Austin, TX.
Race to the Championship Standings
- Chris Blose (36)
- Matt Goerke (33)
- Kyle Regal (30)
- Gavin Faith (29)
- Jacob Hayes (25)
- Bobby Kiniry (25)
- Cory Green (25)
- Travis Sewell (23)
- Gared Steinke (20) - MotoSport rider
- Steven Mages (18)
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points
- Daniel Blair (69) - MotoSport rider
- Cody VanBuskirk (50)
- Brandon Glenn (48)
- Jake Locks (26)
- Mason Wharton (24)
- Clay Elliott (22)
- Dalton Oxborrow (18)
- Benjamin Nelko (18)
- Jason McConnell (18)
- Tanner Moore (17)
