Kit Palmer | January 31, 2016
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner swept both Arenacross-class Main events in Greensboro, North Carolina, January 30, to capture his first career professional win and become the second Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross rider in history to claim victory in the premier division.
In the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites class, A&Y Racing Honda’s Daniel Herrlein extended his points lead and became the first repeat winner in the division this season.
Forkner became the second rider to post a 1-1 sweep this season and ended the four-race winning steak Team Babbitt’s had to start the year. Forkner also became just the second Road to Supercross rider to win an Arenacross class overall, the first since Aaron Plessinger did it in Baltimore during the 2014 season.
Kyle Regal, the defending AMSOIL Arenacross Champion, earned his best result of the season in second (4-2) on his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, while Gavin Faith rounded out the overall podium in third (5-3). Jace Owen was fourth (3-5) and Jacob Hayes was fifth (2-6) in his hometown race.
In the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge, Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Chris Blose defeated his teammate Faith in the final to earn an additional championship bonus point. That helped Blose finish ninth overall (11-7) and marked the first time this season he failed to finish on the overall podium. A crash and a bad start did not help his cause on this night.
With Blose’s season-low finish to date, Hayes took over the Arenacross-class points lead. He has a four-point advantage over Blose, with Faith just one additional point back in third.
In the 15-lap Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, Woodstock/TZR KTM’s Cody VanBuskirk secured the holeshot just ahead of Herrlein and Yamaha rider Justin Cooper. Herrlein was eager to get to the front and on the second lap he slipped past VanBuskirk for the lead, bringing Cooper along with him into second. One lap later, VanBuskirk re-passed Cooper for second. The pass at the front of the field signified the first time in 2016 that the Eastern Regional Championship featured an exchange for the lead in the Main Event. Once out front, Herrlein maintained about a two-second advantage over VanBuskirk, taking his second win of the season. Cooper completed the podium in third.
Herrlein’s control of the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites-class standings extended to 30 points over Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Jacob Williamson, who finished 16th. Hillview Motorsports Suzuki’s Steve Roman is third, 32 points back.
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 1
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
- Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
- Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna
- Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki
- Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna
- Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
- Isaac Teasdale, Robbinsville, N.C., KTM
- Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
- Joey Crown, Metamora, Mich., Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 2
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki
- Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna
- Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
- Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki
- Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
- Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna
- Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (1-1)
- Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna (4-2)
- Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki (5-3)
- Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (3-5)
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (2-6)
- Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (7-8)
- Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna (6-9)
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (13-4)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki (11-7)
- Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM (9-12)
RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (bonus points)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki (2 points)
- Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki (1 point)
- Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)
- Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1 point)
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1 point)
- Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna (1 point)
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (1 point)
- Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (1 point)
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
- Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha
- Ben Nelko, Aliquippa, Pa., KTM
- Ramyller Alves, Coconut Creek, Fla., Yamaha
- Stone Edler, Destrehan, La., Yamaha
- DJ MacFarlane, Pinellas Park, Fla., Yamaha
- Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
- Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki
- Dylan Walker, Lancaster, Ohio, Honda
Arenacross Class Championship Standings
- Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki – 137 (4 Main Event Wins)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki – 133 (1 Main Event Win)
- Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki – 132
- Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 120 (3 Main Event Wins)
- Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna – 110
- Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda – 85
- Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna – 78
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 66
- Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda – 65
- Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki – 63
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Standings
- Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda – 75 (2 Main Event Wins)
- Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki – 45 (1 Main Event Win)
- Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki – 43
- Dylan Walker, Lancaster, Ohio, Honda – 41
- Lane Staley, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM – 39
- Tyler McSwain, Shelby, N.C., Yamaha – 35
- Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 30
- Henry Miller, Rochester, Minn., Honda – 24
- Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha – 18
- Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Kawasaki – 16 (1 Main Event Win)
- Keith Tucker, Fuquay Varina, N.C., Yamaha – 16 (1 Main Event Win)