Demuth Wins BooKoo Title

Paul Carruthers | February 13, 2006

The following is from Mike Kidd Entertainment Group…

Mike Kidd Entertainment Group concluded the inaugural season of the K&N presents BooKoo Arenacross Championsip Series Brought to you by Toyota in the Tulsa Convention Center Arena where the final round of racing was held this weekend.

Josh Demuth withstood a season full of setbacks to win the BooKoo Championship Title on Friday night in Tulsa. Demuth rode his Team Babbitt’s Enxus Oil Kawasaki to a fifth place finish in the 450 Main Event and eleventh in the 250 Main to score enough points to lock up both the overall championship as well as the 450 championship.

There were still battles to be fought however as the 250 title was yet to be determined, the Dash for Cash championship was still up for grabs and the jockeying for second place between Shane Bess on his Fun Center TLD/PPG Suzuki and Tom Hofmaster on the Sano Systems PPG Motion Yamaha had carried over into the final race of the season.

The packed house was on their feet as the 250 Main Event left the line, featuring more of the intense in-your-face racing that has become a staple of the BooKoo series. The championship was yet to be determined and it was all on the line tonight.

Michael and Chris Blose led the field and set the pace early on with Shane Bess on the Fun Center TLD/PPG Suzuki riding close in third. Hofmaster was caught up in trouble in the first turn and was pushed back to the middle of the pack.

The Blose brothers put their GPS Racing/Storm Lake Hondas to the test as they rode their way into the BooKoo record books as the first brothers to share a podium together – finishing first and third on the night.

Bess would hold on to second after making his way past Chris Blose and would secure second place in the 250 championship points race behind Josh Demuth, who finished sixth which was enough to secure the championship. Making this Demuth’s third points race to end up on top of in the inaugural year for the BooKoo series.

The 450’s launched from the line with chaos in the first turn and Bess making his way through to the front. Sharp Racing’s Travis Bannister was holding down second place early on with Hofmaster in third.

The race order remained the same as the field approached the halfway point as the riders settled into their positions. Josh Woods made a hard charge back from the first turn chaos to pass Hofmaster.

In the end, ‘Sugar’ Shane Bess would make one last statement to the competition that he was out for the win and looking to lock up second place in the championship points race. Bannister made a great run and put the Sharp Racing Honda in the second spot on the podium, his second of the year. Woods would end up the night with third as he powered his Fun Center Suzuki back to the front.

Damien Plotts put his Babbitt’s Enxus Oil Kawasaki in front of the rest of the field in the Dash for Cash to take home the big money Saturday night but BooKoo Energy Honda’s Tiger Lacey managed to end up on top in the lucrative points chase and took home the $7500 year-end bonus for his efforts.

Cedar Mountain Motocross paid an extra $500 to the holeshot winner, Shane Bess, in the 450 Main. Cedar Mountain is the local go-to place for riding in Oklahoma and was a great gesture.

Paul Carruthers | Editor

Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.