Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Matt Goerke celebrates his fourth main event win of the season. Photography by Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography
The AMSOIL AMA Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, made its eighth stop of the season in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the Mid-America Center. The racing was closer than ever, with a three-way tiebreaker needed at the end of the night. After the last checkered flag flew, it was Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Matt Goerke who stood atop the podium, as his 3-1 finish bested second-place finisher Gavin Faith (2-2) and Kyle Regal in third (1-3).
In the first main event, Regal grabbed the holeshot aboard his TiLUBE TUF Racing Husqvarna with Babbitt’s Kawasaki riders Chris Blose and Jacob Hayes in tow. Hayes was looking for a repeat win but saw his efforts crumble after a crash on the second lap dropped him all the way to the back of the field. That allowed Blose to move into second and Faith to move into third aboard his TiLUBE Husqvarna. Gared Steinke sat in fourth place early in the race, but Goerke eventually bested him to take fourth.
Regal opened up a gap on the field, and as Blose attempted to give chase, he went down in the whoops, allowing Faith to inherit second, and Goerke, third.
In the second main event, it was ThermoTec Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry with the holeshot, barely ahead of Hayes and Goerke. In an effort to redeem himself, Hayes made a run for the lead, but he went down as he and Kiniry made contact. Once again, Hayes dropped all the way to the back of the field. Although Kiniry managed to stay upright, the incident also caused him to drop back to eighth.
Jacob Hayes (4) battles his TiLUBE Husqvarna teammate Gavin Faith (617). The duo rounded out the podium in Iowa, and Hayes now holds the points lead in the championship. Photography by Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography
That left Goerke out front with Faith and Regal in tow by the end of the opening lap. The top-three held their positions until the finish, landing the top-three in a tight bout for the overall. On account of Goerke’s win in the second main event, he was crowned the overall winner at the Mid-America Center. Faith claimed second with his pair of second-place finishes while Regal collected third.
Hayes, who led the Arenacross Class Championship coming into Iowa, finished a disappointing ninth overall with his 8-11 score. The sub-par finish dropped him from the points lead, and although the title is still well within his reach, he lost a 14-point lead in the championship. Regal now moves into the lead – but with very little breathing room. The top-three are only separated by a single point in the championship, as Hayes and Goerke are tied for second only one point behind him.
KTM’s Daniel Blair took a dominant win in the Lites class, extending his lead in the Western Regional Arenacross Championship. Photography by Josh Rud / ShiftOne Photography
Arenacross Lites
The Western Regional Arenacross Lites competition returned to the stage as the series came to the Mid-America Center. Daniel Blair took his third main event win of the season, and extended his lead in the West championship with another dominant victory.
Blair grabbed the holeshot aboard his Motosport.com/Haeseker Racing KTM and never looked back. As Blair opened up his lead, he left Scott Zont and Josh Cartwright to battle for second. Cartwright eventually secured the point, and KTM-mounted Dave Ginolfi also got around Zont to capture the final podium position. In the end, there was no stopping Blair as he blazed to a flag-to-flag victory.
Blair put another handful of points over Cody VanBuskirk (who finished sixth in Iowa). Brandon Glenn – who finished fifth on the night – now sits third in the Western Regional Lites Championship.
Arenacross Class Results – Overall
1. Matt Goerke, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (3-1)
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Husqvarna (2-2)
3. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Husqvarna (1-3)
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (5-4)
5. Gared Steinke, Temecula, Calif., KTM (4-5)
6. Bobby Kiniry, Holland Patent, N.Y., Yamaha (6-7)
7. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (7-8)
8. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM (9-9)
9. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (8-11)
10. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, KTM (16-6)
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
1. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
2. Josh Cartwright, Tallahassee, Fla., Yamaha
3. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
4. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., KTM
5. Brandon Glenn, Mesquite, Texas, Yamaha
6. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
7. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM
8. Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM
9. Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., KTM
10. Mason Wharton, Brush Prairie, Wash., Kawasaki
