The AMA Arenacross series took place inside Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, for round three of the 2023-24 Championship. Defending champion Kyle Peters continued his red-plate streak with a clean sweep of two main event wins on the weekend.
Story and Photos by Matty Media/Matt Henson
Peters, on the Phoenix Racing Honda, came from behind in race one and crossed the finish line on lap one back in seventh place. He used his veteran experience to make key passes and found himself in second just three laps later. Passing race leader Kyle Bitterman (Honda) secured the top spot for Peters. Bitterman led six of 10 laps in main one but finished second in race one. Two-stroke-mounted Jared Lesher took third.
Race two flipped the running order and put Peters on the second row of the start gate. This caused chaos for him on the first lap as he became hung up with other riders. Peters’ main rival, Indiana’s Ryan Breece (Yamaha), finished 12th in race one, which in turn gave him a good start in race two. Breece took off with the early lead, while Peters worked his way through the pack.
Peters eventually found his way to Breece’s rear wheel on the final lap and used the lappers to his advantage. A pass in the final turn caught Breece by surprise, as Peters snuck to the inside just before the finish line. The two competitors crossed the line at nearly the same time, with Peters barely edging out Breece for the win. A 1-1 result gave Peters the overall victory over Bitterman’s 2-4 and Lesher’s 3-5.
Peters continues to lead the overall championship over Breece and Bitterman.
“I felt like I was waiting too long, and there was a big gap between me and Breece,” said Peters. “I caught up to him on the last lap, I think some lappers came into play a little bit, but I was able to catch him and square him up right before the finish line. Stoked to get the double win. I could see where he was and I was just taking little chunks and hoping the race would be long enough.”
2023 Arenacross Round 3 Results
OVERALL
- Kyle Peters (Hon) 1-1
- Kyle Bitterman (Hon) 2-4
- Jared Lesher (Yam) 3-5
- Chandler Baker (Hus) 7-3
- Blake Gardner (Kaw) 6-6
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