Owen’s dominance continued with his third straight sweep of the 250AX Class Main Events.
Photo: ShiftOne Photography
Cooper Captures First Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Win of the Season
The third round of the 2017 AMSOIL Arenacross season got underway on Friday with the first of two nights of action inside Royal Farms Arena. After a near-perfect start to the season with back-to-back overall wins, championship leader Jace Owen kept the momentum rolling on Night One in Baltimore, leading every lap of the two 250AX Class Main Events to stay undefeated and take his third straight overall victory. In the Eastern Regional AX Lites Class, Yamaha rider Justin Cooper emerged with his first win of the season.
As always, the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge set the stage for the 250AX Class Main Events. In an exciting battle to crown a winner, the final matchup saw Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki, presented by AP Design rider Gavin Faith, the defending AMSOIL Arenacross Champion, make a trip to his third consecutive final, facing off against Rockstar Energy/OTSFF/Yamaha, in association with Cycle Trader and Rock River’s Matt Goerke. Faith ultimately outdueled Goerke to take his second straight Head 2 Head Challenge win and the two championship bonus points that come with it.
The first of two 250AX Class Main Events saw TiLUBE/Jack Link’s/TUF Racing Honda’s Jace Owen keep his dominance rolling by grabbing the holeshot over Woodstock KTM’s Daniel Herrlein and Faith, with Rockstar Energy/OTSFF/Yamaha, in association with Cycle Trader and Rock River’s Chris Blose and TiLUBE/Jack Link’s/TUF Racing Honda’s Ben Lamay settling in behind them. It didn’t take long before the field started jockeying for position, with Herrlein losing four spots and falling to sixth on Lap 1, allowing Faith and Blose to occupy the podium spots.
The lead trio soon settled in out front, opening a multi-second gap over the field. Behind them the intensity continued with Lamay, Custom Powersports/Spinechillers/TiLUBE Racing Kawasaki’s Steven Mages, and Herrlein battling for a spot inside the top five. Several laps later Goerke was able to overcome a tough start to join this battle, breaking into the top five on Lap 9 and then passing Mages for fourth on Lap 10. The excitement didn’t end there, as both Mages and Herrlein were able to get back by Goerke in the closing laps. Goerke would eventually make one more pass by Herrlein.
Photo: ShiftOne Photography
Out front Owen and Faith broke away from Blose in third, and Faith was even able to close his deficit to Owen to just a few bike lengths with two laps remaining. Despite the late pressure, Owen opened the gap back up and took the win over Faith, with Blose third, Mages fourth, and Goerke fifth.
When the field stormed out of the starting gate for the second 250AX Class Main Event, Owen once again put his Honda out front to claim the holeshot, leading Motosport Hillsboro Kawasaki’s Gared Steinke and Mages. Needing to catch Owen for a shot at the overall win, Faith quickly moved past Mages into third on Lap 1 and set his sights on Steinke.
Behind the lead group, Goerke was building another march to the front, passing his teammate Blose for fifth on Lap 5. Blose would lose another spot to Lamay two laps later and fall out of contention for the podium. The field remained unchanged until the final three laps, when Faith began losing valuable ground late. Mages made the pass by the defending champion for third on Lap 12, dropping him off the podium, and on the final lap Goerke was able to pass Faith for fourth.
Owen was kept honest by Steinke throughout the entirety of the race and took the checkered 1.4 seconds ahead of Steinke. Mages followed in third, with Goerke fourth and Faith fifth.
Owen’s third straight 1-1 sweep helped keep his undefeated record in 2017 intact. Despite the late drop in position in the final Main Event, Faith still followed in second (2-5), while Steinke’s strong finish landed him on the final spot on the podium (6-2). Mages finished fourth (4-3), with Goerke rounding out the top five (5-4).
Owen added to his lead in the 250AX Class standings, moving to 18 points ahead of Goerke in second. Faith is third, 23 points out of the lead, with Steinke fourth (-29) and Blose fifth (-32).
Photo: ShiftOne Photography
In the AX Lites Class Main Event it was Cooper who raced to the holeshot over Babbitt’s/GPF/Monster Energy Kawasaki/MMCR’s Jacob Williamson and KTM rider Isaac Teasdale. Motorsport/Quick Roofing/Super Charged Energy KTM’s Heath Harrison, the championship leader, started fourth. The battle for second and third intensified quickly, with both Teasdale and Harrison slipping past Williamson on Lap 1. That battle, combined with a clear track for Cooper, allowed the leader to establish a comfortable multi-second lead early in the race.
The battle between Teasdale, Harrison, and Williamson continued, with Williamson fighting his way past Harrison and into third on Lap 4. They traded positions again on the following lap before Williamson cemented his hold on the spot on Lap 6. Despite their intense battle, Williamson and Harrison stayed close to Teasdale and Williamson was able to move back into second on Lap 7.
Cooper led every lap en route to an unchallenged victory, crossing the finish line nearly six seconds ahead of Williamson in second. Harrison made a last lap pass on Teasdale to steal the final spot on the podium.
With the win Cooper closed in on Harrison in the Eastern Regional AX Lites Class standings, with just two points sitting between the lead duo. Williamson is third, just seven points behind Harrison.
Photo: ShiftOne Photography
The Baltimore round of AMSOIL Arenacross will continues tomorrow with a second night of action inside Royal Farms Arena on Saturday, January 21. Racing begins at 7 p.m. ET.
250AX Class Results – Main Event 1
1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
3. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha
4. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
5. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
7. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
9. Josh Osby, Valparaiso, Ind., Kawasaki
10. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
250AX Class Results – Main Event 2
1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
2. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
3. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
4. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha
5. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
6. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
7. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha
8. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM
9. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
10. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
250AX Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)
1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1-1)
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (2-5)
3. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (6-2)
4. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (4-3)
5. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha (5-4)
6. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (3-7)
7. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (8-6)
8. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM (12-8)
9. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (10-9)
10. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (7-14)
RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (Bonus Points)
1. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (2 points)
2. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha (1 point)
3. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (1 point)
4. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (1 point)
5. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1 point)
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (1 point)
7. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM (1 point)
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)
Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Results
1. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha
2. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki
3. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM
4. Isaac Teasdale, Robbinsville, N.C., KTM
5. Brandon Gourley, Boonville, Ind., KTM
6. Josiah Hempen, Argyle, Iowa, Yamaha
7. Broc Gourley, Boonville, Ind., Suzuki
8. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
9. Dillon Cloyed, Papillion, Neb., Honda
10. Jayce Pennington, Walnut Hill, Ill., Yamaha
250AX Class Championship Standings
1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda – 100 (6 Main Event Wins)
2. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha – 82
3. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki – 77
4. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 71
5. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha – 68
6. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda – 62
7. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM – 56
8. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM – 56
9. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda – 39
10. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 38
Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Championship Standings
1. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM – 46 (2 Main Event Wins)
2. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 44 (1 Main Event Win)
3. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki – 39
4. Isaac Teasdale, Robbinsville, N.C., KTM – 27
5. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., Kawasaki – 25
6. Brandon Gourley, Boonville, Ind., KTM – 24
7. Josiah Hempen, Argyle, Iowa, Yamaha – 21
8. Carter Gordon, Matoon, Ill., Yamaha – 18
9. Cody Williams, Barneveld, Wis., Kawasaki – 15
10. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Kawasaki – 14
