After Another Strong Outing, Babbitt’s Kawasaki Continues to Impress

AURORA, Ill. (February 8, 2010) – When the checkered flags flew at the Tulsa AMA Arenacross Series tour stop last Saturday, a trio of familiar faces thus far in the season stood on the podium – Babbitt’s Monster Energy/Ti Lube Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers, Chad Johnson and Josh Demuth. It was the second time this season the team swept the podium and as the series heads to its halfway point this weekend inside the Coveli Center in Youngstown, Ohio, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic at the front of the field plays out.

Despite a series-leading six victories, Bowers has seen his advantage over the AMA Arenacross class field decrease a bit, both on the track and in the standings. His pair of teammates have proven they have what it takes, serving as the only other winners in 2010, and are consistently on pace with the points leader. Furthermore, Tuf Honda’s Jeff Gibson and Brock Sellards are quietly making headway into the Babbitt’s echelon, running at the front of the pack on a regular basis. With the last three AMA Arenacross class titles to their credit, expect the red riders to be making their presence felt on the podium in the second half of 2010.

The AMA Arenacross Lites Eastern Regional Championship returns this weekend after a two-week break. The top of the standings are knotted up between Foremost Insurance Yamaha’s Tyler Bright and Factory Pech Racing Kawasaki’s Devon Pilkington. Through six races, Pilkington has thrived on youthful exuberance, showing outstanding speed and consistency during his rookie season. Bright, on the other hand, is on a wave of momentum. With one win to his credit in the Eastern Regional Championship, the North Carolina native has also garnered a pair of victories in the Western Regional Championships over the past two weeks and hopes to continue that trend this weekend. Ironically enough, both the Eastern and Western Regional Championships currently showcase a tie atop the standings, one of the rare yet unique occurrences of the AMA Arenacross Series.

This weekend’s Friday and Saturday-night battles from Youngstown mark the first time the series has raced at the Coveli Center since the 2008 season. That year, four different winners across the AMA Arenacross and AMA Arenacross Lites classes stood atop the podium during two nights of action. Former AMA Arenacross Lites champion Shane Sewell raced to the class victory on Friday night while series veteran Kevin Johnson grabbed the premier class victory. On Saturday night, current Western Regional Championship co-leader Cory Green took the AMA Arenacross Lites class win while Tom Hofmaster came out victorious in the AMA Arenacross class.

With the halfway point approaching and a considerable advantage working in Bowers’ favor, the talented lineup of premier class competitors know now is the time to make their move and the chance to do so begins this weekend.

Advance tickets are available for this weekend’s Youngstown Arenacross at the Coveli Center Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone and ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $2 more the day of the race.

Tickets are available online at www.arenacross.com and www.ticketmaster.com. For more information on the AMA Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.

AMA Arenacross Class Points (After Race 8 of 19)

1.       Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 181

2.       Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki – 161

3.       Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Kawasaki – 147

4.       Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda – 133

5.       Brock Sellards, Sherodsville, Ohio, Honda – 119

6.       Jeff Gibson, Thornville, Ohio, Honda – 116

7.       Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Honda – 105

8.       Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatlong, N.J., Suzuki –97

9.       Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, Kawasaki – 93

10.    Robbie Reynard, Oklahoma City, Okla., Suzuki – 79

AMA Arenacross Lites Class Eastern Regional Points (After Race 6 of 9)

1.       Tyler Bright, Lexington, N.C., Yamaha – 99

2.       Devon Pilkington, Virginia Beach, Va., Kawasaki – 99

3.       Chad Wages, Frederick, Md., Suzuki – 97

4.       Daniel Aulsaybrook, Ortonville, Mich., Kawasaki – 86

5.       Taylor Futrell, Clinton, N.C., Honda – 74

6.       Patrick Massie, Washington Court, Ohio, Honda – 51

7.       Kurt McCabe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Honda – 43

8.       Davey Sterritt, Athens, N.Y., Kawasaki – 43

9.       Ryan Zimmer, Angier, N.C., Honda – 36

10.    Derrick Brister, Boyd, Texas, Yamaha - 34

AMA Arenacross Lites Class Western Regional Points (After Race 2 of 10)

1.       Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Kawasaki – 42

2.       A.J. Catanzaro, Middlefield, Conn., Kawasaki – 42

3.       Tanner Moore, Auburn, Kan., KTM – 25

4.       Ricky Draper, Bellevue, Neb., Honda – 21

5.       Jim Neese, Clinton, N.C., Yamaha – 21

6.       Justin Berry, Edmond, Okla., Kawasaki – 18

7.       Parker Eckman, Tustin, Calif., Honda – 16

8.       Jason Hussey, Moscow Mills, Mo., Kawasaki – 15

9.       Tanner Young, Marland, Okla., Yamaha – 13

10.    Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki – 12

11.    Kyle Hussey, Moscow Mills, Mo., Kawasaki – 12