Amateur Arenacross World Finals Field

2008-’09 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series will be prefaced by the country’s premier amateur arenacross race following the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open

AURORA, Ill. (April 3, 2008) – The nation’s top amateur arenacross racers – having qualified through amateur race days at the 2007-’08 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series circuit – will make their yearly trek to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena for the annual running of the Amateur Arenacross World Finals October 13th as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open weekend.

Several of today’s top professional racers competed at the MGM Grand Garden Arena during their amateur careers, including James Stewart, Mike Alessi, Jason Lawrence, Matt Goerke, Kyle Partridge, Thomas Hahn, Shane Bess, Billy Laninovich. In fact, when the Amateur Arenacross World Finals first took place way back in 2001, the 7-11 65cc champ was Wil Hahn, who just won the 125 Pro class at Lake Whitney (Texas) two weeks ago, while the 85cc Super Mini champ was Lawrence – the current points leader in the Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites chase.

“The Amateur Arenacross World Finals is a great way for serious fans of Toyota AMA Arenacross and Monster Energy® Supercross to catch a glimpse of the next generation of up-and-coming racers,” said Jayme Dalsing, director of the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series. “So who knows, maybe you’ll watch the next Jason Lawrence win the super-mini class.”

The top five riders in each class from the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series regions (North, South, East & West) have all received invitations to compete at the Amateur Arenacross World Finals based on their points standings in each region. The Sunday racing at the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open will showcase the sport’s top arenacross riders. This will no doubt make for one of the more impressive amateur gates assembled all year, giving fans attending the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open a good reason to attend another exciting day of racing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Last year more than 350 racers of the nation’s top amateur arenacross racers competed. Winners of class championships included: Kyle Willis (125cc Intermediate), Braxton Prieto (7-9 65cc), Trevor Allred (125cc Novice), Jim Chester (Over 35), Eddie Norred (4-6 50cc), Wing Tai Barrymore (85cc Super Mini), Justin Berry (250cc Intermediate), Scott Carpenter (7-11 85cc), Nathan Nalley (250cc Novice), Mitchell Harrison (7-8 50cc), Kody Kamm (12-15 85cc), Jim Chester (Over 30), Justin Berry (16-24 Collegeboy), Daniel Sanders (125cc Schoolboy), Jim Chester (Over 25), Trevor Shaffer (10-11 65cc), Lauren Volentir (Women), Kevin Popaeko (Over 40), Ashley Boham (Women Pro).

To see the entire invited field for the 2008 Amateur Arenacross World Finals, link to http://www.ussx.com/amateur08.asp. Stay tuned for 2008-’09 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series schedule updates on www.arenacross.com