Babbitt's Gains Points Lead With a Tyler Bowers Win in Louisville
February 15, 2011, 10:10am
It was definitely an excellent homecoming for Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki TiLUBE presented by Maxxis Tires rider Tyler Bowers as he took the Arenacross win in his home state of Kentucky Saturday night. Originally from Danville, Bowers had many friends and fans packing the stands at Freedom Hall in Louisville. In process of taking his third win of the series, Bowers also captured the championship point’s lead. Teammates Chad Johnson would finish the night in fourth, while Gray Davenport overcame a mid-race crash to take sixth.
“The focus is to always make the main events; taking heat race wins, or the Dash for Cash win is just icing on the cake” is Babbitt’s Team Manager Denny Bartz mantra. Denny know that championships are won from main event finishes; nothing else. With that said, they guys may have not dominated the heat races, but nonetheless all transferred easily through qualifying. “In their heat races the guys all started on the inside which after the fact proved not to be the best choice” added Bartz.
Saturday night’s main event saw Gray Davenport take the holeshot and early lead; until Jeff Gibson and Tyler Bowers; who started around sixth, eventually tracked him down, and relegated him to third. All this time a very sick Chad Johnson was hovering inside the top five and looking for a way to the front. “I was just feeling very rough, but wanted to race and salvage as much as I could. Later a little after the mid-point of the main I was really struggling. I wanted the podium, but had to settle for fourth” explained Johnson. It was also about that point when Davenport went down; “I got a great start, but Bowers and Gibson got by me early. I ran third for about half the race before going down on the step on – step off. I came back to sixth; which was okay, but I really wanted to get on the box” said Davenport. The big winner of the night of course was Tyler Bowers who added “I just tried to do what I’ve been doing; riding patient and smart, and that has helped me. To take the win here (Kentucky), and then the points lead is awesome!” After a great, yet somewhat difficult night Denny Bartz, who is also fighting a cold, would say “the track was tough tonight; it was very rutty and difficult to pass unless someone made a mistake. But we took the win and points lead so I am very happy.”
Now ranked first with Tyler Bowers, third with Chad Johnson, and sixth with Gray Davenport in the Championship points, the team travels west to Livestock Arena Hall in Reno, Nevada for round’s 7 and 8. For more on the team, check out www.teambabbitts.com
“The focus is to always make the main events; taking heat race wins, or the Dash for Cash win is just icing on the cake” is Babbitt’s Team Manager Denny Bartz mantra. Denny know that championships are won from main event finishes; nothing else. With that said, they guys may have not dominated the heat races, but nonetheless all transferred easily through qualifying. “In their heat races the guys all started on the inside which after the fact proved not to be the best choice” added Bartz.
Saturday night’s main event saw Gray Davenport take the holeshot and early lead; until Jeff Gibson and Tyler Bowers; who started around sixth, eventually tracked him down, and relegated him to third. All this time a very sick Chad Johnson was hovering inside the top five and looking for a way to the front. “I was just feeling very rough, but wanted to race and salvage as much as I could. Later a little after the mid-point of the main I was really struggling. I wanted the podium, but had to settle for fourth” explained Johnson. It was also about that point when Davenport went down; “I got a great start, but Bowers and Gibson got by me early. I ran third for about half the race before going down on the step on – step off. I came back to sixth; which was okay, but I really wanted to get on the box” said Davenport. The big winner of the night of course was Tyler Bowers who added “I just tried to do what I’ve been doing; riding patient and smart, and that has helped me. To take the win here (Kentucky), and then the points lead is awesome!” After a great, yet somewhat difficult night Denny Bartz, who is also fighting a cold, would say “the track was tough tonight; it was very rutty and difficult to pass unless someone made a mistake. But we took the win and points lead so I am very happy.”
Now ranked first with Tyler Bowers, third with Chad Johnson, and sixth with Gray Davenport in the Championship points, the team travels west to Livestock Arena Hall in Reno, Nevada for round’s 7 and 8. For more on the team, check out www.teambabbitts.com
