BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- AMSOIL Arenacross made its inaugural visit to Legacy Arena on Saturday night in what ultimately proved to be an opportunity for championship leader Jacob Hayes to strengthen his hold on the top of the Arenacross Class standings. The Team Babbitt's/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki rider swept the Main Events for the second time this season, earning his third overall victory of the season. In the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM's Sean Cantrell enjoyed a memorable pro debut, beginning Ricky Carmichael's Road to Supercross with a win in his first ever AMSOIL Arenacross start.
TiLUBE/Tuf Racing Honda's Jace Owen grabbed the holeshot to start the first 15-lap Arenacross Class Main Event, but it wasn't long before he found himself outside of podium position as Hayes, his Team Babbitt's teammate Chris Blose, and TZR/Woodstock KTM's Travis Sewell all went by. The top three riders asserted themselves at the front of the field and paced one another through the entirety of the race. Hayes crossed the line nearly three seconds ahead of Blose, with Sewell in third.
In his first start for Rockstar Energy Drink Husqvarna Factory Racing presented by FMC and OTSFF, Austin Stroupe finished fourth, with Owen in fifth.
Hayes was tasked with selecting the inversion for the second Main Event and chose the case with the number 8, meaning half the field would be inverted.
As the gate dropped on the second Main Event, Owen once again put his Honda out front, with Hayes close behind. Blose was third, followed by Stroupe and his Rockstar Energy Drink Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate Gared Steinke. Owen would hold the lead for a lap before Hayes seized control of the Main Event. As he chased Owen for second, Blose dropped a couple positions and fell out of podium contention, allowing Stroupe to take over third.
Hayes would maintain a lead of just about a second over Owen, but pulled away on the final lap to take the win by three seconds. Stroupe finished third, with Sewell fourth and Blose fifth.
The 1-1 effort by Hayes makes him the winningest rider in the Arenacross Class, with three overall victories and eight Main Event wins. Owen posted his best finish of the season in second (5-2) while Stroupe began his substitution for the injured defending champion Kyle Regal with a third-place effort (4-3). Sewell finished fourth (3-4), while Blose rounded out the top five (2-5).
In RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge action, Team Babbitt's/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki's Gavin Faith edged out Hayes in the final pairing to earn an additional championship bonus point.
Hayes extended his lead in the Arenacross Class standings to 19 points over Faith, who finished sixth overall. Blose is third, 25 points back, followed by Sewell and TiLUBE/Tuf Racing Honda's Ben Lamay.
Cantrell put himself at the front of the field to start the 15-lap Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, earning the holeshot ahead of DrivenMX Racing's Jared Lesher and A&Y Racing Honda's Daniel Herrlein. With an open track ahead of him, Cantrell was able to open an early gap over the field, while Herrlein applied immediate pressure on Lesher for second. On Lap 2 Herrlein moved into the runner-up spot and began to erase his deficit to the lead. Lesher maintained his hold on third for the next few laps, but was then passed by FCC Motorsports Honda's Dylan Walker. As that unfolded a thrilling battle for took shape for the lead between Cantrell and Herrlein. The two riders went bar-to-bar, with Herrlein gaining the edge to lead Lap 7. On the ensuing lap Cantrell moved back into the front. The pair would continue to trade the top spot for the next couple laps, even making contact with one another, until Cantrell took control of the lead for good on Lap 10. He went on to take the win by just over a second ahead of Herrlein. TZR/Woodstock KTM's Cody VanBuskirk rounded out the podium after starting sixth. Walker was fourth, with CycleTrader/Rock River Yamaha's Justin Cooper fifth.
With his second-place effort Herrlein added to his lead in the Eastern Regional Championship and now sits 36 points ahead of Walker. Team Babbitt's/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki's Jacob Williamson, who finished 15th, is third, 43 points out of the lead.
The 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross season continues next weekend with the sixth round from Birmingham, Alabama, and Legacy Arena on Saturday, February 13. The action kicks off at 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET.
Arenacross Class Results - Main Event 1
1. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
2. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki
3. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
4. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Husqvarna
5. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
6. Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki
7. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna
8. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
9. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
10. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
Arenacross Class Results - Main Event 2
1. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
2. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
3. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Husqvarna
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
5. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna
7. Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
9. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
10. Sean Cantrell, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
Arenacross Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)
1. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (5-2)
3. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Husqvarna (4-3)
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (3-4)
5. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki (2-5)
6. Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki (6-7)
7. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna (7-6)
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (10-8)
9. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda (9-9)
10. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM (8-13)
RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (bonus points)
1. Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki (2 points)
2. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1 point)
3. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1 point)
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (1 point)
5. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki (1 point)
6. Austin Stroupe, Lincolnton, N.C., Husqvarna (1 point)
7. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna (1 point)
8. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
1. Sean Cantrell, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
2. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda
3. Cody VanBuskirk, Harvard, Ill., KTM
4. Dylan Walker, Lancaster, Ohio, Honda
5. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha
6. DJ MacFarlane, Pinellas Park, Fla., Yamaha
7. Henry Miller, Rochester, Minn., Honda
8. Jared Lesher, Ball Ground, Ga., KTM
9. Jake McKinney, Hamersville, Ohio, Honda
10. Mathew Weakley, Atoka, Tenn., Husqvarna
Arenacross Class Championship Standings
1. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki - 262 (8 Main Event Wins)
2. Gavin Faith, Duncombe, Iowa, Kawasaki - 243 (2 Main Event Wins)
3. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Kawasaki - 237 (1 Main Event Win)
4. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM - 235 (5 Main Event Wins)
5. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda - 165
6. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda - 146
7. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Husqvarna - 143
8. Kyle Regal, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Husqvarna - 130
9. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda - 127
10. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Husqvarna - 115
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Standings
1. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, Honda - 90 (2 Main Event Wins)
2. Dylan Walker, Lancaster, Ohio, Honda - 54
3. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki - 47 (1 Main Event Win)
4. Steve Roman, Apollo, Pa., Suzuki - 43
5. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 42
6. Lane Staley, Chillicothe, Ohio, KTM - 39
7. Tyler McSwain, Shelby, N.C., Yamaha - 35
8. Henry Miller, Rochester, Minn., Honda - 34
9. DJ MacFarlane, Pinellas Park, Fla., Yamaha - 21
10. Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha - 18
