Tyler Bowers (center) captured his fourth Arenacross title in Salt Lake. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSHUA RUD
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, MAR. 29 – Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/Amsoil Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers swept the Arenacross-class main events at Salt Lake City’s EnergySolutions Arena, March 29, to grab his 11th overall win of the season and become just the third rider in AMSOIL Arenacross history to win four consecutive championships.
In the Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class, A&J Oilfield Services Kawasaki rider and Utah-native Gray Davenport captured his first career title in front of his hometown crowd following a runner-up finish.
Bowers was joined on the overall podium by Motosport/Hillsboro Kawasaki’s Gared Steinke in second (2-4) and PBR/TiLube/FUF Racing Honda’s Kyle Regal in third (4-3).
Bowers entered the night with an 18-point lead and finished the season off with a 25-point margin over Jacob Hayes. It wasn’t an easy path to the title for Bowers in 2014, suffering a broken tibia at the opening round of the season and racing through the pain to keep himself in title contention. A broken rib suffered at the start of the Race to the Championship set Bowers back again as the season hit the home stretch, but he refused to quit, ultimately winning 19 main events, including the final seven of the season to pull away from his rivals in the Race to the Championship.
“It’s been a crazy year, getting injured at first round and having to fight through adversity pretty much all season,” said Bowers, who joins Buddy Antunez and Dennis Hawthorne as the only four-peat champions in AMSOIL Arenacross history. “I’m just happy to be up here today. Zach Ames made it tough on me this year and forced me to be at my best every week. These [championships] are never easy but we refused to give up, kept at it every week, and here we are with a fourth straight title.”
RESULTS – Salt Lake City, Utah, March 29, 2014
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 1
1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
2. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
3. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Honda
4. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda
5. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM
6. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
8. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
9. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki
10. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 2
1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
2. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
3. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda
4. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
5. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
6. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Honda
7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
8. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
9. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki
10. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
Arenacross Class Results – Overall (Main Event Finishes)
1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (1-1)
2. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (2-4)
3. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda (4-3)
4. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki (8-2)
5. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Honda (3-6)
6. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM (7-7)
7. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki (6-8)
8. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM (10-5)
9. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM (5-12)
10. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki (9-9)
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Results
1. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
2. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki
3. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
4. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM
5. Zack Gurley, Farmington, N.M., Honda
6. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda
7. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
8. Brett McLaud, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Kawasaki
9. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., Honda
10. Beni Williams, Hoofer, Utah, Honda
Arenacross Class Race to the Championship (Race 56of 6)
1. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki – 191
2. Jacob Hayes, Greensboro, N.C., Honda – 166
3. Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki – 157
4. Kyle Regal, Grand Prairie, Texas, Honda – 149
5. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki – 131
6. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM – 121
7. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM – 121
8. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki – 118
9. Michael McDade, McDonald, Ohio, Kawasaki – 116
10. Colt Nichols, S. Muskogee, Okla., Kawasaki – 106
Arenacross Class Points (Race 19 of 19)
1. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 322
2. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 136
3. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 127
4. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Kawasaki – 116
5. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 98
6. Jeff Gibson, Pataskala, Ohio, Honda – 90
7. Robby Marshall, Stow, Mass., KTM – 85
8. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha – 75
9. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki – 61
10. Keith Tucker, Fuquay Varina, N.C., Yamaha – 57
10. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 57
Western Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 10 of 10)
1. Gray Davenport, Lehi, Utah, Kawasaki – 128
2. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda – 126
3. Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda – 115
4. Dave Ginolfi, Boston, N.J., KTM – 109
5. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM – 88
6. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM – 79
7. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki – 69
8. Brian Alquist, LaGrange, Calif., KTM – 42
9. Josh Struebig, Crown Point, Ind., KTM – 36
10. Cheyenne Harmon, Olivia, Texas, KTM – 35
