Owen Leads Every Lap in Cincinnati Opener to Earn First Career AMSOIL Arenacross Victory

Courtesy of Feld Motorsports

CINCINNATI (January 7, 2017) - The 2017 AMSOIL Arenacross season got underway on Saturday night from U.S. Bank Arena, setting the stage for the battle to capture the Ricky Carmichael Cup. The anticipation and buzz surrounding the opening round culminated with a dominant performance from TiLUBE/Jack Link's/TUF Racing Honda's Jace Owen in the 250AX Class, who captured his first career overall victory. In the AX Lites Class, Motosport/Quick Roofing/Super Charged Energy KTM's Heath Harrison cruised to the win.

 

Cincinnati Arenacross Photos

Owen led every lap of both 250AX Main Events.

Photo: ShiftOne Photography 

 

Owen's path to victory started with a triumphant effort in the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge, where he outdueled defending AMSOIL Arenacross Champion Gavin Faith to claim two championship bonus points. When the field launched out of the gate for the first 250AX Class Main Event, it was Owen who pulled the holeshot ahead of Team Rockstar Energy/OTSFF/Yamaha, in association with Rock River and Cycle Trader, rider Matt Goerke and TiLUBE/Jack Link's/TUF Racing Honda's Ben Lamay.

 

While Owen was able to assert himself out front, the battle for position behind him quickly intensified as Faith was able to put his Team Babbitt's/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki, presented by AP Design machine into third on Lap 1, bringing teammate Jacob Hayes with him into fourth and dropping Lamay to fifth. On the ensuing lap Faith made his way past Goerke for second, but was faced with a deficit of more than two seconds to Owen. The gap between the top two continued to fluctuate, but Owen was never seriously challenged and took the win over Faith. Hayes followed in third after making a pass on Goerke in the late stages of the race, while Lamay finished fifth.

 

Owen put his Honda out front again to start the second 250AX Class Main Event, this time with Lamay and Woodstock KTM's Daniel Herrlein in tow. Faith started in fourth. Owen quickly laid down his fastest lap of the Main Event to open up a gap over his teammate, and the pair appeared to be in control of the race. However, Faith was on a hard charge to the front after starting fourth, moving into third on Lap 2 and immediately chipping away at the deficit. Behind him, both Goerke and Motosport Hillsboro Kawasaki's Gared Steinke moved past Herrlein to round out the top five.

 

Faith's determination brought him to the rear fender of Lamay in the closing laps, and the champ was able to make the pass for the position on Lap 11. Owen went on to clinch a sweep of the motos, leading all 30 laps of Main Event competition, with Faith in second. Goerke slipped past Lamay on the final lap to steal third, with Steinke fifth.

Defending champion Faith finished in the runner-up spot.
Photo: ShiftOne Photography 

 

Owen's perfect night gave him maximum points, while Faith's title defense got off to a strong start with a runner up effort (2-2). Goerke (4-3) finished third in his return to AMSOIL Arenacross competition, followed by Lamay in fourth (5-4) and Hayes in fifth (3-7).

 

Owen will carry the red number plate as the championship leader for the first time next weekend, holding a three-point lead over Faith.

The 2017 AMSOIL Arenacross season is officially underway.

Photo: ShiftOne Photography

 

In the Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Main Event, Harrison stormed out of the gate to grab the holeshot over Team Babbitt's/GPF/Monster Energy Kawasaki/MMCR's Jacob Williamson and Auto Revo Powersports/Shawnee Motor Company Suzuki's Cheyenne Harmon. Harrison and Williamson fought hard for the lead, staying within a few bike lengths of one another. Brewer Cycles/FMS/Team Green Kawasaki's Kyle Bitterman moved up from his fourth-place start to pass Harmon for third on Lap 1 and from there the top thee remained unchanged, with Harrison eventually pulling away to take the victory. Yamaha riders Justin Cooper and Jerry Robin rounded out the top five.

 

Harrison now holds a one point lead over Williamson in the Eastern Regional AX Lites Class standings.

Harrison grabbed the AX Lites Class win.

Photo: ShiftOne Photography

 

AMSOIL Arenacross will head to Grand Rapids, Michigan, next weekend for the second round of the championship from Van Andel Arena on Saturday, January 14. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET.

 

250AX Class Results - Main Event 1

1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
3. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
4. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha
5. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
7. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM
8. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Kawasaki
9. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
10. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda

250AX Class Results - Main Event 2

1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha
4. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda
5. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki
6. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM
7. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki
8. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM
9. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda
10. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki

250AX Class Overall Results (Main Event Results)

1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (1-1)
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (2-2)
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha (4-3)
4. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (5-4)
5. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (3-7)
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (6-5)
7. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (7-6)
8. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda (10-9)
9. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM (12-8)
10. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (11-12)

RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge Results (Bonus Points)

1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda (2 points)
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki (1 point)
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha (1 point)
4. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda (1 point)
5. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki (1 point)
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki (1 point)
7. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM (1 point)
8. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha (1 point)

Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Results

1. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM
2. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki
3. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Kawasaki
4. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha
5. Jerry Robin, Corcoran, Minn., Yamaha
6. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM
7. Cheyenne Harmon, Colleyville, Texas, Suzuki
8. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., Kawasaki
9. Carter Gordon, Matoon, Ill., Yamaha
10. Cody Williams, Barneveld, Wis., Kawasaki

250AX Class Championship Standings

1. Jace Owen, Matoon, Ill., Honda - 34 (2 Main Event Wins)
2. Gavin Faith, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Kawasaki - 31
3. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Florida, Yamaha - 28
4. Ben Lamay, Forney, Texas, Honda - 26
5. Jacob Hayes, Liberty, N.C., Kawasaki - 25
6. Gared Steinke, Woodland, Calif., Kawasaki - 24
7. Daniel Herrlein, Bethesda, Ohio, KTM - 22
8. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Honda - 15
9. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM - 14
10. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Yamaha - 12

Eastern Regional AX Lites Class Championship Standings

1. Heath Harrison, Silverhill, Ala., KTM - 16 (1 Main Event Win)
2. Jacob Williamson, Swartz Creek, Mich., Kawasaki - 15
3. Kyle Bitterman, West Pelzer, S.C., Kawasaki - 14
4. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 13
5. Jerry Robin, Corcoran, Minn., Yamaha - 12
6. Dylan Rouse, Florence, Ky., KTM - 11
7. Cheyenne Harmon, Colleyville, Texas, Suzuki - 10
8. Scott Zont, Algonquin, Ill., Kawasaki - 9
9. Carter Gordon, Matoon, Ill., Yamaha - 8
10. Cody Williams, Barneveld, Wis., Kawasaki - 7 

For more information on the 2017 AMSOIL Arenacross season, and to purchase tickets, log on to www.Arenacross.com. For media requests, contact Feld Media Relations, mediarelations@feldinc.com; 703-448-4120

 

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About Feld Entertainment:

Feld Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment's productions have appeared in more than 75 countries and on six continents to date and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^®, Monster Jam^®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross, Disney On Ice, Disney Live! and Marvel Universe LIVE! More information about Feld Entertainment is available online at www.feldentertainment.com.

 

About the American Motorcyclist Association:

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world's largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders' interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join

 

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