Impressive AMSOIL Arenacross debut for Austin Forkner

The third round of the 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross season kicked off on Friday with the first of two nights of action for the championship’s inaugural visit to the PPL Center.

Entering as the points leader for the first time this year, Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Chris Blose became the first repeat overall winner of 2016 following an exceptionally consistent night, extending the Team Babbitt’s winning streak to four races.

In the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Jacob Williamson led all 15 laps to earn his first career win and become the fourth different Main Event winner in as many nights for the Lites division.

Woodstock/TZR KTM’s Travis Sewell continued his hot start to the 2016 season by grabbing the holeshot for the first 15-lap Arenacross Class Main Event with Rockstar Energy Drink Husqvarna Factory Racing presented by FMC and OTSFF rider Gared Steinke and TiLUBE/Tuf Racing Honda’s Ben Lamay in tow.

Just behind the lead trio out of the first turn was Rockstar Energy Drink Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kyle Regal, Blose and Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Gavin Faith. Regal and Blose quickly worked their way around Lamay and began to make a push on Steinke for second.

The front of the field remained unchanged for the first handful of laps until Regal and Blose both made their way by Steinke on Lap 5 to move into second and third, respectively. Faith would soon follow suit and move into fourth.

On Lap 7 Regal went down in the whoops, which allowed Blose to assume second and Faith third, but also helped Sewell continue to extend his lead. The KTM rider was never challenged and notched his third Main Event win of the season by nearly five seconds, leading every lap.

Blose finished second, just ahead of his team-mate Faith, while Team Babbitt’s/Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki’s Jacob Hayes made a hard charge from eighth place to finish fourth. In his AMSOIL Arenacross debut, Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross rider Austin Forkner put his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki into the top five after starting ninth. Regal got back into the race and soldiered home to a 13th-place finish.

With the win, Sewell was awarded the distinction of selecting the inversion for the second Main Event. He selected the briefcase with the number 8, meaning half the field would be inverted.

The inversion proved to be beneficial for Blose, allowing him to claim the holeshot with Forkner right on his rear fender. Hayes positioned himself into third, followed by Faith and Sewell.

A determined Hayes passed Forkner for second on Lap 1 and set his sights on his team-mate out front. On Lap 3 the battle for the podium shifted when Faith went off track in the sand section, losing several spots and reentering just outside the top 10 in 11th.

As the Main Event reached the halfway point the battle for the lead heated up between Blose and Hayes. After heavy pressure, Hayes made an impressive move in the sand on Lap 8 to move out front.

Once in control of the race Hayes pulled away while Blose fell into the clutches of Forkner. The Road to Supercross rider attempted to make the pass on several occasions but on the final lap a bobble in the rhythm section not only cost Forkner a shot at second, but also possession of third as a patient Lamay slipped by right before the checkered flag.

Hayes took his class-leading fourth Main Event win three seconds ahead of Blose, with Lamay third. Forkner finished fourth with Sewell rounding out the top five. After his early troubles, Faith rebounded to finish eighth.

Despite missing out on a Main Event win, Blose’s pair of runner-up finishes was enough to give him the edge over Hayes (4-1) for the overall victory by just a single point. Sewell (1-5) finished one additional point back to claim third overall, followed by Lamay (7-3) in fourth and Forkner (5-4) fifth, capping off an impressive debut.

Earlier in the evening, Regal secured the win in the RMATV/MC Head-to-Head Challenge over Lamay, earning an additional championship bonus point en route to eighth overall.

The Arenacross Class championship standings remain a Team Babbitt’s 1-2-3, with Blose extending his lead to five points. Hayes moved into second while Faith dropped to third, 10 points out of the lead. Sewell and Regal complete the top five.

In the Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, Williamson raced to the holeshot, narrowly edging out A&Y Racing Honda’s Daniel Herrlein, the entering points leader. Herrlein was aggressive on the opening lap and pushed for the lead, getting alongside Williamson, but the Kawasaki rider fended off the initial challenge and began to pull away.

Woodstock/TZR KTM’s Cody VanBuskirk slotted into third place off the start, but then came under fire from FCC Motorsports Honda’s Dylan Walker. The two battled for the position until Walker made the pass on Lap 3. Williamson maintained a lead of over a second throughout the remainder of the Main Event, crossing the line nearly three seconds ahead of Herrlein in second and Walker in third. In each Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Main Event this season, the winner has led all 15 laps. Vanbuskirk was fourth, with his Woodstock/TZR KTM team-mate Scott Zont fifth.

Herrlein added to his Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class points lead, which now sits at 15 points over Williamson, who moved into second. NST/Spinechillers KTM’s Lane Staley is third, 20 points back.

AMSOIL Arenacross’ inaugural visit to Allentown continues tomorrow with the second night of the weekend doubleheader from the PPL Center. The action gets underway at 7pm ET.

Arenacross Class Results – Main Event 1