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Photo: ShiftOne
The inversion proved to work against both Blose and Hayes at the start of the second Main Event, as both riders found themselves on the ground in the first corner. Hayes completed the first lap in 12th, with Blose in 13th. Out front, TiLUBE/Tuf Racing Honda’s Ben Lamay claimed the holeshot over Sewell and Faith. The early jump and clear track allowed Lamay to open a lead that he would never relinquish, leaving the battle for second, and what would ultimately be the battle for the overall win, between Sewell and Faith.
Sewell kept his rival at bay and appeared to be in control of the position, but a crash right before the whoops handed the spot over to Faith. Sewell remounted quickly and lost only one spot, but it would be the deciding factor in the final classification. Lamay led every lap to claim his first career AMSOIL Arenacross Main Event win, with Faith second and Sewell third. TiLUBE/Tuf Racing Honda’s Jace Owen was fourth, followed by Custom Power Sports/Slakawear Kawasaki’s Steven Mages in fifth. Hayes fought his way back to seventh, while Blose ended up 11th.
Faith’s 4-2 finishes tied him with Sewell’s 3-3 effort in the overall classification, but by virtue of his better finish in the second Main Event Faith was given the tiebreaker for the win. Hayes’ resiliency in the second Main Event, combined with a triumphant effort in the RMATV/MC Head 2 Head Challenge earlier in the evening, helped him finish third overall (2-7). Lamay was fourth (7-1) with Mages fifth (5-5).
Faith’s championship-leading five overall wins, and his surge of three straight victories, place him as the top seed in the Race to the Cham- pionship. The points for the top 10 riders have been reset, with just five points separating Faith, in first, from TZR/Woodstock KTM’s Cody VanBuskirk, in 10th.
Three riders entered Saturday night’s race with a chance to secure the final two spots in the standings. When all was said and done, Regal, the defending AMSOIL Arenacross Champion, and VanBuskirk clinched births in the Race to the Championship while Rockstar Energy Drink
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Kyle Bitterman dropped from ninth to 11th in the standings, just missing out on a qualifying spot. 122 GRITMOTO • MARCH.14.16
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