With a 1-1 AMA Arenacross class performance at this past weekend’s race at the Hampton (Va.) Coliseum, Thor/Honda/TUF Racing’s Brock Sellards sliced Chad Johnson’s (Yamaha) points lead down to seven points with two races (four main events) left on the 2005/’06 Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series tour.Sellards now trails Johnson 342-335. “It’s Brock’s series to win,” said race announcer Tim Cotter. “Brock’s pretty much rolling now.”On Friday night Sellards got out early and never looked back. His (Sellards’) starts would be the key to victory on the soft, rutted and tacky Hampton track.”It makes all the difference in the world in Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series racing when you’re able to pull a good start,” said Sellards. “I knew coming into Hampton that it was crucial that I got great starts. I did and the results were excellent.”On the other side of the spectrum is Chad Johnson. Seemingly riding in a “conservative” fashion to protect his points lead, according to Cotter, Chad Johnson would hesitate on the start on Friday and ended up tangling with AMA Lites class specialist Shawn Clark (Unbound/VRM.com/Kawasaki). This put Johnson out of the running for first, though he did fight back valiantly for second place.”Brock got good starts, Chad didn’t,” said Cotter.Also making for some exciting racing on Friday was newly named Kevin “Lap Time” Johnson (after his consistently fastest lap times) and Jeff Northrop (Thor/Honda/TUF Racing). Northrop would park Johnson in the Toyota Hairpin early in the race, only to have Johnson re-pay the favor late in the race to take third place overall.And quietly impressive on Friday was Greg Schnell’s (ROCKSTAR/Suzuki) race all the way from dead last (following a first turn start crash) to 5th place, just behind Clark.Saturday was all Sellards again as the Ohio native shot out early and led the race wire-to-wire. The de-tuned track made for some excellent racing, though not as aggressive as the past several weeks have been. Chad Johnson pulled a mid-pack start, then with two laps to go battled with Suzuki-mounted Zach Ames for 4th overall. Said Cotter: “Had Zach stayed on the gas we’d have had a six-point lead.”The AMA Arenacross Lites class was all Jim Chester as Suzuki’s ageless North Carolinian motocross wonder swept the Lites class for the first time this year. Honda-mounted Roy Horton continues to race well also, going 2-2 in the Lites class on the weekend.The Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series returns to action in this weekend when the world’s top arena-based motocross racers converge on FedEx Forum in Memphis (Tenn.) for Round Nine of the ten-round series. For more information on the Hampton race please visit www.arenacross.com or contact the FedEx Forum box office at (901) 205-2640.
Results
| Arenacross Class Overall |
Points |
| 1.) Chad Johnson |
342 |
| 2.) Brock Sellards |
335 |
| 3.) Kevin Johnson |
294 |
| 4.) Greg Schnell |
271 |
| 5.) Jeff Northrop |
268 |
| 6.) Jim Neese |
260 |
| 7.) Shawn Clark |
225 |
| 8.) Zach Ames |
191 |
| 9.) Scott Metz |
156 |
| 10.) Jim Chester |
137 |
Tickets are available online at www.arenacross.com, www.ticketmaster.com, www.tickets.com. For more information on the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.Tickets are available online at www.arenacross.com, www.ticketmaster.com, www.tickets.com. For more information on the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.About Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series and ArenacrossIn its 22nd year, the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series is the premier indoor motocross series in the U.S. playing to sold-out arenas nationwide. In addition to the marquee national tour, the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series is supported by a regionally based Arenacross tour which provides both professional and amateur motocross riders the opportunity to race in front of sold-out arenas. Information on the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series and other Arenacross events may be found at www.arenacross.com.About AMA Pro RacingAMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.
