AURORA, Ill. (October 2, 2007) - From Hurricane Mills, Tenn., to Ponca City, Okla., Lake Whitney and Oak Hill, Texas, and from Gainesville, Fla., to Las Vegas - athletes from the nation's foremost proving grounds for amateur arenacross racing will all converge on Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena for the annual running of the Amateur Arenacross World Finals October 14, part of the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open weekend.
Racers bearing such prestigious titles of Loretta Lynn's Amateur National MX Championship, Ponca City, Mini O's & Vegas Mini GP qualifiers - along with qualifiers from the actual four Toyota AMA Arenacross Series regions - have been invited to compete for bragging rights for the Amateur Arenacross World Finals, a title synonymous with "Who's next?" in the sports of motocross and supercross.
"The Amateur Arenacross World Finals is one of the major steps for riders in making the transition from arenacross greatness to supercross," said Jayme Dalsing, director of arenacross for Live Nation. "For many kids this is, along with the Toyota AMA Areancross Series regional races, the first time they'll race indoors - and certainly the first time they'll face the competition of this caliber in an arenacross-style format."
The top riders from the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series regions (North, South, East & West) have all received invitations to compete at the Amateur Arenacross World Finals based on their points standings in each region. The Sunday racing at the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open will showcase the sport's top arenacross. This will no doubt make for one of the more impressive amateur gates assembled all year, giving fans attending the Rockstar Energy Drink U.S. Open a good reason to attend another exciting day of racing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
"We can't stress enough how important the Amateur Arenacross World Finals have become to the amateur racing community," said Dalsing. "With the format in place for Toyota AMA Arencross Series being a stepping stone for AMA Supercross, the Amateur Arenacross World Finals championship has become a highly-coveted trophy for those racers who have the skill and determination to make it to the next level."
Of the nearly 350 riders competing in this year's Amateur Arenacross World Finals, some notable returning champions this year include: Logan Karnow (85cc 7-11), Darren Walsh (65cc 10-11), Justin Cooper (65cc 7-9), Jay Hershey (25+) and April Roper (women).