AURORA, Ill. (Feb. 13, 2008) - Fresh off his Toyota AMA Arenacross Series win in Youngstown (Ohio) - his first win of the 2007-'08 season - Fiber Wise Pasta/Rock River Powersports/Fly's Tommy Hofmaster has moved within the top 10 overall in the series' points chase.
A veteran of both the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series and Monster Energy Supercross, Illinois' Hofmaster has one of the larger fan followings on the series. Easy going and likeable, along with being super fast, Hofmaster finally put it all together in scoring his win at the inaugural Toyota AMA Arenacross Series stop at Youngstown's new Chevy Centre.
Heading into the Pikeville (Ky.) round this weekend, Arenacross.com caught up with Hofmaster in between motos to get his take on the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series season so far and what his goals and plans are for the rest of the season.
Arenacross.com: BIG win for you last week in Youngstown. It shot you into 7th place overall in the standings. Talk about what you did to get back up on top of the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series podium and how rewarding it is to be there.
Tommy Hofmaster: "I have been working hard all year, but have struggled towards the end of the race. I have been working with my brother, who is a personal trainer, to work on my endurance and getting stronger. The hard work paid off this past weekend with a win and was very rewarding."
Arenacross.com: Talk about your Toyota AMA Arenacross Series season so far. Have things gone the way you'd anticipated?
Tommy Hofmaster: "The season did not start off the way I had hoped. I worked really hard to get ready a month before the season, but unfortunately had a bad crash and had to sit in the hospital for a week. I think the older I get it takes a little longer to bounce back from injuries. Thankfully, there is still a lot of racing left to turn things around."
Arenacross.com: What's your strategy heading into the last several races - pull out all the stops to score some more wins for the Fiber Wise Pasta/ Rock River Powersports/Fly race team or play it safe and try and work your way into the top 5 overall?
Tommy Hofmaster: "The plan is just to keep racing to the checkers. I have some goals where I want to be at the end of the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series, but I have to take one week at a time. I want to thank all the sponsors that have helped out this year by getting them some more wins. If it comes to being conservative or winning, I will be going for the win."
Arenacross.com: Racers always have the best outlook on racing. What's your call regarding who's going to win the overall Toyota AMA Arenacross Series title and why?
Tommy Hofmaster: "That is a good question. In the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series anything can happen. So I'd have to say it's up in the air."
Arenacross.com: Talk about your plans outside the Toyota AMA Arenacross Series. Are you racing some of the Monster Energy Supercross Lites rounds? What are your plans for the Nationals?
Tommy Hofmaster: "The plan is to race the rest of the Monster Energy Supercross. I plan on riding a Yamaha YZ450F. The 2008 is a really good bike and am looking forward to racing the AMA Supercross class. This summer, I plan on doing RedBud and a few other Nationals."
Arenacross.com: Any parting words?
Tommy Hofmaster: I want to thank god for keeping me safe, Andy Moore, the team owner, my mechanic Chad, my wife Kara ,my brother Dean, my mom and dad, and all of my sponsors.
2007-'08 AMA Arenacross Class Point Standings
1. Chad Johnson, Hon, 316
2. Kelly Smith, Kaw, 307
3. Brock Sellards, Kaw, 277
4. Teddy Maier, Hon, 252
5. Keith Johnson, Yam, 243
6. Kevin Johnson, Yam, 238
7. Tom Hofmaster, Yam, 207
8. Jim Neese, Suz, 199
9. Nathan Skaggs, Hon, 187
10. Robbie Reynard, Suz, 178
Advance tickets for the Feb. 15-17 Toyota AMA Arenacross Series round at Pikeville's Expo Center are available through www.arenacross.com, in at the Expo Center Box Office and Ticketmaster Outlets or charge by phone at (606) 433-1793. Show times are Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday (amateurs) at 12:00. Doors open Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Sunday at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday advance tickets are $18 to $20 for adults, $5 for kids ages 2-12. Sunday's tickets are $18 for adults, $5 for kids. All seats $2 more day of show.
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