Pro Diaries: 2007 BooKoo Arenacross, Ft. Wayne, Indiana - Race Report - Shift Riders - Dirt Rider Magazine

It was another exciting weekend for MDK SHIFT backed riders Tyler Bowers and Zach Ames and the action got started in the opening 250 heat race where Zach Ames ended up finishing a close 2nd to Riley Kurosky.The second heat race featuring Tyler Bowers wasn't nearly as smooth. Tyler and teammate Tiger Lacey were running in second and third behind Brad Ripple early on in the qualifier but on the last lap both Tiger and Tyler managed to slide past Ripple right before a triple double section. Unfortunately, as Tiger went up the face of the triple he mistakenly up-shifted into 3rd gear and had to jump off his bike in mid flight. He landed hard on his feet and was hit squarely in the back by his bike.Shortly behind Tiger was Brad Ripple who tried his absolute hardest to dodge Lacey and barely made it past. Tyler and Brad were both deeply concerned about Tiger and they slowed down to make sure he was going to be ok before continuing on with the race. Bowers ended up taking the victory, followed by Ripple and Jimmy Nelson. Once they had crossed the finish line, both Tyler and Brad dropped their bikes and rushed over to check on their good friend Tiger, who wound up being sent to the hospital. Sadly, he ended up breaking his right heel and cracking a vertebra in his spine. Luckily, he didn't suffer any internal injuries and shouldn't be out of action too long.Despite their concern for Tiger, both Tyler and Zach had to get back into race mode as the 450 heat race was up next. Bowers and Ames put in an inspired ride for their teammate and dominated the heat race with a first and second place finish.The track was in excellent condition for the 250 main event. It was a nice change with a larger arena floor to work with but it was also very technical with a few ruts in the face of the jumps causing some problems for several of the riders. Bowers was in top form in the 250 race and he quickly made his way to the front of the pack. Darcy Lange put the pressure on with about 4 laps to go, but Tyler picked up the pace and held off Lange to claim his fourth win of the season.The 450 main made for a great race, with a great crowd; I heard there were about 15,000 people in the stands! The race was exciting from start to finish and Tyler and Darcy Lange had an exciting battle. Lange eventually pulled away to take the win, with Tyler and Zach finishing strong in second and third place.After Friday's racing, the MDK team made a quick call to friend David Hill of Ohio and added him to the roster in replacement of Tiger Lacey for Saturday night's race. David adapted well and took third in his 250 heat behind Zach Ames. In the next 250 heat race, Bowers grabbed the holeshot and pulled away to score another win. After the qualifier, Tyler stated, "The MDK motor is really delivering the dynamic power that fits my needs and riding style. It's good to be getting holeshots and I know MDK Speed Equipment is a big part of that."In the 250 main event, Tyler Bowers ended up going down in the first corner. The crash ripped the rear fender off Bowers' bike and also damaged the exhaust. Despite some bike issues, Bowers picked himself up off the ground in last place and worked his way all the way up to a respectable 8th place finish. Taking the win was Darcy Lange, followed by Tom Hofmaster and Zach Ames.Darcy Lange dominated the 450 main, but Tyler Bowers and Zach Ames were the best of the rest and rounded out the podium in 2nd and 3rd respectively. I caught up with Tim Bowers (MDK Speed Equipment AX team manager) right before he headed back to the hospital to visit with Tiger again and he said, "The MDK SE performance is outstanding, Tyler Bowers, even at 190lbs can push his Honda 250 around the first turn in first place. Fort Wayne had a long straightaway and Tyler's ability to grab the holeshot says a lot about the power output from the MDK SE motors."Tyler Bowers and Zach Ames ended the weekend with six podiums between them and Tyler also added one more win to his season tally in the 250 class. Bowers continues to hold down second place in the overall championship standings, while Zach has pushed his way up the leader board and now sits fifth in the overall standings with just 3 rounds remaining.Stay tuned!Chelcywww.shiftracing.com