Checkerz
We’ve passed back-to-back weekends in Guthrie, marking the halfway point of the AMA Arenacross Series presented by Kicker. It’s a wide open bomb-run to the finals in Las Vegas, so we have adjusted the Words with Warriors interviews for this week to accommodate the hectic schedule of the Arenacross soldiers.
We had a few questions for four-time and defending champion Kyle Peters. He currently leads the points aboard his Phoenix Honda. We asked him how his season was going after the first weekend of racing in Guthrie. Peters responded, “I think that I’ve had a great season so far. I’ve made a few mistakes but overall I’m happy with my riding and fitness!”
Kyle has plenty of experience winning championships, but we wondered if the fight with Ryan Breece was any different. A key to success has been KP’s exceptional race craft during the second Main Events with the inverted starts. Kyle gave us some insight, “There has been challenges every year that I have done this and this year is no different. Breece and all the guys are great competitors, and I really enjoy racing them!” He continued, “The inversion is always tough, and it’s hard to practice. I do a lot of mental work with my coach Cory Worf and always riding with great guys at Clubmx. I do think my experience helps along with being patient!”
Finally, Kyle Peters has won his championships on his Phoenix Honda CRF250R which mimics the supercross package the team has used with their riders. However, Ryan Breece has definitely shown there are places where the 450 can be an advantage. I had previously asked Kyle about the thought of riding a big-bore 250 in Arenacross (because it is legal as an Open CC class), but he said it wasn’t feasible since the team only develops a 250 that they can race in supercross. I failed to consider the fact that with newly-signed 450 Supercross rider Dylan Ferrandis to the team, a 450 could be an option for Peters.
“The 250/450 conversation is a tough one, because most of our races are also at altitude so that really hurts the 250 and the 450 is a big bike and maybe harder to ride?” Peters said about choosing which bike to ride. He continued, “I think there’s definitely arenas where it suits the 450 and others that the 250 would be better, but I do think in the future you may see some guys ride both depending on the arenas.”
Following this interview, Kyle shocked the field when he showed up to Guthrie 2 last weekend aboard a Phoenix Honda CRF450R. Aboard the bigger machine, Peters finished 2-2 on the night behind Breece. However, he was under the weather and obviously hadn’t spent a ton of time on the larger bore. As this championship hits the stretch-run, it’ll be interesting to see which bike he will line up on each weekend.
Tune in LIVE Friday night on ArenacrossAllAccess.com or MavTV to catch all the action from Prescott Valley, AZ. In addition to the series regulars, Team Heartbeat Hot Sauce’s Robbie Wageman and Team LiquiMoly/AJE Motorsports’ Austin Politelli are planning to line up for their piece of the purse. Believe it or not, those two aren’t the real Wild Card for the weekend! Local offroad and EnduroX pro Cooper Abbott will be bringing his Factory Sherco 2-stroke to mix it up with the best in the Arenacross business.
Main Image: AMA Arenacross
