Team Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha’s Bobby Kiniry rocked the competition at the double-header season opener of the Canadian National Arenacross Tour presented by Royal Distributing, which was staged on September 25-26 at the Western Agiplex in London, ON.

Kiniry, who has pretty well recovered from the injuries he received this past summer during the MX1 Nationals, reigned supreme at Round 1 on Friday night by nailing down wins in both the AX Pro and AX Lites Pro mains.

Although he met his match at Round 2 the following night, in the form of Cole Thompson (AX Pro) and Jacob Hayes (AX Lites Pro), the New York native claimed second place in both mains to install himself at the top of the points scoreboard. Six rounds remain to decide the championship, which is expected to go down between Kiniry, Thompson, Hayes, Chris Blose and Dylan Wright as the favourites.

It was obvious from the get-go that Kiniry had returned to Canada with only one thing on his mind. And that was to be a force to be reckoned with in the tight confines of arenacross racing.

“I was off my bike for quite a while after the nationals, but felt confident and ready to tackle the AX Tour. The first night’s practice sessions, which went really well, and then taking the wins in both classes, confirmed my mindset so I was pretty happy with that,” Kiniry said.

In his Round 1 AX Pro heat, Kiniry was beaten to the punch by Thompson, finishing second behind the rising motocross star. Kiniry stepped up to the plate in the main, however, snaring the holeshot to finish the race ahead of Thompson and Hayes.

In his AX Lites Pro heat, Kiniry nailed down the win without working up much of a sweat. In the main, he kept the momentum going, starting in second place to quickly shoot into the lead and claim victory ahead of Hayes and Blose.

In addition to the heat races and mains, the arenacross fans in attendance were treated to a 20-lap Clash for Cash shootout that saw Kiniry, campaigning a YZ 250 in both classes, seal the podium in third place behind winner Thompson and second place Hayes.

Round 2 on Saturday night saw Kiniry again grab second place behind Thompson in their AX Pro heat. In the main, Kiniry battled with Thompson and Blose for podium positions to greet the checkered flag in second place, after leading most of the race but losing position when encountering a lapper.

In his AX Lites heat, Kiniry pulled out all the stops to take the win and ensure a good gate pick for the main. Grabbing the holeshot in the main, Kiniry led the freight train until the second last lap, at which time he again got hung up with a lapper. This resulted in Kiniry ceding the win to Hayes despite making a pass on the final lap, which unfortunately he couldn’t make stick.

A mediocre start in the Clash for Cash saw Kiniry pour on the gas to connect with the frontrunners. While attempting a pass for third both riders went down, erasing any chance for Kiniry to make the podium. An error by Kiniry saw him go down for another soil sample a few laps later which effectively ended his race.

“All in all, other than the second Clash for Cash fiasco, it was a pretty decent weekend, leaving London with the points lead. I felt great, my bike ran great and it felt good to be back in Canada, which has become like a second home to me. I’m really pumped for the next two rounds in Sarnia,” Kiniry said

Canada AX Tour Schedule

London, ON – September 25-26, Rounds 1/2
Sarnia, ON – October 9-10, Rounds 3/4
Penticton, BC – October 23-24, Rounds 5/6
Calgary, AB –November 6-7, Rounds 7/8

Results Round 1

AX Pro (450cc)

1. Bobby Kiniry (Yam)
2. Chris Blose (Kaw)
3. Cole Thompson (KTM)
4. Jacob Hayes (Kaw)
5. Jacob Williamson (Kaw)
6. Nathan Bles (KTM)
7. Westen Wrozyna (Hon)
8. Dylan Wright (Yam)
9. Jordan Fredrick (Yam)
10. Scott Champion (Kaw)

AX Lites Pro (250cc)

1. Bobby Kiniry (Yam)
2. Jacob Hayes (Kaw)
3. Chris Blose (Kaw)
4. Dylan Wright (Yam)
5. Dave Blanchet (Kaw)
6. Jacob Williamson (Kaw)
7. Nathan Bles (KTM)
8. Westen Wrozyna (Hon)
9. Justin Roney (Hon)
10. Jordan Fredrick (Yam)

Clash for Cash

1. Cole Thompson (KTM)
2. Jacob Hayes (Kaw)
3. Bobby Kiniry (Yam)
4. Chris Blose (Kaw)
5. Dave Blanchet (Kaw)
6. Jacob Williamson (Kaw)
7. Westen Wrozyna (Hon)
8. Nathan Bles (KTM)
9. Jordan Fredrick (Yam)
10. Dylan Wright (Yam)

Results Round 2

AX Pro (450cc)

1. Cole Thompson (KTM)
2. Bobby Kiniry (Yam)
3. Chris Blose (Kaw)
4. Jacob Williamson (Kaw)
5. Dylan Wright (Yam)
6. Scott Champion (Kaw)
7. Dave Blanchet (Kaw)
8. Nathan Bles (KTM)
9. Jacob Hayes (Kaw)
10. Westen Wrozyna (Hon)

AX Lites Pro (250cc)

1. Jacob Hayes (Kaw)
2. Bobby Kiniry (Yam)
3. Chris Blose (Kaw)
4. Scott Champion (Kaw)
5. Jacob Williamson (Kaw)
6. Dylan Wright (Yam)
7. Justin Roney (Hon)
8. Dave Blanchet (Kaw)
9. Westen Wrozyna (Hon)
10. Nathan Bles (KTM)

Clash for Cash

1. Jacob Hayes (Kaw)
2. Chris Blose (Kaw)
3. Cole Thompson (KTM)
4. Jacob Williamson (Kaw)
5. Dylan Wright (Yam)
6. Westen Wrozyna (Hon)
7. Dave Blanchet (Kaw)
8. Justin Roney (Hon)
9. Nathan Bles (KTM)
10. Zack Zager (Suz)