The Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha, in association with Rock River and CycleTrader, team came into the sixth round of the 2017 AMSOIL Arenacross series after the first break of the season rested and recoverd. The championship headed to the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri to get the racing action back underway.
The Yamaha duo got off to a positive start as they qualified at the sharp end of the field; Matt Goerke clocked the fourth fastest qualifying time while Chris Blose finished up both sessions with the third fastest time.
The Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha, in association with Rock River and CycleTrader, pair lined up in separate heat races as the gate drops began to fire off. Blose was featured in the first heat race in which he set off to a decent start. The Arizona native found himself just outside the top five as the field speared into the first corner, eventually settling into fifth position. A couple of laps later, Blose made a slight mistake that forced him to drop back into eighth place, but he remained composed. Over the course of the next handful of laps, he was able to carve his way through the field past the likes of Parker Fleming, Cory Green, and Cody VanBuskirk. As the checkered flag approached, Blose managed to track down Cade Autenrieth and pass him for fourth position, salvaging a crucial front row gate pick in the process. Goerke was seeded into the second heat race and shot out to a decent start on his blazing fast Yamaha. He eventually settled into fourth place, tucked in behind the Kawasaki of Gared Steinke. The two of them matched one another’s pace for the majority of the race as they attempted to keep Gavin Faith and Jacob Williamson in check at the front of the field. Eight laps into the heat, Williamson experienced some misfortune in the lead and fell back to fourth place, promoting Goerke to the final podium spot before the checkered flag.
The RMATV MC Head 2 Head Challenge didn’t go quite as planned for the boys in blue as both of them were sent back to the rig after the first round. Blose was matched up against the #1 plate holder, Gavin Faith, and barely lost out to the Kawasaki rider. Goerke lined up against the Honda of Ben Lamay and wasn’t able to get to the checkered flag first, therefore shifting his focus to the main events.
The Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha, in association with Rock River and CycleTrader, team sped out to a mixed start in the first main event as Blose found himself inside the top five and Goerke was buried in the pack due to some issues with his bike. The Arizona native quickly made a move at the front of the field and promoted himself into third position, making his way past Ben Lamay. At that point, he did his best to hang onto the escaping duo of Jace Owen and Gavin Faith, turning lap times on par with the leaders. Meanwhile, Goerke was battling back from a poor start to the race which put him in tenth place on the opening lap. The Floridian was able to make some aggressive moves and use the scorching power of his Yamaha machine to gain four positions in just as many laps. He caught up to the battle for fifth place between Steinke and Lamay at the midway point of the moto, dispatching of the pair of them on the same lap. A little further up the track, Blose was all over the back of Owen’s Honda, looking for a passing opportunity in each and every corner. On the ninth lap, he was able to force his Yamaha into second position, only a couple seconds behind Faith in the lead. Goerke lost far too much time after the poor start in the beginning of the race to make an indent on the leaders, therefore salvaging a fourth place despite the bike problems. Blose wasn’t able to make any significant imprint on the defending champion and he met the checkered flag in second position. In the second main event, both The Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha, in association with Rock River and CycleTrader, riders rocketed out to a good start. Goerke just barely had the advantage ahead of Blose as the same familiar duo of Faith and Owen sat in first and second position. The Yamaha duo threw down an incredible second lap as the pair of them forced themselves into the top two spots in an extremely tight battle for the lead. From that point onward, Goerke put his head down and attempted to break the rest of the field, clocking some of the fastest laps of the evening. Blose was able to match his pace all the way until the late stages of the race as the pair of them swapped fast lap times back and forth with Owen and Faith breathing down their necks. Only a couple of laps from the checkered flag, Blose fell off the podium and dropped back to fourth position, moving further down to seventh on the final lap. Goerke was able to hold off the charge from the championship leader and take his first main event victory of the 2017 season.
“I had bike issues during the day and the first main, so I had to ride the spare bike in the second main and it got me a third place start. I was able to pass for the lead by the end of the first lap and then just ride a good pace and get the win,” said Goerke.
AMSOIL Arenacross will head down south for the last race ever in the Georgia Dome as motorcycle racing takes over Atlanta for the inaugural Motofest. The action will take place on February 24th and the Rockstar Energy OTSFF Yamaha, in association with Rock River and CycleTrader, team will be looking to step back up onto the top of the box when the gate drops in The Peach State.
