Arenacross Report: Round 12 in Salem, Virginia

Visiting Monster Energy AMA Supercross regulars Jared Lesher and Brandon Ray made it look easy in the second heat, with Lesher’s YZ250 two-stroke delighting the crowd and adding the lovely aroma of bean oil to the air as he lead every lap. In the third heat Izaih Clark silenced any questions on whether or not he was back up to speed when he dominated from start to finish, winning eight seconds ahead of Aaron Siminoe.

Hometown favorite Kyle Peters put on a similar display in the fourth heat, nailing the holeshot and leading every lap. He even lapped everyone except for second-place finisher, Austin Roberts.

The most exciting race of the night was by far the first main event. Taylor got the holeshot, followed closely by Peters, with Lesher and Clark in pursuit. Any championship hopes Bitterman had ended when a rider went down right behind Clark, causing several riders to pile up. Bitterman himself didn’t go down, but he was stuck in the log jam of riders trying to pick their bikes up, leaving him unable to move while the lead quartet sped away.

Taylor caught a small break on lap two when peters had to single the big finish line double, allowing Lesher and Clark to shoot by. Clark was looking fast, but Lesher was even faster and passed Clark on the next lap, setting his sights on Taylor. Peters slipped by Clark on the next lap and joined the chase to catch Taylor.

For the next six-to-seven laps the lead trio was nose to tail, with less than a second between them. All three were clearly giving it everything they had with all of them making the occasional small bobble, but nothing anyone could exploit. Peters was really showing his experience in the rhythm section, mixing it up with 2-2-1, 3-2 and 2-3, depending on the situation.

Lesher finally found the tiniest chink in Taylor’s armor on lap 14 and was able to sneak by going into the whoops. Taylor then lost a little momentum and Peters zipped by as well. With the white flag in the starter’s hand, Peters went for a pass in the last turn, thought better of it and had to single the big double, giving Lesher the break he needed to take the win. Bitterman won the “come from behind” award, charging from dead last in the first lap to nip Clark on the last lap for fourth.

Chaos ruled the opening lap of the second pro main when fast starters Austin Roberts and Blake Smith came together at the end of the whoops, creating another big traffic jam. All of the fast guys from the back row took advantage and at the end of the first lap it was Lesher, Bitterman, Siminoe, and Peters out front.

Lesher was riding well, but Bitterman was on fire, pushing hard to get by and pressing at every corner. Peters made his way past Siminoe and was stalking Bitterman, waiting to see if there might be an opportunity. Bitterman, intent on making forward progress, made a move stick on lap five, pushing Lesher wide and KP went right along with him.

The two stayed glued together for several laps, with neither rider making any mistakes and both working the lappers like the vet riders they are. Lesher pushed hard to hang on, but slowly started falling back. Taylor and Clark both made it past Siminoe and were running similar times just a few seconds back.

On lap 12, Bitterman made a small bobble entering the last turn. He saved it but lost momentum and had to panic rev to clear the big double. Peters was too close to exploit on the error and ended up losing momentum and having to panic rev too. Both riders continued on, but it was clear they were giving it everything they had, and then some! Peters slipped by with a clean thrust to the inside to begin lap 16 and Bitterman was unable to take it back. Lesher, Taylor and Clark rounded out the top five.

After the dust had settled, Peters not only won the evening with his 2-1 finishes, but also locked up the 2023-2024 AMA Arenacross Championship early with two rounds still to go. He rode like a champion all season long, making it look easy when he was the fastest and keeping it on two wheels to settle for second when he wasn’t. Along the way there were some great challenges and wins by Bitterman, Clark, Lesher, Michael Hicks, Ray, and others, but in the end, there can only be one champion.

With the championship settled and two rounds left, it now becomes a free-for-all. No points, no strategy, just an all-out battle for the win. Will any of the other previous winners step up for a repeat? Will there be a new rider we have not seen yet on the top step of the podium? Or will Peters continue his dominance, free from any championship strategies, and win the last two as well? All questions will be answered at the final two rounds in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Lexington, Kentucky.