Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127929
ARENACROSS AMM'J1NATIONAL ARENACROSS SERIES ~ Rounds 13 &14: NewHaven Coliseum .. - , O il NEW HAVEN, CT, JAN. 23-24 ourteen main even ts down - and 14 to go. • The New Haven Arenacross marked the halfway point of the PJI National Arenacross Series, and four different ride rs celebrated the e ven t in style. Chad Pederson, Mike Jones, Buddy Antunez and Jim Chester all ca me a way with wins at the New Haven Coliseum. Howeve r, i t is still the Answerbacked Primal Impulse /Bill's Pipes / Suzuki Racin g Team-backed Antunez who is in co n tro l of the series points lead . Despite his win, Antunez had a rou gh weekend - especially on Friday, when he fell sev eral times in the heats and fina ls, resulting in two fifth-pl ace finis hes . He ca me back to win Saturda y' s 12Sec fina l. SM P / Barr' s Com peti ti on / Klo tzback ed Jones had the most successful weekend, pu lling off four podium visits, one of those being on the top step after Friday night' s 250cc final. Jones, wh o missed the first few events of the series, is currently 10th in points. . The surprise winner on the event was Suzuki of Ga stonia /Ballzee /Hammerhead-sponsored Chester. The easy-going North Carolinian looked extremely fast all weekend on the tight, sandy, rockerless course that gave most riders fits the entire time. Chester finished a strong second to Jones in Friday's 250cc final. and he came back to wi n Saturday' s 250cc feature. FRIDAY (Above) Chad Pederson reco rde d his f ifth wi n of the year, topping Friday night's 125cc main. (l eft ) series points leader Buddy Antunez had a rocky weekend in Connecticut but st ill managed to pull off one win. 24 Kawasaki of Carrollton /Pro Circuit's Grayson Good man pulled the start of the l25cc final, followed by Nielsen /Thor/ Scott-backed Chad Pederson and TUF / Th o r / Honda's Denny Stephenson. Antunez fell on the first lap in the soft sand and got goin g again in last pla ce. Pederson moved past Goodman on the second lap and inherited the lead . Jones also scooted by for second, while Kawasaki of Carr ollton /Thor's Cliff Palmer was now in fourth behind Goodman. By the sixth lap, Pederson had a twosecond lead over Jones. Goodman, who was runn ing third , tipped o ver in a deep-rutted, lSD-degree right-hand tum and gave third to teammate Palm er. An tunez was back on the gas and was now up to eigh th. Six laps later, Pederson had a seven second lead over Jones, who also looked strong in the soft stuff. Palmer was comfortably in third , w ith Chester fourth , w hile An tunez was busy m ak ing his fina l pass into fifth. The remaining four laps stayed the same, as Pederson took his fifth win of the ser ies, with Jones, Palme r a nd Ches ter crossing the line in that order. "I got a good start and I needed that," Pederso n said of his wi n. "If I get out front, I should be ab le to hold my own. "