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Arenacross Rounds 25 &26: Denver Coliseum AMAfPJ1NAnONALARENACROSSSER~S (Left) Buddy Antunez ruled the 125cc class at the Denver Arenacross. winning both 125cc mains. (Below) Jeff Willoh was just as successful as Antunez after topping both 250cc feature races. By Jo n Clifford Photos by Karl Ockert DENVER, CO, FEB. 19-20 ' ~l f ith series leader Cliff Palmer sidelined with injury, both Buddy Antunez and Jeff I Willoh came to the Denver round with high hopes of gaining momentum in the run to the AMA/PJl National Arenacro s title. Willoh started the series late, giving up 36 points early on, but he still believes he can end up with the $25,000 championship payout. New series leader Antunez knows exactly what it takes to win this series. After all, he's done it before. Both riders did what they set out to do in Denver. Both won races and both were consistently at the front in the ones they didn't win. In fact, if your name wasn't Antunez or Willoh, you didn't win a race on either night. It all amounted to exciting racing over the two nights - so exciting that it even pulled Shaun Palmer off the Coloradp ski slopes to watch both nights of racing. ~ ~ ~ CD ~ 20 FRIDAY New Mexico's Keith Johnson started things off with a holeshot in the first 125cc heat, followed by Denny Stephenson on his Thor'lHonda/Tuf Racing/ Pro-Circuit-backed Honda. Jeromy Buehl, Greg Rand, Doug DeHaan and' Tommy Hofmaster gave chase. Stephenson and Buehl slipped by Johnson when he cased the step-up jump before the whoops, while Hofmaster pressured DeHaan and moved into fifth place. At the halfway mark, Buehl blasted through the whoops to take over the lead, but it was short-lived, as Stephenson quickly returned the favor. Rand, meanwhile, was nipping at Johnson's heels for third. At the flag, it was Stephenson, Buehl, Rand, Johnson and DeHaan filling the top five. Travis Hodges broke out first in the second heat, with Jim Ch ster, Willoh and his Thor/Honda/Tuf Racing/Pro-Circuit-backed Honda, Antunez, Kris Papswort and Kenny Bell following. Antunez and Willoh tagged each other, with Antunez moving up a spot as Willoh's back end spun out. Antunez then passed Chester in the whoops for second before d i placing Hodges for the lead shortly thereafter, At the finish, it was Antunez, Hodges, Willoh, Chester and' Colorado's own Erik Jans en. Keith Johnson's inside move put him in the lead in the first 250cc heat. Rand and his Kawasaki of Carrollton-backed Kawasaki and Rocky Johnson' gave chase. ~and made his move to pass Johnson, while Stephenson was better through the whoops to pass Hodges for fourth. Hofmaster, meanwhile, crashed out of the race. Stephenson then moved up a spot to take over second from Keith Johnson as Hale and Rocky Johnson continued to battle over fifth. Rocky Johnson tried the big triple but cased it and was thrown off the bike, ending his challenge. Rand took the win, followed by Stephenson, Kevin Johnson and Hodges. Suzuki of Gastonia-backed Chester grabbed the lead in heat two, followed by Buehl, Brandon Lacey, DeHaan and Skyler Harris. DeHaan stuffed Lacey in a berm for third place and Buehl quickly slipped past Chester in the whoops for the lead. Matt Smith, Denton Shaffer and Brian Watts all battled for fourth and the final transfer. Smith kept the pressure on and captured the final transfer spot with Buehl, Chester and DeHaan finishing in front of him. Heat three saw Antunez and Willoh leading the way, with Janssen emerging in third. The only battle was the one for fourth between John Merwin of Wyoming and Hale, with Hale eventually getting the nod. Antunez led Willoh home for the heat-race victory, with Janssen taking a hard-fought third. Hodges busted out first in the 125cc main event, but Antunez railed the corner and led through the whoops. Hodges dropped back inside and took the lead over the big double as Buehl, Willoh, Hofrnaster, Chester, Rand and Keith Johnson gave chase. It didn't take long for Antunez to move back into the lead, and it was a position he wouldn't relinquish. Buehl, meanwhile, blasted by Hodges in the whoops, with Willoh following suit. Keith Johnson and Rand came together, with Johnson getting the worst of it. Stephenson was the victim of a bad start, but he had worked his way by Hofmaster, Rand and Chester. Stephenson then moved in and passed Hodges for a come-through-thepack fourth-place finish. Chester tripled enough to pass Rand and Hofmaster for sixth place, just behind Hodges. Chris Papsworth held off Fitch for ninth place. Antunez rode flawlessly to lead Buehl and Willoh across the line as they lapped all the way up to sixth-placed. Chester by the end of the race. When the gate dropped on the 250cc main event, it was Willoh leading the way to the first corner. Buehl wasn't wasting any time, however, and he blasted by Willoh through the whoops to take over the lead. Antunez, meanwhile, dropped under Willoh and they