Pit Stop with Gauldy - Wilkes-Barre

Ryan Gauld
03/16/09

Rounds 14 and 15 are done and took place this past weekend in Wilkes-Barre PA. It was a jammed packed event full of Drama, Crashes and some great racing. The track this week was kind of tight and the dirt was loose with rocks and it was tuff to find traction in some sections. I think this is why the racing was so good. The track was tuff for the riders all weekend long. There was a small possibility that Jeff Gibson could wrap up the championship in Wilkes-Barre and it also marked the end of the east coast lites series where Willy Browning was looking for his first AMA championship.

I decided to drive down to the race this weekend since it was only about 6 hours from my house. I loaded up my mom’s Toyota Rav 4 and mxaffiliate.com’s Blair Bouchard and headed down to PA. We made great time and the drive was pretty sweet. In lower New York State there is some really nice scenery and then once you hit Pennsylvania there some sweet hills and forest region’s to look at well driving.

As I said up top, the racing this weekend was pretty good. Friday’s main events offered just about everything you wanted as a fan and as a T.V. producer. Well I am not the producer but Glen who is saw it all as well. So Jeff Gibson needed 12 points throughout the weekend over Brock Sellards to claim the title. In any racing world 12 points is tuff but when there are two nights of racing anything can happen.

On Friday, Jeff rode a really smart main and finished second behind his teammate Josh Demuth, who took his first win of the season. It was great to see Josh on the top step. This guy has tons of drama behind him but is always able to make it happen on two wheels in racing AX. He had is little daughter there this weekend and it was his birthday Friday night so it worked out really well for him and his family. With Jeff getting second and Brock taking 6th it gave Jeff another 7 points towards the championship. This meant he only needed 4 points on Saturday night over Brock to claim the title a week early.

Willy Browning became your lites east champ which was really cool for him since this is his first year in the AMA Arenacross Series. The funny part was that he won on Friday and earned enough points in the AX class to be in top ten. So this meant that he could not ride the lites on Saturday. He had to watch Justin berry, Chad Wages and Matt Cottrill. All these riders had a mathematical chance at beating Willy for the title. In the end none of them got enough points and Willy Browning is your AMA East Lites Champ.

In the AX class on Saturday the drama started when Michael Willard finally got off to a good start and looked like he may claim his first win. Gray Davenport was on the gas behind Willard and made his move just before halfway. Now Demuth was catching up to Willard and tried a move and Willard took him out. Josh was so pissed after the race that he smashed his helmet off the ground and it bounced like 20 feet in the air. He was so pissed. Gray Davenport hung on for the win and Jeff Gibson who could clinch the title finished 3rd. Brock finished 4th so there is still 2 points needed for Jeff to win the championship. Basically all he has to do is make the main on Friday night this weekend and the title is his.

It was another great weekend for racing in AX. See ya all in Kentucky for the final round.
Gauldy