My week was full of promotions and visiting with my family and friends. It was beautiful weather, unseasonably warm, which is always good news for the Arenacross series. So far this year we have been to Des Moines, IA and Albany, NY. It was time for some west coast action! Everyone was excited to see who was going to show up to Reno and there had been rumors of some Supercross riders making their way up to race our Arenacross in Reno. We have had some of the most talented and fast riders show up so far this season, and 13 or 14 riders who have all won at least one Arenacross Class main event in the past. There is no doubt that this year has seen some of the most intense and amazing races in the sport of Motocross.

Friday in Reno is one of those days where the mechanics have to earn their money for sure! As I mentioned, the bikes don't run as well in the higher elevation, therefore it is extremely important to test around with them in practice and make sure that they are going to survive as well as be competitive for the weekend of racing! I was watching practice amazed by how often you would see the all the riders including the top guys stopping to talk to their mechanics making last minute adjustments. But the track looked great! The whoops were very challenging and the finish line catapult was very intimidating.

The Lites class is open to any of the riders who are not in the top 10 of the Arenacross class, usually our up and coming Arenacross stars. Reno had some different faces including the Sobe No Fear Samsung Honda Supercross rider Dan Reardon, our regulars and also some local pros. The competition was definitely stiff.

It was all Dan Reardon in the Friday night Lites main event. It was his first Toyota AMA Arenacross, he won his heat race and came out just as strong in the main event followed by #21 Tyler Bright and #916 Gray Davenport. Tyler and Gray had a really good battle. Davenport got tangled up in the rhythm section corner and gave the 2nd position to #546 Kevin Urquhart and 3rd Ryan Beat #131. The Rockstar Suzuki rider Cory Green was pushing Ryan Beat hard but couldn't quite get the 3rd place spot. Dan Reardon was riding a perfect race until he slid off the track in the turn out of the whoops. Luckily for him he had a huge lead and was able to come across the checkered flag in 1st. Kevin Urquhart kept himself in 2nd and Ryan Beat also held on to 3rd.

The Arenacross class was also stacked with some amazing talent! Josh Demuth was back after skipping Albany and won his heat race. Robbie Reynard was also running really fast and ended up winning his heat race. Supercross riders Billy Laninovich and Kyle Partridge also joined Dan Reardon on the start. But it had been a long night of qualifying for Kevin Johnson just barely squeezing in the Main event out of the LCQ. We were all shocked to see both Chad Johnson and Brock Sellards sitting out as spectators in the riders seating during the Main after they both had bike issues and some falls in their qualifiers.

Josh Demuth came out of the gate and got the hole shot, followed by #17 Robbie Reynard, Danny Smith, Billy Laninovich, Kelly Smith and Dan Reardon. Josh Demuth was riding really well with his Arenacross style, but Robbie was gaining on him until Robbie had to pull off the track due to some unexpected bike problems. Danny Smith and Billy Laninovich were battling for the 2nd and 3rd spots on the podium. The whoops were the place to watch because everyone was making all kinds of mistakes all night, there were riders down all over the place. Josh rode a terrific ride and got himself the 2nd win of the season, followed by Danny Smith in 2nd and Billy Laninovich in 3rd. It was a great race with tons of action.

Saturday was another long day of qualifying and after having Friday under their belt the riders had a little better idea of what to expect from their bikes, the track and the competition. Once again the competition was stiff and we knew that both Chad Johnson and Brock Sellards had some aggression left over from Friday. It was hard to say what was going to happen that night.

Once again Dan Reardon was unstoppable on his Sobe No Fear Samsung Honda! He won his heat race in the Lites, got to an early lead in the Lites Main event and kept it going throughout the Arenacross class. He rode a really good race in the Lites Main lapping up to about the 6th or 7th position. Billy Jurevich #68 got the holeshot in the Lites class but made a mistake and gave it up to Dan Reardon. Billy faded back to 2nd but was not about to let his buddy and last years' teammate Travis Bannister take away his 2nd place spot on the podium. They were all starting to triple-triple in the rhythm section making each lap more and more interesting. The podium was Dan Reardon 1st, Billy Jurevich 2nd, and Travis Bannister in 3rd. Once again it was some intense racing keeping me on the edge of my seat.

There was a very relieved #10 Chad Johnson and #18 Brock Sellards on the starting line for the Arenacross class along with Josh Demuth, Dan Reardon, Danny Smith and all the others who qualified. The gate dropped and it was all Kevin Johnson into the first turn, but Dan Reardon was right next to him. Kevin made a bobble in the whoops and Dan Reardon took advantage of the situation. Almost everyone rolled the catapult on the first lap because they were all so close together going through the turn before. Dan Reardon was off again, Kevin Johnson and Chad Johnson were in a battle for 2nd when Chad block passed Kevin and took over 2nd for good. Dan Reardon flew away and kept his Honda way out front; Chad Johnson was also breaking away from the pack but never could catch Dan Reardon. Kevin Johnson was riding really well and was able to hang on to for his first podium finish of the year coming in 3rd. Dan Reardon was able to win both the Arenacross Lites class and the Arenacross Class with at least a half a track lead in both. He fit right in the Toyota AMA Arenacross series with his clean and consistent riding style. Chad Johnson was in a much better mood with his 2nd place finish, and Kevin Johnson was more than pumped to get some confidence back by getting the hole shot and his first podium finish of the year. It was a great race!!

We have a week off this next week, but we will be back for the Rockford, IL race November 30th and December 1st. It is the first weekend we have split events with another race running in Rochester, NY. The series is going to get even more intense and you won't want to miss a minute. I will keep you posted as usual on what I see at the races and of course about my time in each city! I hope you all have a great week off and use it to regroup, spend time with the loved ones and eat some food :! We will see you in Rockford! Keep checking out Speed TV to see when the Arenacross races will be televised, and don't forget to come see us live in a town near you soon!! Until then keep it on two wheels and always keep your smiles!
XOXO
Ashley Miss AX