2024 AMA Arenacross Nebraska Results and Recap

Kicker AMA Arenacross raced–or maybe we should say went skiing?–into Grand Island, Nebraska, for Round 5 of the 14 round series. Blizzard conditions outside had the region on lockdown, but not even sub-zero temperatures could cool down the action or defending champion Kyle Peters. Let’s dive into a recap of the action.

I’m sure it is getting old reading these reports every weekend and me mentioning the race-craft and management of four-time champion Kyle Peters. The fact is, it looked like Ryan Breece was on fire once again and Kyle Peters was backed into a snow-bank with no shovel. After the blizzard ends, visibility clears, and Peters, Breece, and the boys hop on the airplane to head to Round 6 in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and the points will still show KP leading by 21 over Breece.

Breece was the fastest qualifier, was nailing a 3-3 rhythm combo that Peters wasn’t jumping, and clearly had the upperhand in the whoops. He backed it up with a dominant heat race win. After that, Breece split from Peters and Kyle Bitterman in the 1v1+1. When the gate dropped for Main Event #1, Breece ripped the holeshot and Peters followed him into the whoops. Two turns later Peters saw an opportunity to put his Phoenix Honda in front of Breece’s Tucker Freight/CheckmateMX/Rock River Yamaha and dove aggressively to the inside. KP realized he was a touch late and washed out as contact was made.

Breece was out front, Lasting Impressions/Storm Lake Honda teammates #4 Izaih Clark and #2 Kyle Bitterman were in tow, and Peters laid in the dirt. It looked like a great opportunity to make up points on the defending champion. But in true championship fashion, Peters looked like the Jamaican Bobsled team in Cool Runnings overcoming adversity. “Ja mon!” After quickly clawing his way up to the top five, early front-runner Chandler Baker’s front wheel wanted to make out with a Tuff Block in the whoops allowing Peters to cruise by without a fight. It looked like Clark’s pre-season injury caught up with him and Peters went through without incident to third. With a lap to go Peters wasn’t done. Reports say KP and Kyle Bitterman had serious contact after the whoops section, eliminating Bitterman’s visor from existence and leaving his face looking like he went a few rounds with Mike Tyson. The knock-out blow (literally) gave Peters a second place finish behind Breece.

More on that crazy last lap in a bit, but first…

The stage was set for Main Event #2 and a perfect sweep was on the line for Ryan Breece. While Peters was able to dig himself out of the snowbank in Main Event #1, he was still caught in the storm or so we thought as they took their gates in the second row. On the start straight Peters collided with Bryton Carroll ending the Yamaha pilot’s evening. KP rode into turn one near the back, yet somehow Kyle Peters left turn two in third place. Breece found himself well outside the top five as you’d expect from a second row start. Peters quickly worked around Blake Gardner and set his target on the back of Chandler Baker who slipped out to an early lead quicker than me smashing the ground on ice skates.

Seemingly effortlessly Peters was in the lead while Gardner put up a nice fight maintaining third over Breece for a couple more laps. Once onto the podium, Breece looked like an expert ice-fisherman and snagged a hook in Peters’ jersey. The #200 started reeling and it carried him past (and unfortunately into) Baker all the way up to Peters. It looked like Breece caught the big fish and was ready to snag the trophy with four laps to go. Peters switched up his lines, Breece made a couple big mistakes, and the champ KP swam away to another Main Event win. The points gap remains unchanged at 21 points after Breece crossed the line in second.

Back to that crazy last lap of Main Event #1. Although he wasn’t able to remember it, Bitterman was able to get up from the nasty smash with Peters just as his teammate Izaih Clark raced by for third. All Clark had to do was roll around the last turn to snag his third podium in a row, however he hit a patch of ice on the inside tucking the front. Bitterman was able to cross the finish for third with his teammate Clark fourth. Bitterman decided it was unsafe to line up for the second Main Event after the head injury he sustained.

A few other notes to mention:

Blake Gardner had his best race of the season by far finishing on the podium in Main Event #2.

Izaih Clark had 4-4 finishes on the night and continues to look more and more like the contender we expected he would be coming into the series.

Mason Kerr was fifth best on the night and looks much better than he did to start the season.

Preston Taylor grew up just down the road and used the hometown motivation to go 8-8 in by far his best race of the season.

Due to the massive blizzard and freezing temperatures local officials issued a stay-at-home weather advisory for the region. Due to this, a nearly empty crowd reminded me way too much of the COVID-cross SX rounds in Salt Lake City 2020. Let’s be thankful we’re far removed for that and the AMA Arenacross Series is booming. The next two rounds are at “The best place ever to ride a dirt bike,” as Buddy Antunez referred to the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma.