With yet another dominant performance during this weekend’s 2021 AMA Arenacross series finale at Amarillo National Center, Phoenix Racing Honda rider Kyle Peters successfully defended his crown, having won all 20 main events, a first.
Due to COVID-19, the series schedule underwent a number of changes, but in the end it featured five venues and 10 rounds, each of which included main events for both 250 Pro Sport and 450 Pro Sport. Aboard his CRF250R, the 24-year-old Peters was on a completely different level from anyone else, winning the championship with a margin of 107 points.
“Initially, I didn’t know how the season was going to go, because everything was just kind of up in the air,” said Peters, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina. “I just made sure I just kept doing all my work week-in and week-out, and it worked out. With last year being my first Arenacross series, I didn’t really know what to expect, so I took a little bit of time to understand the tracks and suspension setup and all that. This year I already had that all figured out, and my training was different as well; my trainer and I worked a lot mentally along with physically, and I was also training with Justin Brayton and a few of the other guys at Club MX. I was more fit, and everything was just better than last year.”
It was the third AMA Arenacross National Championship in a row for the North Carolina-based team, which also saw riders Cullin Park and Joshua Osby perform well. The 19-year-old Park finished second in points to his teammate, while Osby notched a number of podium results despite only competing parttime, during breaks in the AMA 250SX East Supercross series, in which he currently sits fifth.
“We’re just committed to the series,” said Phoenix owner David Eller, explaining the team’s AMA Arenacross dominance. “We don’t use it as a warmup or a place to go test; we’re committed to winning the thing. Kyle was ready, too; he knew going in what he wanted his bike and body to do, and he came in prepared. It was also exciting to have Cullin there as a part of the Honda Arenacross family. We honestly didn’t expect the kid to finish runner-up, but he had some great drive and stayed consistent all year.”
Although the Arenacross series is over, Phoenix still has a busy racing schedule ahead, with efforts in AMA Supercross and GNCC.
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