- Title came down to the final round
- Six-straight crowns for Phoenix Racing Honda
The 2024 AMA Arenacross series wrapped up on Friday evening at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, where Kyle Peters rode the Phoenix Racing Honda CRF250R to his fifth-consecutive title. The achievement ties a record held by past Arenacross greats Dennis Hawthorne and Buddy Antunez, who won their last crowns in 1990 and 2001, respectively.
Each of the Greensboro, North Carolina, native's crowns has come in different ways. He dominated last year's championship, clinching it with two rounds remaining, despite having to overcome a broken neck suffered the previous off-season. Conversely, this year was hard-fought since the December 1 opener in Boise, Idaho. Peters faced adversity including crashes, run-ins with other riders, an injured thumb, and severe anxiety from self-imposed pressure to win. In addition, title-rival Ryan Breece opted to compete aboard a 450cc machine, a decision (allowed by the rules) that turned out to be an advantage given that several of the tour stops were held at elevation. In the end, Peters still managed to take his fifth crown, with just a five-point margin.
"They're all special and have their special meaning in their own way, but this one was definitely the toughest on me, mentally, just from all the adversity I faced," said Peters, who turns 31 one week from today. "Things didn't really seem to be going my way, and I always kind of felt like I was on my back foot. It was really tough, and a few rounds from the end, I was thinking, 'It's not looking good.' Thankfully, Lord willing, I was able to get it done, and to pull through was amazing."
Including the 2019 title by Jace Owens, this marks the sixth-consecutive crown for David Eller's Salisbury, North Carolina-based Phoenix Racing Honda team.
"On behalf of everyone at American Honda, congratulations to Kyle for his fifth in a row, and to David and the entire Phoenix Racing Honda crew for their sixth in a row," said Brandon Wilson, manager of Racing and Advertising at American Honda. "Kyle has become a juggernaut in Arenacross, but no one should make the mistake of assuming what he's doing is easy. The fact that he was able to pull it off despite the challenges he faced says a lot about his perseverance and determination, as well as the professionalism of his team. A big thank-you to everyone involved."
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