John Demuth takes AMA Arenacross title

Josh Demuth wraps up 2002-2003 AMA National Arenacross title.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Josh Demuth wrapped up his second-straight AMA National Arenacross Championship by winning all four main events this past weekend, March 21- 22, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Demuth, 23, from Fort Worth, Texas, now has 27 wins on his Shogun Yamahas with eight main events remaining and has a good shot at topping the Arenacross record of 28 wins in a single season set by Buddy Antunez two years ago. Demuth had to show his talent in both the 125 and 250 class, since in Arenacross both classes count towards a single national championship. The AMA National Arenacross Series wraps up with rounds in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 28-March 2, and the season finale on March 7-8, in Denver.

Demuth silenced some of the critics by winning the championship this year despite the return of Arenacross King Buddy Antunez, the five-time champ who skipped last year's season to concentrate on the AMA Supercross Series. Antunez is now locked in a great battle for second in the series with Tommy Hofmaster. Hofmaster, who is Demuth's teammate, has a two-point advantage over Antunez with two events (eight races) remaining.

"It feels great to get this second championship," said Demuth, who also wrapped up the series title before the final event last season. "I know a lot of people maybe thought last year's title was a fluke, but I knew that I had the support behind me to win this thing again. It's a real team effort and I want to especially thank Yamaha for backing us all the way."

Demuth's next challenge is to break the 28-win record in a single season set by Antunez in 2001.

Demuth is the eighth rider to win the AMA National Arenacross title since the series began in 1986 and only the fourth rider in series history to win back-to-back Arenacross championships. The AMA National Arenacross Series runs in 14 cities and kicked off in Des Moines, Iowa, in November.

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