AMSOIL Arenacross Series
Courtesy of Feld Motor Sports
Photos by Josh Rud/ ShiftOne Photography
New Jersey native Dave Ginolfi is one of the most experienced competitors in AMSOIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross. During his first full season of racing, back in 2009, Ginolfi broke through to claim an Arenacross Lites-class regional title and establish himself as one of the sport’s up-and-comers. The following year, he was a solid contender in the Arenacross class, but the ensuing seasons presented some ups and downs for Ginolfi. Coming into 2015, he took a step back and refocused his approach to racing, going “back to the basics,” as he put it. His new strategy has resulted in Ginolfi’s most successful season to date: He has won two Eastern Regional main events and earned seven Eastern Regional podium results, which culminated in clinching his second career title last weekend with two rounds still remaining in the Eastern Regional season.
We caught up with Ginolfi to talk about his 2015 season and how he got back to the top level of the sport.
Congratulations on the 2015 Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Championship! How did it feel to wrap up the title with two rounds left to go for the East Region?
It feels great! A little bit of pressure is definitely gone, and now I’m ready to have fun and finish out the remainder of the season!
This is your second Arenacross Lites-class championship in AMSOIL Arenacross during a six-year span. What are the differences between then and now?
In 2009, when I won the championship, it was split into four regions, and you had the option to sign up for two regions, so you had a better chance of doing well. Even that year, I never got any wins in the division. I won [the title] and I only got five podiums. And now, fast-forward to this year, where I have gotten two wins [in the championship] and seven [Eastern Regional] podium finishes, so I feel more dominant than I have in years past, or vs. that first year in 2009.
Do you feel like the competition has been more intense this year?
The [Eastern Regional] Lites class was stacked this year, especially with having a lot of young, upcoming Road to Supercross riders competing in it as well. That made things interesting. A lot of them didn’t compete in the full series, but my goal was still to be leading the points before they all left. I was, so I felt very successful and accomplished.
How do you feel about your riding style? Do you feel as though it has improved since you started?
The 2009 season was a good first year. In 2010, I earned top 10 in the premier [Arenacross] class. The following two years weren’t so good. Last year was terrible, and this year is incredible. A pretty big credit to my success is how I took a step back and went back to the basics. Before the season started, I went down to Georgia Practice Facility [GPF] six weeks prior to the season opener and started working on techniques and just having fun – not focusing on putting in “x” amount of laps or sprints. It has definitely been a lot more fun this season, and I think that had a huge thing to do with this championship.
You have been racing AMSOIL Arenacross full time for six years. What do you like so much about the sport, and what keeps you coming back year after year?
I love the environment. It is great competition for all of us. We are not racing out of big semis and we all don’t have huge budgets to work with, so to go to Supercross on the budget most of us have just wouldn’t be very fun, nor would we be very competitive. That’s another thing that keeps me coming back: I’m able to fight for wins and podiums, and I can actually see an improvement each year.
What are your goals for the remainder of the 2015 season?
For the remainder of the season, I hope to continue being on the podium in the Lites class. More wins would be great. Also, I hope to continue getting top 10 in the premier class, which is what I have been doing recently.
You and your fellow veteran rider Willy Browning teamed up together this year and created your own traveling team. How has that experience been for you?
Willy and I said we always wanted to do it, but he has always been with Spinechillers. I have always been on my own and done my own thing. This year, Spinechillers definitely helped both of us out, but they weren’t able to do the extent of what they have done in years past. Over the summer, we decided to do the whole series out of my van, and it has been great! We get along very well and we are very similar. It has definitely been the most fun year, as far as traveling with my friend and teammate goes. Overall, it is definitely a fun, relaxing environment.
The 10th round of AMSOIL Arenacross, and the opening round of the Race to the Championship, will kick off on Saturday, March 21, in New Orleans, for the championship’s debut inside Smoothie King Center. Racing will begin at 8 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m. CST/ 5 p.m. PST each night.
Tickets for each round of AMSOIL Arenacross are on sale now!