EnduroCross Highlights and Round 6 of the NEPG Series

Enduro Cross Highlights

Round 1 of the EnduroCross series kicked off last weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Practice times started at 9:00 AM and races went on past 10:30 at night. A lot of riders said that the course was easy compared to what they raced last year, however there were a few difficult sections that created big problems for some of the riders.

When a rider went down, or got hung up on a section of the track, it created a traffic jam for the other riders behind them. The traffic jams allowed the riders that cleared the obstacles to increase their lead on the rest of the pack. Having everyone grouped together created a tight battle for positions and made the race super exciting to watch. 

Overall the event was a great start to the season. The riders got a taste of what is to come for the rest of the EnduroCross series, while being able to see what they can improve on for the next event.

The next event in the series will be in Reno, Nevada on September 23rd.

Max raced on his new 2018 Beta 350 four stroke for the first time this year. The Beta Factory rider finished the 1st round of the series in 5th place. 

Max Gerston Commented;
"The first round in Vegas went well. The 350RR suited the fast track perfectly but was still able to chug in the technical sections. I had a bit of a rough day program, which didn't set me up very well for the main event. However, I was able to ride to a solid 5th place. I definitely learned a lot and look forward to improving the rest of the year."

Beta Factory rider Ty Cullins won his qualifying heat that placed him in the main, but he had a few errors in the main event that landed him in 13th place for round one.  

Ty Cullins Commented;
"The night started out good with a win in the qualifier, but in the main event I went down in one of the first corners and another rider had his bike on top of mine, after that it was hard to make up time on the fast paced track. With over a month until the next race, I know I will have time to work on my speed and fitness to be ready for Reno."

Beta Factory rider Morgan Tanke was doing great on board her Beta XTrainer, but an early traffic jam on the first lap of the main event caused her to fall to the back of the pack, which she didn't recover from. Morgan came in 5th place in the women's class for the first round of the EnduroCross series.

Morgan Tanke Commented;
"I struggled a little bit in Vegas and look forward to a few weeks break, so that I can work on a few things and come out swinging in Reno!"

Round 6 of the NEPG Series

The 6th round of the National Enduro Series was held in Matthews, Indiana. The riding conditions were perfect and the event drew in spectators and racers from all all over. Drew Higgins was in 11th place for the first test, but ended up finishing in 13th for the day.

Drew Higgins Commented;
"This is one of my favorite races on the schedule, because of the dirt, and it's more enduro trail. My day started out good, I was riding good in the first test, and ended up just outside the top 10. The second test I was riding good until I had a big get off, I rode as fast as I could for the last mile to get the best time I could. The next few tests were good for me. I changed it up for test 6, and made sure I made it to the finish safe."

Photo by Adam Booth

Gerston podiums in last weekend's AMA WHS (West Hare Scramble) Championship!

Beta USA's Max Gerston finished 3rd in last weekend's AMA WHS (West Hare Scramble) Championship held in Redding, California proving the talented racer from Arizona is a contender for the title. The event had rain before the start which eliminated the dust and greeted riders with almost perfect conditions. Gerston is looking very comfortable on his 390 RR and is currently second in points.

Gerston describes his race, "I had a great time at the Shasta Dam Hare Scramble. There was a lot of different terrain and my Beta 390 was the perfect fit for the job. The course was a 20 mile loop with everything from fast roads with huge water bars to virgin technical single track. It was a little fast for my liking but I still had a blast and ended up with a solid 3rd place finish, Braaap!"

The Beta GNCC team was at round four of the popular series held in Morganton, North Carolina. XC1 racer Jordan Ashburn was in 10th after the first lap and continued to make a charge to the front however with the pace of the top five, Ashburn ran out of time and finished the three hour race in 6th.

Ashburn had this to say, "Steel creek is a super tough track with huge braking bumps and steep hills. I didn't get the best start to the race. I came around the first lap in 10th place. I managed to make some passes over the next few laps and got to 6th. I was able to end the day in 6th place and get some good overall points."

Teammate and XC2 specialist Nick Davis made his GNCC return after his dislocated leg at the opening round. Davis got the holeshot of the XC2 start and ran as high as second in the race however faded to an eventual 8th place at the finish. Not a bad result considering the extent of his injury. 

Davis had this to say, ""My Beta 250 RR got me off to an awesome start by grabbing the hole shot. From then on I ran with the lead pack for the first hour and a half then my leg got weak. I started having to sit a lot and hold on really tight with my hands. Which then resulted in my hands blistering very severely. But all in all for being about 70 percent and haven't ridden in weeks I will take the finish that we got. Lets bring on the next one!" 

Davis' teammate Drew Higgins also had a decent finish with a solid seventh at the line. Higgins had filled in for Davis, however team coach Rodney Smith was impressed with his performance and made the call to keep him in the series. 

Higgins comments, "The race yesterday was held in the mountains of North Carolina, it was a race that I was looking forward to. My race started off good, I was about 6th or 7th heading into the woods. Not too long after entering the woods, I began to get super pumped up from my under gloves. I started to ride really tight and not flowing through any of the bumps and going the speed I needed to go. I dropped back to 9th for the majority of the race, and on the last two laps I made a hard charge and caught 6th. Wishing I could have made the pass, but had to settle for a 7th. My last two laps were my best feeling laps, after I finally got rid of the arm pump and started riding like myself. No excuses, the bike worked awesome. Wishing I would have been able to charge right from the beginning and go with the fast guys. But I know what to do next time for my hands, and I learned a lot today with race strategy and as a team we learned a lot about fuel mileage. My shoulder and back are feeling really good, so I'm ready to get home and get back to riding and get ready for round 5 in South Carolina!"

Max Gerston will race the Glen Helen 2-Stroke World Championships this weekend aboard a special 300 RR set up for moto. The race will be a nice cross trainer for the EnduroX season coming up in August.

Photo by Kato

Jordan Ashburn continues his podium streak!

Beta USA's Jordan Ashburn finished third overall for the weekend at round three of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro series held in Abingdon, Virginia. Ashburn raced his 430 RR in the slick conditions to finish only eleven seconds behind second place. 

Ashburn describes his race, "Saturday started pretty slow, I had to be pretty cautious in the muddy conditions. The enduro test was pretty slick. I was able to finish the day with a 3rd place going into Sunday and almost steal a test win. Going into Sunday I was close to second. I battled times all day back and forth and ended up a mere 11 secs from 2nd overall. I'm looking to keep building steam and working hard!"

Out in the West, Beta factory rider Justin Wallis finished 7th at round six of the WORCS championship held in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena. The race is very unique in that the track design races inside the arena and stretches out to the parking lot. Wallis struggled to find his speed during the event and is looking forward to round seven in Hurricane, Utah in three weeks.

The Beta factory Trial team competed in rounds 1 & 2 in Amarillo, Texas this past weekend and will do battle at rounds 3 & 4 in Sedan, Kansas this weekend. Look for a full race report next week! 

This weekend the Factory Off Road Team's schedule is round four of the of the GNCC held in Morganton, South Carolina with rider Jordan Ashburn (XC1). Teammate Nick Davis (XC2) is returning after healing from his injury. Drew Higgins will join Davis in the highly contested XC2 class as well. 

In the West, Max Gerston will be racing in round four of the West Hare Scramble Championship held in Redding, California.

Photo by Shan Moore

Four Riders, Four Different Venues

Beta USA's team competed in four different events this past weekend. USA Factory rider Max Gerston and Beta support rider Kyle McDonal both finished second place at the AMA National Hare Scrambles East and West championships respectively while Morgan Tanke finished 6th in the Ironman (Ironwoman!) class at the Glen Helen 6-hour endurance race. Drew Higgins finished 12th at round 2 of the AMA National Enduro series held in Florida.

Max Gerston explains his race, "I got off to a crummy start but was able to make some quick passes on the motocross track and worked my way into second quickly. The course was fast, slick, and flowy which perfectly suited the Beta 390. Once I learned the course I was able to put down some better lap times but it wasn't enough to get the win. I am happy to finally get the ball rolling in the series and carry this momentum into the following rounds. I had a lot of fun and ended up second place."

Drew Higgins had an off day overall, "The day started off pretty good for the first test as I ended up 9th. Second test was amazing, the trail flowed and the markings were really good. The third test was a struggle for me, many of us got lost, and I ended up getting turned around on the trail and rode the same part of it twice. I figured they would throw it out so I kept pushing the rest of the day knowing my day wasn't over. The fourth and fifth test were similar in terrain, and the sixth was very tight. I felt good in the tight stuff and could pick up a few seconds for my overall finish. The end result was 12th on the day, and I'm ready to improve on that result at the next round."

Kyle McDonal comments, "The race was a lot of fun, I definitely had to take my time through some sections and pick good lines. I made the pass for second about three quarters of the way through the first lap and Wally (Palmer) had a good lead already. He was riding too good for me to make up any time on him. Overall it was a good race for points at only the 2nd round of the championship. I feel really good about the race and can't wait to show my progress in the upcoming races."

Morgan Tanke had a fun yet enduring race, "Racing for 6 hours straight is no joke! The first half of the race seemed to go by pretty quickly but the 4th hour started to take its toll on me when the track was deteriorating. I was able to ride a steady pace and regain some energy to put on a charge at the end. Finally the end was near with an hour to go, I picked the pace back up and finished strong beating out 18 other riders!"

This weekend the Factory Team's schedule is round three of the GNCC held in Sparta, Georgia with riders Jordan Ashburn (XC1) and Drew Higgins (XC2) filling in for injured Nick Davis. In the West, Justin Wallis will be racing in the round six of the WORCS series held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Photo by Kato

Higgins earns a top 5!

Beta USA's Drew Higgins finished in fifth place at round 2 of the GNCC series held in Palatka, Florida this past weekend. Filling in for the injured Nick Davis, the young Texan proved his fitness and riding ability is on point. Higgins' teammate Jordan Ashburn hit a knocked down telephone pole on the first lap after running seventh in the XC1 class, ending his day.

Drew Higgins explains his weekend "I was really looking forward to this opportunity to race in the GNCC this weekend, it was something that I have been working towards. Leading up to the race was awesome, Rodney put us through a couple days of conditioning which I feel helped. I really think that his additions to my workout routine are going to be beneficial. The race started off great, I nailed the holeshot and led for a little. During the first lap I got passed by a couple guys, I followed them to learn as much as I could. I was sitting in 5th after the first lap and stayed there pretty much the whole race. I passed and got to fourth place for one lap, then got stuck back in fifth when I pitted the second time. After the pit I rode smart and tried to minimize the mistakes to end up 5th. The bike worked amazingly all day long, I was very pleased with the suspension. My suspension tuner Bryce Rivera has it spot on and I'm really glad he is now working with the team."

"I found myself off to a bad start early on. I was close to the back and the dust had us to a near stand still. It started pouring rain halfway through the first lap, so the conditions changed very quickly, and I was able to work my way to 7th place on the first lap. I suffered a major get off directly behind the pits clipping a telephone pole that was sawed off 5 feet above ground. This ended my day in a hurry landing head-first and obtaining a nice knot on the head." explained Ashburn.

Factory rider Justin Wallis raced round 5 of the WORCS series in Lake Havasu however suffered a rare mechanical failure during the race and not be able to finish the race.

This weekend the Factory Team's schedule is round two NEPG help in Ormond Beach, Florida. Drew Higgins will try and put his Beta 300 RR on the podium. In the West, Max Gerston will be racing in the round three WHS held in Gorman, California.

Photo by Ken Hill

Ashburn earns second podium!

Beta USA's GNCC specialist Jordan Ashburn finished in third place at Round two of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro held in Monticello, Georgia this past weekend. The Tennessee racer continues to improve his speed at the two-day events and is becoming very comfortable aboard his Beta 430 RR.

"Saturday started off good as I stayed consistent in the top five. Although I kept struggling on the cross test I ended up fourth for the day. The conditions continued to deteriorate Sunday and the cross
test was super dusty and sketchy. I found myself picking my bike up in the second test from sliding out in a corner. At the end of the day and with the scores all added up I finished in third place for the weekend." explains Ashburn.

Ashburn's teammates Drew Higgins and Nick Davis finished 8th and 13th. Higgins posted his best finish so far this season and is using the series as a cross training tool for the National Enduro Series.

Drew Higgins describes his race weekend, "The race for me this weekend went awesome, I felt like I'm starting to get my speed near where I want it to be to go for top 5's and podium finishes. The race on Saturday went good, I didn't have anything crazy happen, but stayed consistent all day and finished the day in 10th. They ended up running the cross test four times, and the enduro test only twice because of mud, which kind of hurt me because the cross test was mainly motocross. But I did the best I could and my times were still pretty close. Sunday I found my groove early in the day and started moving up in the overall. There was four enduro tests today, and only two cross tests, so I felt more confident in my speed in the woods to be more competitive with everybody. All in all the weekend was a step in the right direction for me, and I'm very happy with the new suspension. I'm feeling really confident on it now, and ready for the National Enduro on March 19th."

Next on the Factory Team's schedule is round one of the GNCC series this weekend known as the Big Buck held in Union, South Carolina where Jordan Ashburn and Nick Davis will duke it out to be the first Beta rider to win a GNCC in the XC1 or XC2 class.

Photo by Shan Moore

Beta riders vs. muddy race courses!

Beta USA had two of their racers competing in different events yet both were a mudfest! WORCS racer Justin Wallis aboard his Beta 430 RR at Round 3 of the WORCS Series held in Taft, California finished ninth while his teammate Max Gerston placed 6th aboard his Beta 300 RR 2 stroke at the AMA National West Hare Scrambles.

Heavy rains in Taft the night before the race turned a perfect course into a sloppy mess. While the racing was still action packed, it proved to be a tough event as the mud challenged many of the riders. Wallis used his Kenda Southwick tires to his advantage however a slow start from the beginning eliminated his chances for a podium finish.

Round 3 of the AMA West Hare Scrambles which was held at the Clear Creek riding area in Coalinga, California where Max Gerston did pretty well despite the muddy conditions along with some goggle issues finishing the race in 6th place.

"The race was super sloppy and nasty. It was freezing cold and raining for the 3 hour race making it a brutal one. I pulled a holeshot and learned the course the entire race. I dropped back to 5th after many goggle issues and a few tip overs. I had enough sand in my eyes to build a motocross track at this point. My 300 RR suited the terrain well and was solid throughout the race." Gerston explains.

Team Manager Tim Pilg comments, "Both our racers struggled with the muddy conditions. There were two separate events however with the amount of rain we have been getting here in California, they were both very muddy. It was a tough weekend for sure however I am confident in my team and what they are capable of."

Next on the Factory Team's schedule is round two of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro held in Monticello, Georgia where team members Jordan Ashburn, Nick Davis, and Drew Higgins will do battle.

Photo by Harlen Foley

Ashburn on the podium at Sprint Enduro!

Factory Beta's Jordan Ashburn threw down some solid times at this past weekend's opening round of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro held in Gaston, South Carolina. Ashburn finished on the podium in third beating out fourth by a mere 2 seconds. Teammates Drew Smith and Nick Davis also raced the series finishing 13th and 16th respectively in what was a stacked field of talent.

Ashburn describes his race, "Day one was a little bit of a struggle from the first test. But after that we started getting the ball rolling a little bit with some top fives. At the end of day one I found myself sitting around one hundredth of a second behind fourth Place. Day two was a good day for learning. I came out strong and determined to try and make some ground up. I was able to make up 17 seconds on Russel Bobbitt and round out third on the podium. I feel we made some good changes this weekend and learned a lot. Thank you to my team for all the support."

Drew Higgins used the race as cross training for his National Enduro series. The Sprint Enduro formats force riders to be at 100% from the start as each special test may only last a few minutes and the racers are divided by very close margins. Higgins improved his times as the weekend went on and had this to say about the event,  "The weekend for me was a good step in the right direction, I felt like I made improvements in every test. I started out Saturday a little slow, but found my groove towards the end of the day. Sunday was much better, my bike was working awesome all day and I felt like I was being smoother. I have a little bit more speed to find, but I know what I need to work on for the next round. Looking forward to doing suspension testing next week as I think that will help my confidence a lot. It was a great weekend with the team, and I think we all know what we can do to be better and get Beta on the podium."

Nick Davis struggled early on in the tests, however began to regain his speed finishing strong at the end. The GNCC XC2 racer picked up the pace as the days went on.
  
"I had a decent weekend. Struggled a little with the sprint pace, these boys are fast and with me never doing these races before I was a little off pace. I can't thank Rodney Smith and Zack Huberty enough for all they did and helped me so much with advice and over seeing my bike. I will be ready and stronger for the next one. I can't wait!" Davis explains.

Out in the West, Beta racer Joe Wasson had a day he would rather forget. Racing Round two of the National Hare & Hound Championship in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Wasson was primed and ready for the event however a bad fall at the beginning of the race forced Wasson into looking for help on the course with a broken arm and a severely dislocated hand. Wasson was transported to El Paso, Texas where he received surgery on his arm and hand and is recovering. Wasson will be out of action for an undetermined amount of time waiting for his arm and hand to fully recover.

Team Manager Tim Pilg had this to say about the weekend, "I was very excited about the weekend until I got the call from my team mechanic Kevin Spina that Joe was in a bad crash and had to get medical attention. Joe is a great pleasure to work with! I have informed our team that we will wait for his recovery and let him come back when he is ready."

Next on the Factory Team's schedule is round two of the National West Hare Scramble championship in Coalinga, California where Max Gerston will try to pull off a win at the technical event. Justin Wallis will compete at round 3 of the WORCS series held in Taft, California. Both of these events will be interesting as the forecast is rain all weekend in the area.

Photo by Shan Moore

Max Gerston 2nd at King Of Motos!

The Beta Factory race team was busy this past weekend with their extreme team's first event at the King Of Motos (KOM) held in Johnson Valley, California. Factory rider Max Gerston finished the event in second aboard his 300 RR two stroke. Woman racer Morgan Tanke rode her Beta Xtrainer to a solid 16th place in the amateur division beating more than 60 other racers.

Gerston describes his race, "King of the Motos 2017 was a crazy one. GPS navigation and an added night race portion complicated the race and amplified the technical aspects of the Extreme Enduro. I had a solid setup with my Beta 300 RR and was able to have consistent rides with a 3rd in the night portion, a 2nd in the morning portion, and a 3rd in the afternoon segment resulting in a 2nd place overall. I am happy with the result and excited to build off of that for the rest of the 2017 race season."

Morgan Tanke was also pleased with her finish, "The new 3 moto format at King of the Motos this year was awesome. The night race was definitely one of the craziest races I've ever done. Starting up a technical canyon with 100+ racers all at once at night was insane! The morning desert moto also had a super difficult start but once I got through I was able to ride a steady pace and conserve my energy for the extreme moto. Midway through the 3rd moto I had a major bike issue and there wasn't much I could do to fix it. I kept on going and limped it home to the finish! Betas are the toughest motorcycles out there, no doubt!"

Across the country, round one of the National Enduro series was getting kicked off. The season opener was held in Wedgefield, SC which was the same location as the East coast Hare Scramble. The event was used as a warm up for many of the factory teams so the Pro class was stacked. NEPG regular Drew Higgins made his Beta race debut finishing in a solid 14th position. Higgins teammate and GNCC racer Nick Davis used the event as a warm up finishing 20th.  

"My day started out really good, got off to a good start in the first test and ended up 8th. Tests 2 and 3 were good, made minimal mistakes and tried to just maintain my speed throughout the test. I felt like my bike was working awesome all day, besides some mistakes in test 4 that cost me some time. I hit a tree that was bent over and it ripped me off my bike, after I got going I crashed again trying to get back into my groove. I rode as hard a could for tests 5 and 6, but my pace was a little off of what it should be. All in all I was really happy with my fitness and my bike, I just need to limit the mistakes that I make, and ride smoother. I'm looking forward to building off this result, and going up from here in my finishes." Higgins explains.

Next on the Factory Team's schedule is round two of the National Hare & Hound championship in New Mexico where Joe Wasson will try to put his Beta 480 on the box. Beta racers Jordan Ashburn, Nick Davis, and Drew Higgins are competing in Gaston, South Carolina at round one of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro.

Photos by Diahann Tanke