Beta finishes 1st and 2nd in Full Gas Sprint Enduro, plus AMA East Hare Scrambles and Rev Limiter news!

Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series Round 2 Overview:

Location: Blackshear, GA

Beta Factory Race Team Results:

Cody Barnes finished on the podium this weekend in 2nd place in the Pro 2 class at the second round of the FGSE series.

Mike Witkowski also ended up on the podium with a 3rd place finish in the Pro 2 class.

The next race for both riders will be at the 1st round of the Grand National Cross Country Series on March 9th-10th in Palatka, FL.

CODY BARNES

Bike: Beta 250 RR Race Edition

"My weekend started off good with a good first test, but I made some mistakes in the first enduro test and dropped a few positions. After some track changes, due to the mud holes, I started making ground on the competition and worked my way into 3rd going into the last test of the day. With about three turns until the finish on the last test I had a good get-off causing me to lose a lot of time and dropping me back to 6th for the day.

On day two of racing I knew I had my work cut out for me. I was able to do very well all day in the cross test, but I was losing some time in the enduro test. I was still able to make my way to podium contention going into the last enduro test. I found where I was losing time and went into the last test knowing I had to run a perfect test. When the test was done, I was able to claim the second place spot in the Pro 2 class. My bike was working awesome all weekend and I had a blast at this event!"

MIKE WITKOWSKI

Bike: Beta 250 RR Race Edition

"The first day of the Sprint Enduro in Georgia couldn't have went better. I stayed off the ground while riding smooth and consistent. With only a couple mistakes I was happy with my bike and riding performance. I ended up winning day 1, which I hadn't done yet. I was happy going into day two with a solid lead.

Day two started off on the wrong foot with a shoulder problem in the first test leading me to lose over 10 seconds. After the first test I was down and out of the lead. But, I charged all day despite the adversity I endured. I ended up winning test 5 for the day, but I came short of 2nd place for the weekend by less than a second due to my first test result on day two. I was pretty bummed as I wanted to win and I knew it was all mine after day one. Ready for our first GNCC next weekend in the Florida Sand. Definitely motivated after a not so good end result at this sprint enduro!"

AMA East Hare Scramble Series Round 2 Overview:

Location: Graysburg, NC

Beta Factory Race Team Results:

Beta Factory Team rider; Rachel Gutish finished on top of the podium in 1st place in the Women's class at round 2 of the East Hare Scramble Series. Rachel Gutish's next race will be at the 1st round of the Grand National Cross Country Series on March 9th-10th in Palatka, FL.

Beta Support rider; Kyle McDonal also topped the podium with a 1st place finish in the Pro Class.

RACHEL GUTISH

Bike: Beta 390 RR Race Edition

"I'm very happy with how the race went! I was smart and consistent through the deep ruts and mud-holes, which was enough to give me the win! This also moves me up into first place in the series points, which I'm pretty excited about."

KYLE MCDONAL

Bike: Beta 390 RR Race Edition

"Yesterday was round 2 of the AMA East Championship in Garysburg, NC and with all the rain we have been getting it made for a good mud race. Six riders showed up on the pro line and with starting so close to the corner I was last off the line. I was able to make good passes and pick a lot of good lines the first lap to put myself in 1st where I rode for the remainder of the day with a 30 second to 1 minute lead. We did 9 laps on a shortened course due to standing water with a mix of single track, clay hill climbs and open jeep roads. I was able to stay consistent throughout the race and stay out of any deep mud holes where other riders were getting stuck and that really gave me an advantage over the 2 hours. On lap 8 I smashed my shift lever, but luckily I was able to use my hand in the open section to shift and leave it in 3rd for the woods sections."

Rev Limiter Overview:

Location: Decatur, TX

Beta Factory Race Team Results:

Max Gerston placed 6th at the 2019 Rev Limiter last weekend. Max Gerston's next race will be at the Wild West Extreme Enduro event on May 4th, 2019 in Sparks, Nevada.

MAX GERSTON

Bike: Beta 300 RR Race Edition

"The Rev Limiter Extreme Enduro was tough! I actually had a lot of fun riding the terrain and my Beta 300 RR was finding incredible traction. Unfortunately the race was poorly organized so the scoring was confusing and rules were being changed mid race which takes away from the legitimacy of the results. I am looking forward to the next round, and I continue to fall in love with the 2019 300 RR"

Photo by Shan Moore

Beta race team news!

Jordan Ashburn takes 1st place at Full Gas Sprint Enduro!
The races in Uhrichsville, Ohio last weekend started off with almost perfect weather conditions. Competition was fierce and the pace of each race amplified by each day. The gap between 1st place rider Jordan Ashburn and 2nd place rider Steward Baylor narrowed as the weather conditions worsened. 

Rider Jordan Ashburn stated; "My goal for the weekend was to put my head down and minimize mistakes. I couldn't have done it without all the support from my team."

Nick Davis Takes 1st place in the 4th Round of the East Hare Scramble Championship Series, while Kyle McDonal took 2nd!
Nick Davis pulls off a win after returning from a recent leg injury. His conditioning and practice seems to be paying off, while he prepares to return back to the GNCC series.
Kyle McDonal ends the race in second place, but is leading the AMA East Hare Scramble Championship Series in points. 

Justin Wallis Takes 8th place in the WORCS Race event at Glen Helen Raceway.
The scorching heat wave was expected to be too much for the riders last weekend at Glen Helen. The races had to be rescheduled for an earlier time than originally anticipated, while shortening the race time to an hour and a half. 
Wallis is currently sitting in 9th place overall for the WORCS Pro MC series.

Beta USA's Rodney Smith has been promoted to head up the Beta USA race department. The AMA Hall of Famer and five-time GNCC champion has been working for Beta for the last 12 months as a rider coach and now will take over as the race team manager. 

Beta USA's President Tim Pilg comments, "It has been a huge benefit to our team ever since Rodney came aboard full time last season. His approach to racing matches our goals for the team so it made perfect sense to have him take over the team manager position."

Smith is looking forward to developing the team and more, "I'm very excited to have this opportunity to run the Beta USA race team! I've been working & coaching the riders this year and now Beta has asked me to manage the team. I'm very excited to bring my experience I've learned over the years as a racer and champion as well as being inducted in the AMA hall of fame! I've had the chance to see & learn from my past managers, including Mike Webb, and now I'm looking forward to being able run my own team & to further give our racers the knowledge & experience to win some more championships for my riders, Beta, & myself."

Beta's GNCC pilot Jordan Ashburn had this to say, "Being able to work with Rodney Smith is a true privilege. He is a former GNCC champion with lots of knowledge. I'm really excited for him to take charge of the Beta race team and help us achieve our goals."

Smith will also work with EnduroX rider's Max Gerston, Ty Cullins, and Morgan Tanke as the EnduroX season begins in Las Vegas on August 19th along with the other team members.

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