Beta results from both coasts!

GNCC - Round 5: Location: Society Hill, South Carolina Round five of the GNCC saw rain arrive before the event that created a challenging course with large mud holes and ruts. The stand-out rider of the event was Rachel Gutish finishing a respectable 3rd in the WXC class and an even more impressive 4th overall in the AM race out of close to 600 riders! The other team riders had an up and down day, however all of them finished inside the top 8 in their classes. Cody Barnes: 6th - XC2 class Thorn Devlin: 8th - XC2 class Chase Colville: 4th - XC3 class Rachel Gutish: 3rd - XCW class The next event for the Beta factory East team will be round two of the NEPG (National Enduro) series this weekend. The next GNCC race is round six in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania on June 14th. Cody Barnes 250 RR Race Edition "My Beta 250 RR got me off to a great start and I was quickly able to make the pass for the lead. I lead for a bit before making a small mistake and dropping a few positions. I was able to salvage 6th place for the day but that's not where I want to be. I will be working on some things in the next two weeks and will be back to give it my all." Thorn Devlin 250 RR Race Edition "The rough course and high temperatures made for a brutal Round 5 Camp Coker GNCC. Heavy rains the week of the race made for some bottomless mud holes and soft terrain. My Beta 250 RR got a great jump; getting the holeshot and in a great position for the start of the three hour race. Unfortunately, I got stuck in a sinkhole a few miles in. I was able to fight back a few positions and salvage some points on the day. Thank you to all our sponsors for the support and keeping us seeing checkered flags!" Chase Colville 125 RR Race Edition "I started the Camp Coker GNCC off with a mid pack start before working my way up to the lead group until I unfortunately fell twice on the first lap, losing sight of the lead group. I was able to ride the rest of the race mostly mistake free and finish in 4th!" Rachel Gutish 300 RR Race Edition "I am super stoked to have earned my first GNCC podium for the Factory Beta team! It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad I was finally able to live up to the belief the team has in me and the effort we all put in. I battled with the leaders nearly all day, and was happy to come home with a podium spot, especially given that Camp Coker is a race I usually struggle at." Photo Credit: Ken Hill

WORCS - Round 3: Location: Mesquite, NV WORCS racing continued with round two in Mesquite, Nevada. With temps above 100, the race was grueling to say the least. Beta factory rider Chance Fullerton was off to a good start running in third before catching a rock and breaking a bone in his foot. The young rider from Acton, California had to pull out of the race. Beta rider and Hare & Hound regular Zane Roberts used the WORCS race to train for when the NHHA returns. Roberts finished a respectable seventh place in the Pro2 class aboard his factory Beta 430 RR Race Edition. Zane Roberts: 7th - Pro2 class Chance Fullerton: DNF - Pro2 class The next event for the Beta factory West team will be round four of the WORCS series June 14th in Wickenburg, Arizona.

Beta Factory riders take two Pro podiums at round 1 of the AMA East Hare Scramble series!

AMA East Hare Scramble, Round 1: Location: Union, SC Beta USA Factory Team rider; Thorn Devlin celebrated with his first win of the year in the Pro class at round 1 of the AMA Eastern Hare Scramble Series. The race was a total quagmire with heavy rain throughout the day bringing with it thick slippery mud. Rachel Gutish also battled the elements bringing home her first win of the season in the Women's Pro class! Beta Support rider and 2019 East Hare Scramble Champion; Kyle McDonal had a couple setbacks that resulted in a 7th place finish for the day.

THORN DEVLIN 250 RR Race Edition "Round 1 of the AMA East Hare Scramble Series presented by Beta was a challenging, yet fun race. It provided fast, muddy, rooty terrain that was challenging on all levels. It felt great to grab the checkered flag and carry my momentum into the opening round of the GNCC series next weekend."

RACHEL GUTISH 300 RR Race Edition "I'm very excited to take home my first win of the season! Conditions were great the first lap, then the rain started.... it got super slippery with deep ruts everywhere, but I was having a blast! The 300 worked insanely well in the mud. The incredible power made it almost impossible to get stuck in the deep stuff and by riding a gear high I was able to really sail around those slick corners. A mistake on lap one cost me about three minutes, but I was able to regroup, shake it off and charge back up to the front of the pack.”

WORCS Sprint Hero Series, Round 1: Location: Taft, CA Chance Fullerton just missed the Open AA class podium finishing in 4th after long day of battling with teammate Zane Roberts who ended the day in 5th place also in the Open AA class.

CHANCE FULLERTON 430 RR Race Edition "I missed the podium by 3 seconds this last weekend at the Sprint Hero race. It makes me want a podium even more. Time to really start digging deep and getting after it. Thanks to everyone who helps us out!”

ZANE ROBERTS 430 RR Race Edition "I had a lot of fun this weekend at my first Sprint Hero race! I struggled with the high intensity nature of the event from the get go as it's nothing like anything I've ever raced before. I'm not stoked with the result, but I know what I have to work on to improve. I'm looking forward to doing more these races throughout the year!”

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

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

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

GNCC round one race report!

Beta USA's Jordan Ashburn finished in ninth place at round 1 of the GNCC series held in Union, South Carolina this past weekend. The Tennessee racer continues to push himself to reach the top step of the podium aboard his Beta 430 RR. Ashburn's teammate Nick Davis hit a tree after running fifth in the XC2 class ending his race with a dislocated hip. 

"Round one of the GNCC didn't go as well as I expected. I took the lead on the first lap and was able to come around in the front. I started to struggle with my bike setup on the track and I wasn't feeling comfortable as the race pace stepped up. I am going to try and make some slight changes on my setup this week to be dialed in for this weekend's round 2." explains Ashburn.

Nick Davis describes his race weekend, "My Beta 250 RR had me off to a great start sending me to the top 10 out of 40 racers on Sunday. It was very hard with the dust to get ahead, but we managed pretty well and was able to get all the way up to top 5 on the second lap. I was heading up to pass for 4th (Ty Tremaine) when everything fell apart, I hit a hole which kicked me up into a section of trees. I ended up needing a life flight out of there. I dislocated my hip and I have a fractured T1 in my back. It will take a few weeks to heal up but I hope to return for round 3 in Georgia. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers."

Next on the Factory Team's schedule is round two of the GNCC series this weekend, known as the Moose Racing Wild Boar held in Palatka, Florida. In the West, Factory rider Justin Wallis will be racing at rounds 4 and 5 of the WORCS series in Lake Havasu, Arizona, a race which he won last year.

Photo by Ken Hill

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