The first event on the 2020 AMA East Extreme Off-Road schedule kicked off over the holiday weekend with the Tough Like RORR. A little rain on Friday with hot days over the weekend, made for ideal dirt conditions. The track itself was a challenge. Big rock gardens to a off camber slow single track and then back up to rocky uphills. The Beta Factory Racing Team was up for the challenge and had a great showing this weekend - highlighted by a win from Rachel Gutish! Ron Commo and Max Gerston battled the entire race to finish 3rd and 4th respectively. The next race for the Beta Factory Race Team is Round 8 of the GNCC.
Rachel Gutish 300 RR Race Edition "Tough Like RORR, the opening round of the AMA East Extreme Off-Road series, went exceptionally well for me. I easily qualified in the top spot in the women's class on Saturday, and despite the fact that the women started on the last row, (behind all the B and C riders) I took 58th overall on the day. On Sunday, the loop was shorter but more difficult, so I sprinted as hard as I could between the gnarly spots, which I slowed down for and carefully navigated. I took the Women's class win by nearly five minutes on the 30-ish minute loop. The event was a blast and I'm looking forward to pursuing the rest of the Extreme Off-Road series this summer!"
Ron Commo 300 RR Race Edition "On Saturday my tire came off in the first race so I had to pit, swap out wheels, and get back out to race. I ended up 35th on the day. I pushed hard in the 2nd race and finished in 6th, which put me 20th overall for the day. On Sunday I started from the 2nd row. I got a great start going into the woods 3rd off the line and quickly passed the 2 riders in front of me. Once I got to the first rock section I passed about 7-8 guys. I came up on Max and we rode together until we caught Fahringer. I got by Max after he missed a corner then I realized the pace I was comfortable running was quicker than Fahringer. I followed him through the goat trails until there was a chance to pass. After that I just put my head down and tried to catch the leaders. But I just couldn't close the gap and rode the rest of the day by myself. Super pumped on getting on the box and I can't wait to get after it the rest of the season and show everyone what I am capable of. Thank you to my mechanic Jamison, and the entire Beta USA team thank you so much!"
Max Gerston 300 RR Race Edition "The Tough Like RORR was an awesome event. I qualified third in Saturday's qualifying races which set me up strong for Sunday. I made some costly mistakes with line choice on the first lap, but was able to regroup for lap two and get a rhythm back. I had some good battles with other riders and was able to card a 4th place finish overall. My 300 RR was light and consistent all day. Although I rode well on the second lap, I am looking forward to cleaning up some of those early race mistakes for the next race to improve my overall efficiency and results. I am looking forward to Ohio in a few weeks. Let's go!"
Photo Credit: Shan Moore