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

Jordan Ashburn takes 2nd place at round 8 of the Sprint Enduro series!

Round 8 of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro series took place in Young Harris, GA. Riding conditions were great, and racers battled to secure positions knowing the series is coming to an end. 

Jordan Ashburn grabbed a second place finish closing the series points gap. With only one race left in the season, Ashburn is only 8 points behind 1st place Steward Baylor. 

Round 9 of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint series will take place in Big Buck Union, SC on November 11th. For more information on the series go to: sprintenduro.com

Jordan Ashburn:
"I closed the first day with a test win and finished 2nd for day one. I started off Sunday good with another test win. I battled for good test times all day and ended up winning the last one with my fastest time all weekend on the enduro test. I finished the weekend just 5 seconds from an overall victory. We are still in contention for the championship with only 1 round left."

Joe Wasson returns to the AMA Hare and Hound Series

The eighth round of the AMA National Hare and Hound series took place in Lucerne Valley, CA.

This was Joe Wasson's first Hare and Hound series race coming back from a serious wrist injury. Wasson rode smart and fast as the dry riding conditions and windy environment took its toll on the riders, however Wasson was able to keep a strong pace and finished ninth on-board his Beta 480 RR.

Round 9 of the Hare and Hound series will take place in Barstow, CA on November 12th. For more information on the series go to: nationalhareandhound.com

Joe Wasson:
"I found a spot I felt pretty comfortable with. Lined up at 9:30, the banner went up, and we took off. Didn't get a great start and with the dust being so bad I just rode smart and made passes where I could. After 40 miles I had my first pit stop. Then I was able to get by a couple more people the next 40 miles and rode to a solid 9th place. Not the greatest finish but felt good for being my first race back after a gnarly injury. I know where I need to improve to get back on top!"

Photo by Shan Moore

Jordan Ashburn Leads the Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series!

Competition picked up as racers challenged each other knowing that the series is drawing to an end. Overall standings in the 2017 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series shifted last weekend. Jordan Ashburn is now leading by seven points over second place rider Steward Baylor. This is Jordan's second big win in a row after placing 1st in Round 4 of the series at Ohio.

The track conditions got pretty bad as the weekend progressed with temperatures reaching 87 degrees and an average humidity level of 67%. Over the weekend the track began to dry up making it hard for riders to keep traction while creating dust that at times was almost impossible to see through.

Jordan commented on the weekend:
"I started Saturday with a big win in the first cross test. I managed to hold the lead the rest of the day over Stew and Cory. It came down to the last test. Stew and I were really close but I was able to edge him out for the days win."

"Day two didn't start as well, the dusty grass-track was really tough to ride. I stayed constant and kept in the top 3 all day. For the final test, I was 4 seconds down from the leader and had to make a hard push to make up some ground. I ended up nudging him out by 3 seconds by days end with an overall win for the weekend."

Jordan Ashburn Places 3rd, While Nick Davis Places 4th at the Tough Like RORR Race in Pennsylvania

In the last RORR main event on July 1st and 2nd, Beta riders Jordan Ashburn and Nick Davis both put forth great effort. Jordan placed 3rd with heat times that were just a few hundredths of a second from 2nd place. Nick Davis came in a solid 4th place ending only seven seconds behind Jordan.

The course was brutal with temperatures around the mid 80's. The competitiveness was so fierce that at times only fractions of a second separated racers from one another. The track itself transitioned from dust-ridden grassy knolls and flats, to mountainous forested terrain covered in sharp-jagged rocks and boulders.

Jordan Ashburn commented:
"Tough like RORR was not to disappoint this year, the track was very technical. I got off to a good start in the top 3 before making a mistake and dropping to around 7th place. I managed to make some passes and caught up with the third and fourth place riders, and then I battled with second place for the rest of the race. On the last lap I got stuck on a hill and couldn't make the pass coming into the finish, so I finished in 3rd just a mere 8 seconds from 2nd place. "

Nick Davis stated:
"Today was tough. One of the hardest races I have ever done in my career. I got off to a good start, made a few mistakes, and fell back. But the last lap I put my head down and charged to 4th. I couldn't be happier after the tough year I have had with my injury."

Look forward to the next events; the NEPG-Round 5 on July 23rd, and Round 6 of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro on August 5th

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

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

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