Justin Sode is the Stud of Mud!

Beta racer Justin Sode had a breakthrough ride with a third place finish in the XC-2 pro class at last weekend’s GNCC held in Kentucky. The event was one of the muddiest events in GNCC history as three days of rain prior to the race flooded the course. The Ohio native rode a consistent race on his Beta 300 RR two stroker working through the pack from tenth place all the way to third at the finish.

Sode describes his race, “I managed to pull the holeshot so I got a pretty good jump into the woods. On lap 2 I got stuck and fell back to 10^th. When this happened I told myself that this is only a two hour race and that I don’t have much time to get where I need to be. I put my head down and made up as much time as I possibly could. When I checked in on lap three I had made my way all the way up to a 4^th place position. At this point I had come so far I was determined to catch 3^rd place. I received the white flag on lap four and was behind 3^rd place by more than two minutes. After stopping for fresh goggles the next thing I knew I was passing 3^rd place and took the checkers on lap five finishing 3^rd place in the xc2 class and 10^th overall.”

Justin Sode pulls the valuable holeshot at the GNCC in Kentucky (GNCCracing.com photo)

Halfway across the country in Las Vegas, The Beta factory team was busy preparing for Round one of the AMA Endurocross season. The night started off with Cody Webb setting the second fastest hot lap time only four tenths off the leader on his Beta 300 RR. The heat races went well also with Webb winning his race easily and Max Gerston posting a solid third allowing both riders to transfer to the main event.

Cody Webb loving his Beta 300 in Vegas (endurocross.com photo)

The main event saw Webb rounding the first corner in 8^th place. He quickly passed his way into fourth where he would eventually finish the race after a long battle with Colton Haaker. Gerston piloted his Beta 350 RR 4 stroke to an eventual 10^th place finish. The track in Vegas was the least technical of any other Endurocross event with only one turn challenging the top riders.

“I felt confident coming into this round coming off my strong finish in Brazil at the X games. I was looking forward to carrying some momentum into Vegas. Stillwell performance tuned my bike to perfection. The Vegas track was somewhat fast and flowed well. My Beta 350 RR ran flawlessly the whole night. I was stoked to put my Beta in the main event and put in a top 10 in the main. I am looking to improve on that result at the next race. I had fun and I feel like I am on another level since last year.” Gerston explains.

Max Gerston on his Beta 350 RR thumper in Practice (endurocross.com photo)

Rounding out the Beta racing efforts was Purvines Racing racers Nick Burson and Dan Capparelli finished Round six of the AMA National Hare and Hound in 3^rdand 10^threspectively. The race was held in Jericho, Utah with the two Beta riders coming away with valuable points. Capparelli won his class increasing his points lead in the process. Nick Burson’s finish was his third podium in a row and keeps him in third place in the points. Burson was riding his Collin Woolsey prepped Beta 498 RR while Capparelli was on his trusty 450 RR.

The Purvines team also raced the Best in the Desert Silver State 300 on Sunday with three Beta teams finishing inside the top ten. The team of Jeremy Purvines and Curtis Bradley finished the race in six hours, six minutes to secure 4th place while the team of Dan Capparelli and Tim Fitzpatrick finishing five minutes later in 5th. Rounding out the team’s efforts was Todd Abratowski and Chuck Harvey, both from Boulder City, Nevada in 7th.

The entire Purvines team continues to develop the bikes to suit its racers and the extreme conditions the Hare and Hound’s deliver. Round seven of the series is at the same location in Utah on May 18^th and gives teams little rest before the summer break.

American Beta is the sole US importer of high quality Beta motorcycles. Beta motorcycles are handcrafted in Florence, Italy offering a complete range of Off Road competition, Dual Sport as well as class-leading Mototrial motorcycles.

American Beta team sponsors include Motul Oils, Stillwell Performance, FMF, Dunlop Tires, HBD Graphics, RAD Wheels, Posey Racing Engines, Fox Racing Shox, DP Brakes, and Matrix Concepts.

Cody Webb’s sponsors include American Beta, Stillwell Performance, Motul Oils, Dunlop Tires, FMF, HBD Graphics, RAD Wheels, Rekluse, Moose Racing, X Brand Goggles, GoPro, Hammer Nutrition, Leatt braces, Fastway, Jitsie, SIDI boots, Bell Helmets, DVS, Earth X Batteries, VP Race Fuels, Matrix Concepts, BRP, Rekluse, DP Brakes, Dirt Tricks, Posey Racing Engines, Fastway, ARC Levers, Fox Racing Shox, ODI, Motorcycle Superstore, USWE, Country Home Inspection, Motion Pro, and CV4.

Max Gerston’s sponsors include American Beta, Stillwell Performance, Motul Oils, FMF, Klim, Dunlop, HBD Graphics, RAD Wheels, Fastway, Kali, Jett boots, X Brand Goggles, Earth X Batteries, VP Race Fuels, BRP, DP Brakes, Dirt Tricks, Fox Racing Shox, ODI, and CV4.

Justin Sode’s sponsors include American Beta, Stillwell Performance, Motul Oils, FMF, Dunlop, RAD Wheels, HBD Graphics, MX Motorsports, Flexx Bars, X Brand Goggles, ODI, Genuine Dirt Rider, Enduro Engineering, Rockwell Watches, offradchampions.com, USWE, BRP, Stance Socks, Tucker Rocky, A-1 Towing, Polk Iron & Metal, Formation Cementing, NAPA, Carbsport, and DP Brakes.

Purvines Racing sponsors include American Beta, Motul Oils, Dunlop, FMF, HBD Motografx, RAD Wheels, BRP, Flexx bars, Fastway, Dirt Tricks, SIDI Boots, RK chains, PDI Racing, and Countrywide Estate Planning.