RACE RECAP: From Patagonia to Europe, a fiery weekend for the Beta colors.
An action-packed weekend with contrasting emotions for Beta riders and teams, engaged on four world and international fronts. From the muddy debut of MXGP in Argentina, passing through the beaches of Viareggio in the Assoluti d’Enduro, to the French arenas for the grand finales and decisive challenges of SuperEnduro and X-Trial. Here is how it went!
The 2026 Assoluti d’Italia Enduro season opened with a double round on the treacherous sands and rocky terrains of Viareggio. In front of a large crowd, the Beta Enduro Factory Team fielded Brad Freeman and Nathan Watson, both returning to competition after injuries sustained last season.
Brad Freeman immediately showed he had regained great speed, taking a 3rd and 5th place in the Overall standings (2nd and 3rd respectively in the Foreigners class). After a Saturday dominated by excellent times, Sunday was unfortunately affected by a crash in the Enduro Test that cost him almost a minute. “I’m happy with Saturday’s race, I felt good on the bike. On Sunday, unfortunately, a crash compromised the final result. It’s a shame, because the pace was good, but I still take away positive feelings from the weekend,” stated the Englishman.
A very encouraging return for Nathan Watson as well, who showed steady growth over the two days. He secured a 7th and 10th Overall place (3rd and 5th among the Foreigners). “The goal was to find rhythm and consistency again. Lap after lap I felt better and better on the bike,” he commented with satisfaction.
The team is now looking ahead to the next round in Pomarance (PI) scheduled for March 28-29.
The eighth round of the X-Trial World Championship set the French arena of Chalon-sur-Saône alight. The Beta Trial Factory Team was a major protagonist thanks to a masterful performance by Harry Hemingway, who claimed an excellent 3rd place overall. The Brit dominated Q2 with a perfect lap (zero penalties), securing direct access to the final and consolidating his growth in the world championship.
A solid performance also for George Hemingway, who finished 5th overall, narrowly missing out on the final act. Sixth place for the Italian Matteo Grattarola, who paid dearly for some mistakes in the Q2 speed test. “I was sorry not to get the result, I came very close. We fought until the very end, congratulations to Harry!”, declared the Italian champion. Excellent signs also from Hugo Dufrese, second in Q2 but out of the final due to his Q1 result. The team is now looking ahead to the grand finale of the season!
The SuperEnduro World Championship closed its doors for the 2026 season with the final, spectacular round in Douai, France.
In the Junior class, absolute triumph for Fraiser Lampkin, who won the Douai race and stepped onto the podium for the third consecutive round! His teammate Felix Bähker closed his first world season in 8th place overall (9th in France).
Great celebrations in the Youth class, where Eneko Martinez conquered the third step of the stage podium, securing a fantastic 4th position in the final Championship standings. “It was a very positive season with many successes,” commented the young rider.
In the premier class, Prestige, Alfredo Gómez and Tim Apolle finished the championship in 8th and 7th place respectively in the overall standings. With the SuperEnduro now in the archives, attention shifts to the Hard Enduro World Championship, kicking off in mid-April.
The 2026 Motocross World Championship opened on the brand-new and spectacular Bariloche track in Argentina. With Rick Elzinga still in the pits due to injury, the Beta MRT Racing Team’s hopes rested on Jago Geerts aboard the brand-new RX 450.
Unfortunately, the South American weekend proved tougher than expected. After struggling to find his feeling in Saturday’s qualifying, Geerts was making a great comeback in Sunday’s first moto. On lap eight, however, a violent landing from a jump onto a hidden rock caused a nasty crash, forcing him to retire and preventing him from starting Race 2.
“It was a disastrous weekend. Today I felt better on the bike, but I hit a rock and had a bad crash. I’m feeling the impact, but luckily I didn’t suffer any serious consequences,” reassured the Belgian rider.
Geerts will now have two weeks to recover ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in Almonte.nte.
The Spanish Enduro Championship restarted from the selective track of Valverde del Camino (Huelva). The Beta Trueba Enduro Factory team arrived with important news and a great hunger for results, celebrating the excellent debut of Julio Pando in E3. The Asturian immediately found the perfect feeling with his new RR Racing 4T 480, conquering a fantastic double silver (2nd place on both Saturday and Sunday). A solid and growing race also for Pau Tomàs, who brought home precious points in the fiercely contested E2 class with a 6th and 5th place.
In the youth classes, the incredible tenacity of our boys stood out. Guillem Sucarrats (Junior 125 2T) celebrated his return from a bad knee injury with a double 3rd place. A heroic feat for Nil Rojas (Junior Open): on Saturday he fractured his hand against a tree, but gritted his teeth to incredibly finish 3rd, before withdrawing as a precaution on Sunday. The race unfortunately ended early for Alejandro Irigoyen, forced to retire on Saturday after a bad crash in the Cross Test.
Also noteworthy is Antonio Valero‘s beautiful victory in the Master 50, confirming the excellent form of the Beta riders. Next stop in Valdecaballeros in just two weeks!
Beta shines in Africa and Portugal
Beta shines across X-Trial and Hard Enduro
Beta spotlights the MY26 innovations
Busy weekend for Beta: race results
