Team Beta WA at Perth Motorcycle and Scooter Show

Team Beta WA will be at the 2009 Perth Motorcycle and Scooter Show this weekend 11 – 13^th Sept at the Perth Convention Centre.  The team will be conducting trials demo’s throughout the weekend.  Go to www.perthbikeshow.com.au for info on the event.

Lewis Nolan selects a 290 for 2010

Lewis has ordered a 290cc for 2010.  Having ridden a 2009 250 Evo in Aust and a 290 Sherco in Europe, Lewis has elected to ride a 290 Evo for 2010.  Lewis has being enjoying the power of the big bore and by all reports it sounds like the power has been handy indeed when tackling those European sections.  It will be interesting to get Lewis’s comments on the difference between the 250 and the 290.

 

Lewis has one more event to go.  This weekend is the French World Round and the last event Lewis will contest before heading home just in time for the WA State Champs.

2009 National Championships

The Australian Championship this year was held at Pacific Park about 60kms from Sydney. Simon and Paul had the unenviable task of driving the bikes over. They drove 40 hours straight and got over safe and sound Monday, while Neil and Myself had the difficult and long 4 hour flight! We had a great lead up to the event this year, getting two solid days practising at the venue and a full day on Friday just chilling out and preparing the bikes.








The word around the paddock was that the sections were pretty tough, and they were right! This year we had to do 3 laps of 15 sections. Which is fine if they’re easy but 3 laps works out that you only have 8 minutes allocated to each section. The sections were difficult because they were really long and we only had a 90-second time limit. I started off well, even though I was getting fives in nearly every section but I also realised everyone else was having trouble. Neil also started off really well. His first lap of 45 points placed him in 4th place only 3 points off the lead. Through out my first lap I had some big crashes and thanks to Paul and some impossible catches my bike came out unscathed. Unfortunately on the second lap I dislocated my shoulder ending the weekend. The worst thing about my shoulder was the fact I didn’t even crash to pop it out. In the section I had to jump off this rock but I didn’t quite give it enough, my bike landed hard on the front wheel causing my shoulder to twist awkwardly and pop out. I almost cleaned up Paul as I came barrelling down the hill but thankfully Paul grabbed me and slowed me down enough not cause any more damage. Just like the last three nationals one of us ended up in hospital! At least I did it in the trial unlike Paul last year crashing on his head at 100kmh (I still don’t think he has recovered) Neil unfortunately had been caught out on time and only had 1 hour to finish his last 2 laps. Neil’s last 2 laps of 53 points hurt his chances pushing him down to 7th, but the highlight of the day was the fact Neil was the only rider to get through section 12. (Pictured at the top of page)


Day 2 started off with some good news that they only had to do 2 laps. Neil started off really well with a few cleans to give him a confidence boost. The sections were tamed off a little but they were still bloody hard. He finished off his first lap with 33 points, which moved him up a few places. His second lap was awesome, only 26 points and only one 5 for the whole lap. That’s a really good effort on those sections. It paid off in the end with Neil finishing on 3rd only one point ahead of Kevin Zarczynski. Alex also had a great weekend finishing in first place in junior. It is extremely hard to ride all weekend on easy sections and not make a mistake. It was close after day 1 with the top 8 riders separated by only 4 points. Alex on day 2 did a silly dab on his first lap but managed to keep his concentration to get the win. Alex certainly deserves the win, lately he has been putting so much effort in which you can see by his last 2 wins in A grade in Perth, Neil and Lewis are going to have to watch out. Josh Austin also had a good ride, the sections were a lot harder then previous years but the scores were still really close. Josh after day 1 was tied with forth place and only 1 point off 3rd. On day 2 Josh improved on his first lap but unfortunately got clipped for 5th place by only 1 point.















A big thanks to Simon and Paul for 80 hours of driving just to help Neil and myself ride the titles, and again a big congratulation to Neil and Alex on their great results.

Class Results:

Open Solo: 1st Colin Zarczynski, 2nd Jake Whitaker, 3rd Neil Price
Junior: 1st Alex Nolan, 2nd Lachlan Gibson, 3rd Zachary Vlamis-Hale

Lewis rides Spanish world round.

 

hey all.
 
well today I beat Kyle , that was the best part of my day.
dunno how because i wasnt happy with my ridin.
like Kyle proberly rode crap too, but i thought for sure he would beat me,
even tho my score was lower today, i wasnt happy with my riding.
i was like rLly hot and cold...
i had some awsum rides, cleaned this one difficult section on the first lap,
other than that my first lap was shocking, i just couldnt get into it.
 
Second lap i improved, best lap of weekend, but stiLl wasnt happy, lots of unneeded 5s.
52 was my best lap score,
but if i add up my best rides on each section,
that gives me a lap of 40.and i got laps in the 60s !!!!!!!!!!!
so i wasnt consistent, and coulda posted much better laps.
 
that section i told ya bout yesterday, the awsum one i got up both times,
5d it both laps today !!
after goin up the first step i kept gettin all skewifff so couldnt continue to the 2nd one !
Alfredo Gomez 5d that section both laps today !
so I was happy i got a 1 and a 3 yesterday in it ! haha.
 
although the sections were horrible and very difficult haha,
i think it was a great experienca ridin that sorta terrain, it rLly was.
the europeans are sooooooooooooo good at it.
in a totaLly different league.
 
after i finished i went to watch the top guys, now that was awsum.
they make the craziesttttttttttt stuFf look sooooo easy. it was mental.

On the lap in one spot, u ride around this rock face.
and bout 5ish metres to the side and down, is like bigggg cliff face into this hole.
and when i was going round the lap after ridin,
heaps of official people were lookin down there, and there were
officials who had gone round the long way to get to the bottom,

 apparently someone lost it and rode off the edge !
i was just like shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
he would be lucky to survive where he feLl from.
they were calling out, but no answer.
so dunno what became of that?....
 
so yeh that was my day,
was not happy with my ridin part from few rides,
i cleaned two sections, that i 5d on every other lap of the weekend !
and i 5d sections today that i got thru yesterday !! grrrrrrrrr
I couldnt believe i beat Kyle, i was sure he woulda flogged me after my efforts yesterday.
ok buy for now , Lewis.

 

Note from Leo, hope to post a couple of pics of THE STEEEEP!!! section  shortly,,,,,

also check Kevin zar's interview on trials aust,!!!! 

Lewis struggles in tuff Spanish Euro round.

 

hey all
 
the sections were sooooooooooo hard !
first lap started off ok, 5, 1, 1, 2, (they were gooood rides for me )
then i had all 5s to section 12 !
section 12 i got a 3, was sooooo happy to get up it !
just this climb up this valley/gully, with a biggg double rock in the middle,
then climb up more, then a big step at the top.
3rd gear flat out alll the way up. alex u woulda loved it haha.
then section 13 i 5d grrrr section 14 got to the finsh with a 1, then 5d the end grrrrrrrrrrrrrr
and 15, then man made section, i got 0 both laps.
 
second lap was very shit, i was tired as, rode crap wasnt happy with it.
the sections are just soooooooooo physical and hard.
soooooo steep and soooooooo loose.
if u wheelspin too much or get offline ur sure a 5.
so u have to be everything perfect. its soooo hard.
 I had few good rides but alot of bad ones .
 
this one dude crashed, slid down the hill and fell of this massive drop him and his bike.
sooooooooo lucky he wasnt hurt.
it was weLll weLlll over ceiling height.
pretty scary stuff!!!!!
will be interesting to see how i go tomora,
its soooo easy to end up with a 5 in these sections.
Soung was my minder, he was sooo good, he put in so much effort.
 
wish u could see the sections,
so much harder than any other trial i done so far.
just soooooooo steep haha.
 
Saw Kyle Middleton,
rode with him in practice area this morning abit.Hes riding the world round tomorrow.
talked to Kevin zar also ,
and Jason Byrnes mum and dad too.
and dads nephew, Pete and Tash was good seein them too.
 
ok im oFf for now, Lewis.

Alex Nolan steps up to 250cc for 2010

Alex has elected to step up to a 250 for 2010. Alex said the 125 has done all it can for me now and its time to go to a 250. This move is supported by the rest of the team and the lessons learnt from when Lewis rode the 125 in experts at the 2008 Aust Nationals. Alex although still a junior rides A Grade in WA which is the top class there. He will without doubt contest experts in the 2010 Nationals.

Alex Nolan 2009 Aust Junior Champion

Congratulations Alex. After going clean on day one and finishing equal 1st, Alex dropped one point on the 1st lap of day two, the same as his nearest rival, he then held his nerve for another 2 laps without dropping another point. His nearest rival dropped 4 points on his last lap. Full report on nationals to come later.

Neil Price ranked No 2 in Aust

Neil Price puts in a blinder on day two coming from 7th on day one to finish 3rd behind NZ rider Jake Whitaker. Full report on nationals to come later.

Aust Nationals update

Wow what a trial, after day one Alex poised to win the junior title and another day of the hardest expert class nationals we have ever ridden. The sections where big, Tim said he reckon that they are harder than european trials and Neil agreed. The experts had to do 3 laps and they were all running out of time. Tim unfortunately ended up in hospital with a dislocated shoulder. Prior to that he was having one his better nationals ride. Paul was minding Tim and said Tim had some top rides. The crash that dislocated his shoulder was one of those that the minder couldnt do anything about. Tim said paul did an top job of saving him heaps of times. In the experts no one was under a 100 points, the leader is on 123 points. Neil is on 151 sitting in 7th. Neil was the first to get up this huge step and the crowd went mental, lots of the top riders where skipping it. Neil and Simon reckon that made the 8000km trip worth while, however on the last lap it got the better of him and spat him off at the top. With the bike in the air upside down Neil bailed, Simon was hanging onto a tree trying to catch copped a front wheel in the head, got a hand on it but couldnt hold it, lucky not too much damage. Alex had a blinder going clean for the 3 laps and is sitting equal first with another lad, we wish him well tomorrow. Dave Thomas is on 14 in 7th, Mark Austin 55 in 11th, Frank Patane 22 + handicap mid field, Steve Cox 3 + handicap, Sam Cox 30 mid field, Josh Austin 167 equal 4th.

Lewis's tour of Europe almost over

Lewis has three main events left to contest then it is back to WA just in time for the WA State Champs. He has the Spanish Euro, Spanish World and French World rounds to finish off his tour. We are sure he is keen to get home and catch up with every one but at the same time will want to stay in Europe riding. We are looking forward to having him back and seeing the improvement in his riding which we are sure has stepped up a peg or two.

PHOTOS OF TEAM PREPARATIONS FOR THE NATIONALS

Nationals WA Team up date

Lead up preparations to the Nationals this weekend is going well. Neil, Tim and Alex have practise Wed and Thurs and all are riding well. The bike set up has gone well without any problems. The weather has been perfect, fine and sunny. The venue is fairly dry and dusty but a magic one just the same. Not sure what the weather will be like for the weekend but we wont be complaining if it stays the same. Frank, Dave, Mark and Sue flew in today (Thurs). Frank left Donnybrook at 0300 and got into Sydney 1330 and was out practising by 1600, he went to bed early though. Tomorrow is prep and chill day and then into it Sat and Sun. All the best to Alex in his last year as a junior.

Arrived safe NSW Nationals

Both Beta vans arrived in Windsor NSW without any hassels. So all the bikes and gear is here. Josh traveled across with Leo, Neil and Tim flew in Tues arvo, Dave, Sue and Frank Patane come in Wed arvo. Master plan is to practise Wed Thurs and chill Fri in prep for the weekend.

Lewis's day at Olot.

 

 ok my day at Olot.

We left Pons place just after 9am.
we had to pick up the mum dad and boy from down the road, they came,
then had to pick up a dad and 2 sons who came also,
its only 1hr ish to Olot, but didnt get there tiLl after 12! haha
 
then once we got there we went ridin.
that place is amazing!!!
the river is insane to ride in!
its sooooo green, and like some parts of the river is just aLl rock, l
like no sand or rubbel, just rock!
and there smaLl waterfalls everywhere and u ride up em its crazy! 

and there are big muddy banks and hills outta the creek also
its like Prestine in Italy, but better!
so before lunch we rode one section.
it was soooo hot and sunny, such nice day.
then after lunch it poured with rain!!! crazy the weather here.
spewin cos didnt get to swim in the water hole,
and I couldnt get any pics of the river! .
 
after lunch we went back out training, was soooooooooooo frigin sliiperyyy!
its amazing, so hard to explain.
trained 3 sections, aLl very very hard.
was really haPpy but, cos i was doin alot of stuFf better than Soung,
which i didnt expect.
so rode till like 730, then we packed up headed home,
 
the first section after lunch,
i could get to the end with just a 1,
but at the end was this big steep slipperyyy as heLL mud bank/hiLl.
i got up it few times, but crashed it heaps haha.
sooo hard cos never ridden that stuFf before.
 
the 2nd section had this mud bank at the start,
then u had to ride across the hiLl
was sooooo hard but haha.
once u ride it few times it gets more and more slippery.
I only got up it about once in every 4shots lOL.
the rest of that section was awsum, just up the creek, 
up waterfalls rocks and aLl, then another mud bank at the end.
i managed a 2 on that section, that was a great ride for me.
 
3rd section we didnt ride for long, cos was just before we left.
but I rode most of that one better than Soung, cept for few bits.
so was happy with my ridin.
never ridden this sorta stuFf befor. it was great.
 
but yeh the river is sooooooo cool lOL. and beautiful.
we had a great days training,

 

Alex wins his first Premier Class event

Congratulations Alex!!  Alex took the number one spot at Prestige/Winter 5 in his first win in A Grade over his team mate Tim Price in a David and Goliath battle that has been on going for some time.  Tim who has managed to hold Alex off in the last few events couldn’t quite keep the feet up enough to match Alex.  Alex’s balance was spot on and clearly has improved from the last couple of events.  It is also evident that his concentration and focus is improving.  This sets the scene for the State Champs in Sept where Tim will have both Alex and Lewis to contend with by himself as Neil will miss the State Champs.   

Lewis update.

 

 

heya not alot been happening lately to report on' have been training mainly.

We rode an exibition demo  at a place about 6hrs from Joans place.
yeh the show was fun, yeh the kids funnny, some even wanted photos haha.
and they say " hello hello " and they think it soooooo funny,
and they asked if I in X games haha.
We rode on this basketball court and big stairs like seats and up this BIG rock wall

The kids loved it, haha, never signed so many autographs !!!!!

there was a pool there too, had 2 swims, it uas reaLllly Hot there.

Had good ride this arvo, just me and Seoung at start,
then joan came and set one section.
was pretty hard was happy with my riding.
I think we going to Olot on monday. hopefuLly.
there a big pool bit in the river there where u can swim too,
so i rLly hope we go, its meant to be good as.
 Then the weekend after this there is a competition me and Seoung may be riding in.
not heLl hard, dont need a minder, so i think joan will drive us there in the truck,
then on sunday he go to a pushbike comp.
the trial is saturday and sunday.
and lots of it is in a river. so hope we do that too lOL.
 see you later  Lewis.

Beta van away over East

The Beta van wont be at Prestige Winter 6. Leo Alex Josh Simon and Paul are leaving Sat to drive over to the National champs, not sure when Steve and Sam are leaving. The rest of the mob Dave Frank Neil Tim and Sue are flying, Mark Austin is going by sea taking his work vehicle, the Sub. Will keep you posted with updates on the Nationals.

PAUL RIDING WITH RAPTOR FOOTPEGS

Paul received a set of RAPTOR footpegs for his enduro bike just in time for round 3 of the W.A. State enduro championships in Donnybrook. Out of the box they are impressive, everyone is always shocked just how little they weigh, and after riding 3 seasons on the Raptor trials pegs I can assure you they are bloody strong! The Donnybrook enduro was very muddy and Paul said he was amazed the difference it made. " It just gave me heaps more control, and even though it was wet and extremely slippery I was never worried about slipping off " RAPTOR make footpegs for all trials bikes, and also most enduro and MX bikes, for any information give Neil an email at neil@beta.id.au or catch up with us at the next trial or enduro.

Team Beta WA Heads East for Aust National Championships

Team Beta WA will be heading East late Aug for the Australian Moto Trials Championships and will miss Prestige/Winter 6. The Championships are being held on Sat 29^th and Sun 30^th Aug at Pacific Park South Maroota NSW on the famous Hawkesbury River. Neil and Tim will be contesting the Open Solo whilst Alex contests the Open Junior for the last time. Lewis will miss the Aussie titles due to his European trip. We wish all team riders the very best and look forward to a few titles heading back across the WA border. Also heading across from WA is Frank Patane (Vets) Dave Thomas (Twin Shock) and Josh Austin (Youth), we wish them well and a safe journey.

2010 Beta Evo's in WA in November 09

The improved Beta Evo 2010 models are expected to land in Aust late in October and are expected to arrive in WA by the end of October or early November.  As expected with new radical models the Evo has had its teething problems which Beta have been quick to address.  These teething problems have been sorted, check out the reported improvements to the 2010 range listed below on the blog.  Pricing is expected to be the same as in 2009. Will keep you posted on developments as they come to hand.