The Beta Motorcycles Australia Race Team headed to Queensland Moto Park for rounds seven and eight of the Australian Off-Road Championship. Riders were met with clear blue skies, warm weather, and plenty of dust, typical of Queensland. Saturday’s round featured a timecard format with twelve tests across MX, Enduro Cross, and dusty Enduro terrains. The tough conditions tested both bike and rider, but the Beta team secured numerous podium finishes.
Newcastle-based Jye Dickson had a stellar performance, taking first place in the E3 class and continuing his winning streak from Edenhope.
Fraser Higlett, the 2023 Queensland Off-Road Champion, also shone, securing third place in the E3 class, helping the team achieve a 1-3 podium finish in round seven.
In the competitive E2 class, Andy Wilksch, recently recovered from injury, performed well on his RR 350 Racing, earning third place in class for round seven and fifth outright.
Ebony Nielsen fought hard in the EW class, winning a test and alternating between second and third place, narrowly missing the podium by just three seconds, finishing fourth.
Sunday’s round eight saw riders back among the dust and more ruts after Saturday’s action, with nine tests in another timecard format.
Following his class win on Saturday, Dickson raced neck-and-neck with the top three E3 riders all day, finishing in 2nd place and securing his lead in the E3 class.
Wilksch rode consistently, again taking 3rd place in the E2 class and improving his overall placement to finish 4th outright for round eight, now sitting 4th in the E2 championship standings.
Higlett faced a derailed chain in the second test on Sunday, pushing his results back to finish 5th in the E3 class.
Nielsen came out strong for round eight, securing 3rd place in the EW class and earning a podium spot. She heads back to the track next weekend for the final round of the Australian Hard Enduro Championship, while the rest of the team has a month off before rounds nine and ten of the Australian Off-Road Championship in Kingston, South Australia.
“It was a solid weekend with the class win for RD7. I had a few tip-overs on Sunday which cost me some time, ending up in 2nd place for RD8. The conditions were treacherous, so I was happy to make it out in one piece and with solid points towards the championship,” said Jye Dickson.
“I was super happy to walk away with my first double podium for the year this weekend and to battle towards the front of the outright riders. It was great to show just how competitive the Beta RR 350 Racing is,” said Andy Wilksch.
