The 50th Anniversary of the Ute Cup was hosted by the Rocky Mountain Trials Association on August 15th and 16th in the Rio Grande National Forest. This trials event was a two-day test of rider and motorcycle reliability by riding 80 intermediate-advanced level sections over 120 miles of rough trail at 11,000-13,000 ft. Daily, as well as overall winners, were crowned on Sunday night after the event completed. Beta had an amazing weekend with several of the team riders finishing with top honors.
Saturday’s trial consisted of 32 miles of trail and 20 sections ridden twice in 8 hours. At the end of the day, seven riders emerged clean for the day. This included Beta riders Alexander Niederer (EVO 2-stroke), Cole Cullins (EVO 2-stroke), and Ray Peters (EVO 4-stroke). At the Ute Cup, all ties are broken by age. Saturday’s win was granted to the youngest of the seven, Beta Rider Cole Cullins. Saturday Beta Team finishes also included Drew Fortner (EVO 4-stroke) with 1 point, Blake Bronstein (EVO 4-stroke) with 3 points, Payden Campbell (EVO 4-stroke) with 4 points, Laura Peters (EVO 2-stroke), for placing second of the dozen female riders, with 22 points, and Rachel Campbell (EVO 2-stroke) coming in with 55 points in her first Ute Cup.
Sunday’s trial consisted of 28 miles of trail reaching 13,000 ft and 20 sections ridden twice in 8 hours. While the trail was shorter, harder sections and the high elevation terrain created a significantly more grueling and rough ride. At the end of the day, six riders emerged clean for the day, including Beta riders Alexander Niederer and Ray Peters.
The overall Ute Cup award is granted based on the cumulative rider score for the weekend. Five riders emerged with no points lost the entire weekend. Because the Ute Cup is focused on rider reliability, any ties are broken based on rider age. The 50th Anniversary Ute Cup was awarded to Beta Rider Ray Peters and Alexander Niederer was awarded the 4th spot. Cole Cullins had another solid day with 7 points. After a bit of trouble with one section on Sunday, Payden Campbell finished with 26 points for the weekend. Laura Peters held on to second place of the ladies with 41 points and Rachel Campbell finished her first Ute Cup with 117.
The Beta riders of the event would like to thank Beta USA for their support at this year’s Ute Cup by providing parts and service at the event.
