Divisional Trial Event Recap
Beta USA hosted its first-ever Divisional Trial Event on Sunday, October 18th, at the historic Donner Ski Ranch in Norden, California. With Three-Time AMA National Trials Champion Scott Head serving as Grand Marshal, the inaugural event drew an exceptional turnout, delivering a weekend of intense competition, camaraderie, and an overwhelmingly positive response from the trials community.
The event debuted a revolutionary, classless format designed to level the playing field from Novice to Pro. Participants praised the new scoring system for being refreshingly straightforward and uncomplicated. Rather than navigating rigid, mandatory lines, riders were given the freedom and creativity to choose their own paths, attempting to clear up to five optional gates per section to rack up points.
Because the format allowed riders to ride within their own comfort and skill levels without the pressure of a single high-risk line, the competition naturally emphasized individual strategy. A notable highlight of this new system was that no minders were needed to spot riders on the course, further simplifying the experience and stripping the competition down to pure riding ability.
The course design was a massive hit among the competitors. Because it was built with 1980s-style sections in mind, participants widely agreed that the flow of the sections was among the absolute best of any trials event they had ever attended. Once the dust settled, riders were grouped into final divisions based on their confidential scores, granting competitors in every tier a legitimate shot at the podium and their share of the $6,000 prize purse.
Tim Pilg of Beta USA stated, “This has been in the making for more than three years. With the help of the Cullins family and others involved in the sport, we have tweaked the rules here and there with the focus on an event that we feel will invite new riders to the sport of trial. This trial was a test to see how the trial community felt, and it was an overwhelming success! We plan on putting together a Divisional Trial series across the USA beginning in 2027. One thing we all learned with this format is that the level of competition and the points spread are extremely close! I look forward to the future of our beloved sport.”
Final Results
*Tiebreaker was the total time it took participants to complete all three loops.
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