The Tennessee Knockout was a great event. The race is made up of 4 stages, which the riders have to survive in order to do well. The hot and humid conditions added to that challenge. Beta Racing took a couple podium finishes with Herrera coming in third and Rachel Gutish winning the women’s class. Gerston rode well all day but made a couple mistakes early on that pushed him back. Ron Commo had an issue on a hill climb that cost him multiple spots during the race. But overall, a successful showing for Beta Racing at the TKO.
Factory Team Rider Results:
Ben Herrera
Pro Class Rachel Gutish
Women’s Pro Max Gerston
Pro Class
Ron Commo
Pro Class
3rd 1st
6th 13th
Bejamin Herrera
300 RR Race Edition
“The race was really good. I felt good from the beginning of the day because I walked the track days before the race. Which helped me remember the track. On the hot lap and the first knock out, I got third. On the second knockout, I won my row. In the main race, I just tried to manage the heat and stamina. It was a very physically demanding event because it was four races in one day and the weather was hot. I’m really happy with the third place finish since this is an important race. I was happy with the bike and how the mechanics and the team worked together in this race. We did a great job and had a really good set up on the bike, so I’m pretty happy!”
Rachel Gutish
200 RR Race Edition
“I am beyond excited to have won the AMA Extreme Off-Road title for the second year in a row! The Tennessee Knock-Out is one of my favorite events of the season. I’m undefeated there. There’s a very unique pressure that comes with being undefeated anywhere, and with an AMA number one plate on the line, plus the competition and courses getting gnarlier and gnarlier… I’ll just say I’m glad I kept the streak alive another year. I can’t thank Beta enough for all of their support, and I truly believe the 200 is the best extreme bike out there!”
Max Gerston
300 RR Race Edition
“TKO turned out to be awesome conditions this year. After some rains the week before, the track was slick enough to make it very difficult, but not super muddy. I got off to a great start with consistent top 4 finishes in the first three races, I won my 5 man qualifier in TKO 2 and felt good for the main. After some big mistakes on lap one, I had to play catch-up. I worked hard and never stopped, I just kept moving forward and was able to slowly pick off the field. I rounded out a 6th in the main. Although I feel I rode better than a 6th, I had fun and enjoyed my time out there. I am looking forward to the next one.”
Ron Commo
300 RR Race Edition
“TKO was a great race unfortunately my results were not. I just paced myself in the 1st knockout. I ended up 8th because I was trying to conserve energy for the 2nd knockout. I was on a row with Benjamin for the 2nd knockout. We both had a good start. I led him into the woods where I clipped a tree at speed and face planted into it. After that, I hopped in behind Benji and cruised to the end, finishing 2nd. That put me on row 2 for the final. During the final, I got a pretty bad start around 10th which was difficult to work my way through. I made a few mistakes which took a lot of the very little energy I had left. On the final lap, I made a crucial mistake on a hill climb that led to a bunch of guys getting past me. I ended up 13th. I’m very disappointed with that result because my bike was the best it’s been all season. I’m going to take this time off before Revlimiter and get my body dialed back in. Huge thanks to the team we really had a great weekend together. Looking forward to the rest of the season!”
