After overcoming a series of challenges Jed Beaton took control of the premier class, stamping his claim on the MX1 category with two wins from three motos at round two of the 2024 New Zealand Motocross Championship.
After a gastro bug hampered his first round at Rotorua, Beaton had been given some homework to take back across The Ditch by Altherm JCR Yamaha Manager Josh Coppins. He must be a diligent student because he came back over guns blazing at the South Otago Motorcycle Club-hosted event.
Hunting early leader Hamish Harwood down throughout the first moto, Beaton did not button off, passing his rival after a thrilling cat and mouse chase throughout the race to edge him out by 4.7 seconds.
A brake line failure on the sight lap for Moto 2 would be enough to send most riders into a tailspin but not Beaton. Having no front brake meant he took it easy into turn one to avoid crashing into anyone but after that, he was full noise on the gas.
Coppins described his eventual second place by just 1.3 seconds as a “championship performance,” in what was Beaton’s debut ride at the Balclutha track.
“Jed rode amazing considering he had no front brake for the whole race. I really salute him for that,” Coppins said.
A quick part replacement in the pits by hard-working Altherm JCR Yamaha MX1 bike mechanic Tamas Toth, saw Beaton come back out for Moto 3 with fully functioning brakes and fully fired up.
“I got off to not too bad of a start. It was really tight into the first corner and I had to be in front otherwise it got a little bit jammed up. I got around in fourth and made my way to second by the end of the first lap. I saw Hamish was in front and tried to track him down as fast as I could because I know he tries to go out as fast as he can. Once you’ve got that little gap, it’s hard to pull him back,” Beaton said.
He passed his main championship rival early on in the race and from then on it was the Jed Beaton show.
“Once I got into the lead, I could relax a little bit and ride my own race,” Beaton continued, “It felt really good to be out in front again leading some laps. It gave me the overall for the weekend which I haven’t had for some time now, so it was good for the confidence.”
Beaton credited his win to his CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team and also Altherm JCR Yamaha for “all the effort they put in to help us come racing and make us perform at our best – they deserve it. It feels good to be giving back to Josh over here in New Zealand.”
Coppins was thrilled with Beaton’s efforts.
“I asked Jed to be the best that he can and show fight and work hard and he did that. Full credit to Jed and we really appreciate his efforts and the trust from CDR Yamaha in Australia to loan him to us to fill in for Maximus [Purvis],” he says.
“It’s been a good fit for him and us. Jed’s only 8 points off the lead now and I feel like we’re just getting started.”
Round three is set for Pukekohe on March 23, with the fourth and final round scheduled for New Plymouth on April 13.
Coppins vows to put the three-week break to good use.
“We are in it and we need to work hard and stay focused for the next round especially if we want to put ourselves in a good position heading into the final round,” he says.
“I’d also like to thank the South Otago Motorcycle Club for doing a great job with the track and also expess our gratitute to all our Yamaha supporters who came along to the track to cheer the team on,” Coppins concluded.
NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND TWO RESULTS:
MX1
1st Jed Beaton – 72 Points
2nd Hamish Harwood – 69 Points
3rd Hayden Smith – 58 Points
MX2
1st Cody Cooper – 72 Points
2nd Caleb Ward – 63 Points
3rd James Scott – 62 Points
MX125
1st Reuben Smith – 75 Points
2nd Seth Morrow – 64 Points
3rd Wills Harvey – 58 Points
NZMX CHAMPIONSHIP OVERALL RESULTS (R1 & R2):
MX1
1st Hamish Harwood – 141 Points
2nd Jed Beaton – 133 Points
3rd Jack Treloar – 112 Points
MX2
1st Cody Cooper – 135 Points
2nd James Scott – 131 Points
3rd Caleb Ward – 128 Points
MX125
1st Reuben Smith – 132 Points
2nd Wills Harvey – 130 Points
3rd Seth Morrow – 127 Points
