Slaw
It has been a rough start to the season for the Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing team. Through two rounds, it lost both its riders—Benny Bloss and Mitchell Oldenburg—due to injury and on Friday the team announced they were withdrawing from the remainder of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to focus on the 11 round Pro Motocross Championship and the end of the year three round SuperMotocross Playoffs.
While the original 2026 program included only a few select Pro Motocross appearances, the team will now contest the entire series for the first time in Beta’s history.
At the opening round of the Supercross Championship in Anaheim, Bloss sustained a broken wrist in a crash on press day. One week later, Oldenburg suffered a heavy crash in qualifying, resulting in a concussion and fractures to the radius and ulna in his left arm. Both riders have since undergone successful surgeries and are beginning their respective recovery processes.
“This is certainly not how we envisioned our 2026 Supercross season unfolding,” said Carlen Gardner, Race Team Director. “Both Benny and Mitchell showed incredible pace during the off-season, and to have them both sidelined so early is heartbreaking for the riders and the crew. However, we are turning this setback into an opportunity. By committing to the full Pro Motocross season, we are giving our riders the time they need to get back to 100% and giving our fans the chance to see Beta compete at every outdoor national.”
The 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship is set to kick off on May 30th at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
