Ryan Beat will return to his native Southern California to compete in off-road vans, however on pavement as a substitute of what he’s used to. On Saturday, Beat confirmed his entry for the Stadium Tremendous Vans‘ season opener on the Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside on 14–16 April.
Beat made his SST début in 2019 at Circuit of the Americas because the Continental Tire flagship truck’s inaugural driver, the place he scored a podium within the first race adopted by a sixth in the second. He didn’t race within the collection once more over the following three years as he centered on growing his quick course off-road programme Ryan Beat Motorsports which has competed within the Lucas Oil Off Street Racing Sequence and Championship Off-Street. In 2022, R/BM driver Gray Leadbetter received the COR Pro SPEC title to develop into the primary feminine champion in collection historical past. Beat helped design the Professional SPEC vans for two-wheel-drive vans with sure components frozen from modification.
Throughout a bye week for COR in August 2022, Beat returned to SST for the Music Metropolis Grand Prix at Nashville. After ending fourth within the first race, he duelled with the leaders in Race #2 earlier than being caught in a wreck that prompted Cleetus McFarland to roll onto his aspect. A damaged axle knocked him out of the race and he as categorised eighth.
“It’s one of the crucial wild issues i’ve ever carried out,” Beat described SST in an Instagram comment. “The vans are loopy to drive.”
Apart from working a crew, Beat races for R/BM within the Professional 2 class and completed ninth within the 2022 COR standings. He received the 2018 and 2019 LOORRS Professional Lite championships earlier than transferring as much as Professional 2. Fellow Professional 2 colleagues Jerett Brooks and Cory Winner additionally raced in SST in 2022, with Brooks winning at Long Beach the year before.
Whereas a full entry listing has not been launched, different non-regular drivers who’ve declared they are going to race at Lengthy Seaside embrace newcomers Trey Hernquist and Joshua Thomas. Defending champion Gavin Harlien, Ben Maier, and Shaun Richardson additionally intend to participate relying on sponsorship.
