McElrath joins Beta’s 450SX roster through 2028
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 27, 2026
McElrath joins Beta
Shane McElrath has joined Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing on a two-year contract, giving Beta a new rider for its 450SX effort and adding him to the team’s 450SMX roster for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. He will race the Factory Beta RX 450F in 450SX and line up alongside Benny Bloss as Beta continues to build out its premier-class program. McElrath will make his debut with the team in the first round of the SMX Playoffs in Columbus, Ohio. The move comes after his split from Quad Lock Honda, and it gives Beta a rider with a strong record in both Supercross and Pro Motocross. The signing also extends McElrath’s career into a new setting after several seasons of steady results and championship-level experience. Beta USA framed the deal as part of a broader push to strengthen its factory roster, and McElrath enters the program with a clear role. He arrives as a proven main-event rider who can contribute right away and help the team’s 450-class plans over the next two seasons.
McElrath’s recent results
McElrath arrives at Beta after a 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season that showed both consistency and speed. He qualified for all 17 main events and finished with five top-10 results. His best finish came with a sixth-place ride in Philadelphia. That run gave him a full season of main-event starts and a steady points profile, which matters for any team looking to deepen its 450 lineup. The results also fit the track record McElrath has built since turning professional in 2013. He grew up in Canton, North Carolina, and has put together a career that includes multiple AMA Pro Motocross and Supercross wins. He is a two-time FIM World Supercross Champion, with SX2 titles in 2022 and 2024, and he finished runner-up in AMA 250SX three times, in 2015, 2017 and 2020. That blend of title success, podium-level contention and main-event consistency gives Beta a rider with a broad résumé and a long view of the sport. His experience also stretches across different machinery and levels of competition, which helps explain why the team values him as both a racer and a technical contributor.
Beta’s build
Team director Carlen Gardner said McElrath’s experience, championship mindset and bike-development knowledge will help build the team’s program over the next two seasons. That kind of profile fits what factory teams want from a veteran addition. McElrath has already shown he can qualify, finish and score at a high level across a full Supercross calendar, and he has earned results in both the 450 and 250 classes. For Beta, the signing gives the program another established name in a category where every small gain matters. For McElrath, it creates a fresh start with a factory effort that expects him to contribute immediately and stay with the team through the 2028 seasons. The pairing with Bloss gives Beta two riders who can feed information back to the crew and help move the project forward. The debut in Columbus will offer the first look at how McElrath fits the bike and the team structure, but the longer-term picture is what stands out. Beta wants progress in the 450 class. McElrath brings a record of wins, a pair of world titles and the sort of race experience that can support that push.
