DENVER, N.C. — This year’s Championship Off-Road lineup for Ryan Beat Motorsports (R/BM) will include both team owner and driver Ryan Beat, as well as side-by-side standout Gray Leadbetter.
Beat will lead the way in the No. 51 Bilstein Chevrolet Silverado in the PRO2 class. Leadbetter is new to the team and at 17 years old, she will be driving the No. 28 Bilstein Chevrolet Colorado in the PRO-SPEC class.
This marks Leadbetter’s foray into full-time, off-road competition.
“I can’t thank Ryan Beat Motorsports and Chevrolet enough for this opportunity,” Leadbetter said. “I have a lot to learn, but I know I have one of the best coaches in Ryan. The R/BM team has been working hard in the off-season, and Chevy has provided us with a super-fast race truck, so I’m confident we can go out there and be competitive. I think the key will be to take one lap at a time, one race at a time. I’m thankful to have partners like Bilstein, Lucas Oil, Toyo Tires, ReadyWise and Vision Wheel on board this year and want to make them proud.”
Leadbetter began racing arenacross at five years old and quickly moved into karts, followed by UTVs and Mini-Outlaw Sprints.
In 2019, she signed with Dreyer-Reinbold Racing to drive in the American Rallycross series as the youngest driver at age 14. In 2020, she made history as the youngest driver and first woman to win a Championship Off-Road SXS race.
In addition to R/BM driving duties, Leadbetter will pilot the No. 28 ReadyWise sprint car in over 20 races this year.
“It’s been a busy off-season for R/BM,” Beat said. “We’ve added two new programs to our lineup, with Gray being relatively new to the series. Gray has done well in a short course side-by-side, and I’m excited to partner with Chevrolet and work with her as she transitions to a full-size truck. I think we can expect a lot of great things from her this year.”
R/BM is the only Chevrolet OEM factory-backed team in the Championship Off-Road Series, fielding a total of five trucks.
In addition to Beat and Leadbetter, R/BM will prepare three trucks in the PRO-LITE class for drivers Carson Parrish (No. 8), Mason Prater (No. 50) and newcomer Brody Eggleston (No. 14).
In 2021, the team moved its facility from California to North Carolina to assist with the team’s expansion.
“Looking in the shop and seeing the lineup of Chevrolet trucks is surreal,” Beat continued. “We are fortunate to have some great partners like Chevrolet, Bilstein, Lucas Oil, Toyo Tire, Vision Wheel and so many others that have helped us build on our success year after year. We’re also excited to welcome ReadyWise to the fold this year. They will be one of the primary sponsors on Gray’s truck and will appear on the No. 51.
“Our goal this year is simple. We want to race for wins and championships, and I think we have the team, equipment and partners to do that.”
All five teams are slated to run all six stops — 12 rounds — of the Championship Off-Road season.