COMPARISON

BETA VS FANTIC ITALIAN STALLIONS

During the long 1988 FIM World Trials Championship season, it would be challenging to find a winner, event after event, and predict who would arrive after the final event as the victor. It was not just a competition about the riders but also about the machines they were riding and developing to be at the cutting edge of the sport and pick up the ultimate accolade of world champion. The machines were prepared by Italian technicians in Italy; the first built-in Barzago, Brianza and the second in Rignano sull’Arno, close to Firenze. The two machines chosen to fight for the title were the Fantic 303 series 2 versus the Beta TR34. The technician and rider for Fantic would be Dario Seregni and Donato Miglio, and for Beta, it would be Fabio Viscardi and Jordi Tarres. As a mark of respect, we also remember the technician-and-rider combination who were developing the Aprilia TX 312. Ettore Baldini was the technician, and Diego Bosis was the rider, who both passed away well before their time.

ITALIAN STALLIONS

The Fantic 303 and Beta TR34 were the second-generation models after their launch in 1987. Moving into 1988, they were the evolution of two proven motorcycles. Machines coming from Italian manufacturers were leading the way in development, and rider skills from both Michaud and Tarres pushed the boundaries of the sport into a new era.

The 1988 FIM World Trials Championship would turn into a titanic battle between the French rider Thierry Michaud (Fantic) and Spain’s new trials superstar Jordi Tarres (Beta), which would go all the way to the final of the twelve rounds, held in Poland.

Thierry Michaud was loyal to Fantic after its troubled years in the mid-80s and had given them world titles in 1985 and 1986 on the new generation single-shock model. On the other hand, Jordi Tarres was the new superstar, with one focus for him and the Beta: the world championship.

In 1987, he was on fire with his dynamic riding — he and the Beta won seven of the 12 rounds as Diego Bosis on the Aprilia pushed Michaud onto the podium’s final step. Fantic were on a mission in 1988 as Donato Miglio joined both Michaud and Great Britain’s Steve Saunders in the factory team.

Fantic 303 series 2.

FANTIC

A machine titled the Series 2, the Fantic 303 varied quite a lot from the standard model. It had been the subject of modifications to the chassis, the suspension and its linkage arrangement. The Fantic front forks featured a new suspension arrangement with a spring on one side and a hydraulic operation on the other to optimise the rider setup, making for much finer adjustments.

At the rear, the single shock absorber had an external cylinder to control the settings connected via a hose for easy access on the frame, located on the right-hand side front down tube. In addition, it was now easier to change the footrest position with bolt-on hangers located into elongated slots, allowing them to be moved both back and downwards.

Believe it or not, the engine was also very adjustable by a series of three different weights for the flywheel, which would change the engine response. Nevertheless, 1987 had finished with the red 303 winning the last world round in Michaud’s hands, backed up by Saunders, who finished the world championship in fourth position.

In 1988 a new development engineer, Dario Seregni, arrived from Garelli with their rider Donato Miglio; the Italian manufacturer had closed its doors on the trials project. He had started with the now-defunct SWM team before he moved to Garelli and knew what was needed in a trials machine to make it perform at its very best.

1988 was a winning year for Fantic and for the 303 model.

Dario Seregni came to Fantic in the autumn of 1987.

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1988 – France: Thierry Michaud, with his brother Fred on minding duties. 1988 – Belgium: The food of champions, Belgian Waffles.

Dario Seregni: “I came to Fantic in the autumn of 1987 and, along with the other people in the competition department, worked to develop 303 with ideas intended for the next model, the 305. We introduced the engine to reed valve induction and fabricated an entirely new exhaust system. We opened up the final torpedo-type silencer fitted, fabricated it in aluminium and repositioned it. We revised and reduced the middlebox, which allowed us to lower the running temperatures and reclaim the space to almost double the volume of the air filter box.

“On the front suspension, we used the new ‘Reverse Control’ technology, which would also be used on the 1989 305 production models, but we wanted to fine-tune it first. To soften the rear shock absorber, a progressive linkage was fitted. In addition, we used an aluminium swingarm instead of the steel one on the production model.

“We allowed the three riders to play with the steering head angle, engine position and swinging arm lengths to suit their individual riding styles. Donato and I worked hard to develop the Fantic, and, living just two hours from each other, we could try different parts before we passed them on to Michaud and Saunders to try. Thierry was a little jealous and doubted that the machines were the same, thinking we held some developments back, but I can confirm everyone enjoyed the same treatment.”

Donato Miglio: “1988 was the winning year for Fantic and the 303. I had ridden the Garelli in 1987 and had watched the new Fantic being developed, so I knew it would be good!

“The 303 had a good engine, but the chassis needed some work before the beginning of the world championship to get a perfect combination with a further improved engine.

“I came from Garelli and a big engine — 321.53cc, to be exact. I always prefer to drive using torque more than power. For that reason, I used a Dell’orto carburettor with a minimised flywheel mass in order to have more reactivity and less inertia. A different solution from the one of Michaud, who preferred more inertia and a less aggressive response using a Mikuni carburettor. I loved riding the yellow Fantic and moved up into third place in the 1988 FIM World Trials Championship from my previous year’s tenth.”

Steve Saunders: “I arrived at Fantic off the back of my HRC Honda ride in 1987; I first used the older model before moving to the new red 303 series. It was good, but the new yellow 1988

1988 – Belgium: Donato knew that the 303 had a good engine but the chassis needed some work. 1988 – Belgium: Donato also used a Dell’Orto carburettor with a minimised flywheel mass in order to have more reactivity and less inertia.

model 303 series 2 was even better.

“When Dario Seregni arrived, we hit it off straight away and got on very well. He helped me with the machine setup, and Miglio, Michaud and I had our steering head angles altered to suit our riding styles, which, in truth, we were all quite different. I liked a strong, high-performing engine that would rev for the sky, and Dario knew how to give me the performance I wanted. Many of the older readers amongst you will have witnessed this when I blitzed everyone on a memorable day in Butser Lime Works on my way to winning the 1988 British world round; that Fantic was some rocket ship!”

BETA

Making its debut in 1987, the Beta TR34 started winning immediately, but was it the man or machine — or maybe a combination of both — that gave Jordi Tarres his first FIM World Championship crown? Upgrades in 1988 included modifications to the clutch and the aluminium rear subframe instead of the steel one, but the main improvements came from the exhaust system. Fabio Viscardi had joined Pedro Olle, and they both worked hard to give Tarres a good machine to defend his title on —

1987 – Belgium: Earlier in the trial Steve had wrecked his new Fantic Series 1 after coming back down the big step at Bilstein as the machine lost traction on the ice.

For Fabio Viscardi, seen here in 2021, the TR34 was a product that was the fulfilment of a project that had begun with the Beta 240 model.

the TR34 was a very important model for Beta as it established itself on the world trials stage.

Fabio Viscardi: “The TR34 was a product that was the fulfilment of a project that had begun with the Beta 240 model, the first trial motorcycle from this passionate Italian company. They were beautiful years; we worked in a pleasant environment in Rignano. During the competitions, there was an exchange of views between the technicians from each manufacturer.

“In 1987, Jordi won his first of many FIM World Championship titles, which gave him so much popularity, both for himself and trials in Spain. Thanks to him and his exposure, the sport of motorcycle trials became much more popular, and the sponsorship commitments increased. Television and promotional schedules with sponsors gave value to that success, but it also took up a lot of his valuable training and testing time. Maybe the 1988 season began a little bit subdued because Jordi complained that the motorcycle wasn’t as good as the 1987-winning Beta after some differences were made to the exhaust system; it changed its engine and performance characteristics. It hadn’t had many major changes; a heavier flywheel mass was fitted and a new 26mm Mikuni carburettor, suspension settings dedicated to his riding style and a modified clutch in order to cope with the stress of a world championship rider. Floating disc brakes were fitted using a new material for better friction and produced by Brembo instead of Grimeca’s standard callipers. We also added many titanium fasteners to help to reduce the weight.”

Jordi Tarres: “I haven’t any good memories from 1987 [as he bursts out laughing]. I remember the good feelings of winning in 1987 when we had a motorcycle that was doing well.

“In 1988, Beta modified the exhaust system, changing it with one with an integrated silencer to make it more beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, until the middle of the championship, we couldn’t obtain the same results as the year before. Despite several tests, we didn’t understand the reason why the performance of the Beta didn’t add up. One day we cut open a silencer, and we noticed that the exhaust, when fitted, pressed the internal aluminium tube inside, obstructing the clear passage of the escaping gas. After finding out the cause, we worked with Pedro Olle and Fabio Viscardi on building a system that was a match between the one of 1987 and the one of 1988. Once again, I found the consistent performance, and at

On the Fantic 303 the footrests are at a higher level compared to a modern machine.

This Fantic 303 model hasn’t much flywheel and this gives a quicker reaction with less vibration. The Beta is so much more agile in all areas of the chassis performance.

Weight difference is 5kg with the lighter the Beta at 85kg despite the huge exhaust system.

the end of the championship, we were on the same points as Michaud before the last event in Poland, which he won, and with it, he won the championship back. From that moment on, I learned that the details and the performance of the motorcycles are important, and I treasured these thoughts in the following years of my career. I paid more attention to the development of the Beta, and from 1988 to 1992, my last year on Beta, I used the same solution on the exhaust system adopted from the TR34 of 1987.”

Christian Valeri: “More stories came to life concerning that period with Jordi Tarres and Fabio Viscardi, stories described during a dinner in Spain. Seated close to Tarres, Viscardi told him that all he had wanted to do in 1987 was win, which gave him the right energy to achieve success and gain the title for Beta in the last race over Michaud.

“Fabio also revealed that in 1988 Jordi had become aware of the Beta Zero project and in 1989 pushed for riding the new water-cooled machine from the beginning of the season. He began the championship with the Beta TR34, and, after two events, he finished fourth in Great Britain and sixth in Northern Ireland. After that, he took the Beta Zero to its maiden win in front of a home Italian crowd. From that success in Ciocco and, in the next nine races, he didn’t leave the top step of the podium and won the title back, one he would hold until 1991.”

In 1988 Beta modified the exhaust system, changing it with one with an integrated silencer to make it more beautiful to look at.

On the Fantic the bolt-on hangers located into elongated slots allowed the footrests to be moved both back and downwards.

COMPARISON – CHRISTIAN VALERI

“In this comparison, both the Fantic 303 series and Beta TR34 are standard production motorcycles. On the Fantic 303, the footrests are higher than a modern machine and the Beta TR34. Both machines are equipped with Dell’Orto carburettors. The weight difference is 5kg, with the lighter being the Beta at 85kg, an advantage found when riding as the Beta shines for agility though Fantic has a more powerful engine.

“The 303 hasn’t much flywheel, and this gives a quicker reaction with less vibration, but, on the other hand, the Beta presents a pleasant linear torque. As Viscardi said, the perfect result for the engine was born as a 125cc and increased to a 260cc had been reached many years later in the Techno model.

“The Fantic has a longer standard gear, and using first, it is possible to face several obstacles. In contrast, the Beta prefers the higher second gear. The clutch of the 303 drags a little bit when stressed and under hard use and is quite heavy in its action, whereas the TR34 functioned very well at all times. Talking about suspension, they both absorb everything you throw at them, but the forks of the Fantic offer more travel than the Beta ones. The Fantic holds the line well in a section, but the Beta is so much more agile in all areas of the chassis performance.

“Both have disc brakes at the front and the rear, but in 1989 they chose a floating front disk that reduced the lever effort and improved the performance. The braking performance of the Fantic is good on the rear wheel, while on the front, the standard version is a hydraulic pump found at the back of the headstock with a mixed wire/hydraulic system; the performance is extremely limited. The Beta uses a hydraulic system with a Brembo master cylinder on the handlebar and, by far, superior.

“That is a small history of both machines, with a little test where we talk about the streamlined Beta TR34 and the massive Fantic 303 Series 2, about men that worked with them and challenged for memorable successes.”

A certain Christian Valeri also lived the stories above. Following in his father’s passion for motorcycles, he fell in love with trials as a child when he witnessed for his first time, as a spectator, the challenge between Miglio and Bosis, where Miglio won the 1988 Italian Championship on 4th September 1988. His first motorcycle was a Beta TR34 50cc, and for several years his father had been riding a Fantic 303 Series 2.

Fantic’s front forks featured a new suspension arrangement with a spring on one side and a hydraulic operation on the other. This Fantic has a longer standard gear and it is possible to face several obstacles using first.