Beta

Beta
Participation Information
Comedy Central Seasons	Season 5.0 (Withdrew)
Reboot Seasons	World Championship I (Withdrew) World Championship II World Championship V World Championship VI (Withdrew) World Championship VII
Other Events	BattleBots: Bounty Hunters BattleBots: Champions II
Other Names	BETA βeta beta
Team Information
Team	Team Hurtz (formerly Team Robo Challenge)
Team Members	John Reid (Captain) Dominic Parkinson (Season 5.0) George Francis (Season 5.0) Dave Moulds (WC I) Grant Cooper (WC II) Gabriel Stroud (WC V) Alan Cannon (WC V) Jason Marston (WC VII-Present) Andy Hibberd (WC VII-Present) Iona Parkinson (Comedy Central) Miranda Parkinson (Comedy Central) Gillie Blood (Comedy Central) Iona Foster (Comedy Central) Robert Kennett (Comedy Central)
From	Oxfordshire, UK
Other Entries	KillerHurtz, TerrorHurtz
Associated Robots	Cobalt, Gigabyte (Dave Moulds) Quantum (Grant Cooper) Sabretooth (Alan Cannon, Gabriel Stroud) DUCK! (Gabriel Stroud)
Robot Statistics
Weight	250lbs (WC I-Present) 219lbs (Season 5.0)
Top Speed	12mph (WC I-Present) 8mph (Season 5.0)
Power	12S LiPo batteries 3Ah NiCad BattlePacks (Season 5.0)
Drive	2x Maytech 6880 brushless motors (WC VII-Present) 2x 48v Bosch DC motors (WC I-BB: Bounty Hunters) 2x 36V Magmotor S28-200 motors (Season 5.0)
Weapons	Hammer
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"There are a lot of vicious weapons in BattleBots - spinners, drums - but they all come in from the side. What's different about Beta is we come in from the top. It's very rare, people aren't expecting that, so people don't put a whole lot of armor on the top, it's all on the sides. So if we can hit it on the top, we can kill them with a good hit."

— John Reid during World Championship II

Beta (pronounced bee-tah and sometimes stylized as βeta, beta or BETA) is a heavyweight robot built by John Reid of Team Hurtz, which originally intended to compete in Season 5.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots, but had to withdraw. It also had to pull out of World Championship I, but returned for World Championship II, V and most recently, World Championship VII.

Built to replace KillerHurtz after Season 4.0, the original build of Beta sported an 11kg (~24.2lb) aluminum alloy hammer head, notably including neodymium-iron-boron magnets proving approximately 400kg of downforce. The robot was armored in 25mm LexGard polycarbonate with 5mm stainless steel corner armor plates.

Joined by long-term teammate Dominic Parkinson as well as two-time Robot Wars champion George Francis of Chaos 2 fame, the original build of Beta showed up in a finished state to compete in the Season 5.0 heavyweight division. However, as its magnets pulled the floor panels up, Beta could not move under its own power in the BattleBots test box. Team Hurtz were forced to withdraw and intended to remedy this ahead of the next competition, but the show was canceled after Season 5.0.

Beta returned for World Championship I on ABC, with John Reid being assisted by Dave Moulds of Team Carbide, who would later enter Cobalt under his own team. Multiple changes had been made to Beta in order to bring it up-to-date, including a new hammer arm which was bent so it could strike opponents even when mid-air and a suction fan system to replace the magnets. Its sloped armor was made from laser-cut, 5mm thick HARDOX 450 and 8mm polycarbonate top armor. Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts to get it working, they were forced to forfeit their first match. This was due to American Airlines losing a 25kg bag of important parts for Beta on its way to San Francisco. The bag contained Beta's custom weapon controller, wiring harness, armor mounting, wheel bearings, chargers and more, but was eventually found eight weeks later.

When Beta returned again for World Championship II, it finally worked as intended, allowing it to demonstrate its electrically-driven hammer to devastating effect. The weapon's quick fire rate, self-righting capability, and damage output quickly made Beta a crowd favorite. Joined by Grant Cooper of Team Robo Challenge - who assisted with weapon operations and repairs - Beta reached the quarter-finals of the main competition, losing a close duel with Tombstone at that stage after receiving serious damage to its armor and weapon mount.

In 2018, John Reid looked to redesign his electrically-powered hammerbot. However, Beta did not return for either of the next two seasons, instead competing in the Chinese show King of Bots where John Reid helped out his old rival Gabriel Stroud with his flipper bot Tánshè. He later formed part of Team Black and Blue as they entered DUCK! for the 2019 competition. Similarly, Grant Cooper split off to compete with Quantum under the Team Robo Challenge name.

Beta during World Championship V hero shots.

For World Championship V, Beta was upgraded with help from his team from Tánshè, using a new shorter hammer powered by nitrogen for more power, four-wheel driven with two of the wheels being behind the hammer, and different armor configurations. Team Hurtz cited weight as the primary reason for switching Beta's hammer from being electrically-powered to utilising a pneumatic system.

"The pneumatic mechanism is lighter and about three times the power. With the available weight we can add magnets to make use of the extra power. Another advantage is that you don't need a heavy hammer on a long arm, which really hurt the manoeuvrability of electric Beta."

— John Reid explains the switch in February 2024

Although its weapon showed a lot of power, John Reid often held back too much to save it and it often cost Beta points, especially in the main tournament. While Beta did go unbeaten in the fight cards, it was viciously disposed of in the Round of 32 against Ribbot.

Returning as a Bounty boss for BattleBots: Bounty Hunters, Beta lost its only fight in disappointing fashion to Lock-Jaw.

Beta was initially confirmed to have been accepted for World Championship VI, though Gabriel Stroud would not have been on the team as he intended to compete with Sabretooth. Both Beta and Sabretooth were forced to drop out of the competition due to NIE Visas being denied by the US State Department - an issue which affected many international teams for the 2021 competition.

Beta during World Championship VII hero shots.

On September 25, 2022, Team Hurtz revealed via a Facebook post their selection for World Championship VII with Beta, confirming its return to the show. This was later backed up by BattleBots, who ranked Beta #29 in their Pre-Season Power Rankings ahead of the competition. Beta underwent an array of changes ahead of the season, chief among which included the switch to brushless drive motors, saving the team just over 14lbs. Inspired by new team member Jason Marston's heavyweight robot Thor, Beta has a brand new bladed hammer made from 10mm AR500 steel which hits similar to John Reid's Robot Wars machine, Terrorhurtz. Beta's season began with consecutive wins over Kraken and Shatter! but lost its third fight to Black Dragon. Beta's qualifying rounds were rounded off with a dominant win over Bloodsport as Beta finished with a 3-1 record. John Reid's team entered the tournament, but fell to Whiplash after becoming immobile on the Upper Deck.

Beta also competed in BattleBots: Champions II, where it entered the third Sin City Slugfest bracket. It dominated rookie Double Tap in the opening round, but fell to bracket winner Free Shipping in the semi-finals.

Beta with its slim hammer in the Test Box during World Championship VII.

CAD of Beta in 2018.

Inside Beta during World Championship II.

Beta in the arena for World Championship II.

Beta with its unpainted HARDOX wedge in 2015.

CAD of Beta in 2015.

CAD of Beta's interior.

Beta in The Pits during Season 5.0.

Dominic Parkinson showing the power of Beta's magnets during Season 5.0.

John Reid and George Francis with Beta in The Pits of Season 5.0.

CAD of the original Beta, dated August 2002.

Outside BattleBots

A near-identical build of the World Championship II Beta also appeared in the unaired pilot episode of Robot Wars Series 8 under the name Basher. John Reid and Team Hurtz would compete in the entire rebooted run with Beta's predecessor, TerrorHurtz, which had previously finished fourth overall in Series 6 of the classic series.

Beta was present at RoboNerd 2023 as a static display.

For more information on the team's involvement in Robot Wars, see here.

Beta at a 2015 UK live event.

Beta as Basher during the unaired 2016 Robot Wars pilot.

Basher with Robot Wars crew members.

A deconstructed Beta at RoboNerd 2018.

A deconstructed Beta at RoboNerd 2023.

Robot History

Season 5.0
Beta vs. Bender (Forfeit) Beta in the test box. Beta was meant to fight Bender in its first ever match, but failed to move under its own power and thus forfeited the fight. Bender won by default and Beta was eliminated from the tournament.
World Championship I
Beta vs. Tombstone (Forfeit) Dave Moulds working on Beta during World Championship I. Beta returned to BattleBots for World Championship I, and was scheduled to battle Tombstone. However, due to technical issues, they were forced to forfeit. Beta during World Championship I. Beta was replaced in the competition by alternate Counter Revolution.
World Championship II
Beta vs. Lucky "I designed Beta for BattleBots, fourteen years ago. Took me a long time, gradually developing it to get it working properly. So Beta has never got a chance to fight, it's been sitting on my coffee table for fourteen years, waiting for this moment..." — John Reid in the lead-up to Beta's long-awaited debut during World Championship II Beta's first match in the 2016 competition came against Lucky. Before getting into the BattleBox, Beta fell off the trolley and landed on the entrance ramp. Luckily, this caused no damage to Beta ahead of the fight. Beta is overturned by Lucky, Both robots exited their starting squares but Beta proved itself to be the early aggressor, landing a glancing blow which was enough to dislodge part of its shock absorbing armor. Beta dealt a shot to Lucky's front wedge, but was quickly flipped as the Canadian robot retaliated. Just as swiftly, Beta used its hammer to self-right. Lucky's flipper becomes stuck in the upright position. Following this flip, Lucky's primary weapon appeared to be locked in position and was therefore vulnerable to further hammer blows. After a single hit, however, Lucky's flipper reset and driver Gary Gin drove under the front plow of Beta, lining it up for another flip. Lucky was again slow to reset its flipper and Beta attempted to capitalize, but unbalanced and tipped itself over instead. Beta recovered again but Lucky's weapon was now totally out of action. "Lucky looking like a coiled cobra prancing around the BattleBox... and that launcher is definitely stuck. Essentially they are a wedgebot now." — Kenny Florian as Beta narrowly misses two hammer shots Lucky takes a hammer shot as it rams Beta into the wall. Beta lined itself up again, but twice missed its target. Lucky was able to use its drive power to ram John Reid's robot back into the wall, in an attack which also appeared to reset its primary weapon once more. Lucky continued to push back, throwing Beta through the air as the fight approached the final minute. Lucky mistimes a flip. Sparks flew as Beta's mallet made contact with Lucky's flipper panel, and then it was the turn of Mark Demers' robot to mistime an attack with its primary weapon. Lucky's flipper again struggled to retract but eventually reset. As it drove Beta back, the hammerbot flailed its weapon in an attempt to disrupt Lucky's charge. This proved effective as Lucky lacked the leverage to throw Beta into the Lexan wall. Beta lands a late flurry of blows. Now in the final thirty seconds, both robots exchanged misses with their respective weapons. Lucky landed one final flip, which forced Beta to self-right. Not to be outdone, Beta struck Lucky twice in the closing seconds to leave a lasting impression on the judges. Beta won a unanimous judges' decision, advancing to the Round of 32 with its No.9 seeding.
Beta vs. Overhaul Advancing in the tournament, Beta fought the No.24 seed, Charles Guan and Overhaul. Beta swings and misses, flipping itself over in the process. Both robots charged towards the center of the arena to start, then swinging around to face one another and meet head on. Beta opted against firing its hammer, instead forcing Overhaul to retreat towards the blue square. The early aggressor, the No.9 seed hunted Overhaul down before attempting to strike with its weapon. Beta missed, however, and threw itself over. Beta quickly recovered but Overhaul fought back, ramming the British robot into the housing of the screws. Unaffected, Beta drove away as Overhaul's right lifting fork now sat higher than its left, causing Charles Guan's robot to ride over Beta's large wraparound wedge and suffer a blow from overhead. Beta landed a second hit but missed with its next two, flipping itself over again with the latter. Overhaul grapples Beta. Overhaul waited patiently for Beta to self-right before grabbing it from the left side and driving it into the inactive row of screws. Soon after, Beta got under the front of Overhaul again and pinned it against the arena wall, landing several hits with its hammer until Overhaul squirreled away. "Beta dodged a bullet there, Chris. Here he goes... OHH!" — Kenny Florian as Overhaul releases and is then hit by Beta Beta attacks a struggling Overhaul. Approaching the halfway mark, Overhaul continued to be chased by Beta, allowing the Team Hurtz machine to misfire its hammer and try to capitalize on it when inverted. Beta was not upside-down for long, however, as it promptly recovered once more and returned to landing blows. Parts began to fall off Overhaul as it eventually lay immobile in the corner - its drive switch and battery box fatally damaged. Beta celebrates a dominant display. A count began, but Beta's continued attacks as the clock ticked down prevented a knockout, so the fight went to the judges. Beta flipped itself over in celebration and all three voted in favor of Beta, meaning it moved into the Round of 16.
Beta vs. Nightmare In the next round, Beta faced the No.25 seed, Nightmare, a robot Team Hurtz beat in the very first BattleBots event in 1999. Beta began the fight by wedging underneath Nightmare's right wheel before retreating as its opponent's blade was up to speed. The British bot then began circling Nightmare, forcing it to lift a wheel off the ground due to the gyroscopic forces in play thanks to its vertical spinner. "Nightmare seems to be off balance there as it turns..." — Kenny Florian acknowledges Nightmare's gyro issues Nightmare loses its Beta Blocker attachment. Nightmare then met Beta head-on, clashing with its large wraparound wedge before slamming into the front. This cost Nightmare its 'Beta Blocker', which was a triangular piece of armor added to protect the otherwise exposed weapon motor. Beta slowly strikes Nightmare with its hammer. With a minute gone, Nightmare continued to turn in place and keep its active weapon pointed at John Reid's machine. The No.25 seed struck Beta from the flank before clambering on top and attacking the main gear for Beta's hammer mechanism. This was followed up by a blow to the hammer itself which was powerful enough to toss the 250lb machine across the arena. Beta then fired its hammer for the first time in the battle - a limp effort which saw the Team Hurtz robot lean its weapon against its opponent's frame. Beta losing complete control of its weapon. Beta retracted its hammer, but not before suffering damage courtesy of the now-active killsaws. This did not appear to affect Beta as it edged Nightmare back into the red square. The hammer partially swung before quickly returning to its resting position. Soon after, weapon operator Grant Cooper confirmed Beta's weapon was no longer functional. "We've lost the hammer... we've lost the hammer." — Grant Cooper to John Reid Jim Smentowski's robot slammed into the side of Beta again, causing part of its polycarbonate armor to go flying as the fight entered its final minute. With Nightmare the more damaging robot for much of this Top 16 bout, Beta swung around to the right side of Nightmare and pushed it around in circles, lifting its left wheel off the ground in a desperate attempt to produce a late knockout. Nightmare stabilized again as it hit the wall and the attack was then interrupted by the killsaws. Beta overturns Nightmare late on. However, with Nightmare's blade still spinning, Beta performed a sharp turn which threw it over. Beta pushed Nightmare into the corner of the BattleBox and with just over ten seconds remaining, John Remar began his count. A dramatic knockout was called with under a second remaining, confirming a come-from-behind win for Beta and a place in the quarter-finals.
Beta vs. Tombstone Beta met the top seed, Tombstone, in the quarter-finals. Between fights, Team Hurtz had swapped to their spare hammer head and arm due to damage sustained against Nightmare. Beta begins on the front foot. John Reid's machine drove straight into Tombstone, tanking the first blow from Ray Billings' horizontal spinner. The forces from its own weapon popped Tombstone into the air, hacking away at the BattleBox floor as it looked to regain control in the opening seconds. Tombstone then rode up the plow of Beta, striking higher up and tearing parts away, though this did not appear to affect the hammerbot as it landed a series of blows to its top panel. Beta drives Tombstone into the wall. Beta continued to absorb hits with its wedge as Tombstone's devastating blade was still a big concern for Beta. However, Team Hurtz remained composed and drove the No.1 seed weapon-first into the arena wall, causing it to ricochet wildly across the BattleBox and land upside-down. Beta holds Tombstone against the paddle. While able to run inverted, Tombstone was at the mercy of Beta with a minute gone as it pinned its opponent against the paddle with its blade halted. Beta did not fire its weapon, but held Tombstone in place as a concerned Ray Billings looked on. "He's gotta- he's gotta let me go..." — Ray Billings as Tombstone is pinned in the corner Close-ups showed damage to the plow of Beta, with its top edges warped but still effective. Beta released and Tombstone's blue bar got back up to speed, battering its front again but suffering a hit from the pulverizer hammer. "What a perfect start to this fight from John Reid and Beta. We have never seen Tombstone under this much pressure! Let's see how Ray handles this adversity." — Kenny Florian heaps the praise on Team Hurtz Tombstone attacks the side of Beta, as the damage to its hammer becomes clear. Tombstone fatally damages Beta's hammer. Beta maneuvered to the rear of Tombstone, lifting its wheels off the ground again and forcing its spinner into the steel floor. It drove Tombstone bar-first into the screws, but this caused Ray Billings' robot to spin around and strike the exposed hammer mechanism of Beta, separating the hammer arm and gear from the rest of the housing. Beta could now only drag its hammer behind the rest of the bot as Tombstone continued to rack up the damage points in the closing stages. Both robots post-fight. Beta got underneath Tombstone again, but both robots remained motionless as the clock had been inadvertently reset, though no mention of this was made televised broadcast. Both team captains embraced following a back-and-forth fight. "I don't even know how it's gonna end here!" — Ray Billings to Team Hurtz post-fight A back-and-forth fight went to the judges, who voted unanimously in favor of Tombstone, thus eliminating Beta at the quarter-final stage.
World Championship V
Beta vs. ROTATOR Beta shoves ROTATOR into the corner, losing its hammer head in the process. Beta's return to combat gave it a match with Victor Soto and ROTATOR, but due to the filming schedule and Beta arriving to filming late, this fight was actually filmed last but aired first in its schedule. In response, the robot was equipped with a lighter hammer and thicker armor to deflect ROTATOR's attacks. Beta started off very well as they were fending off ROTATOR and began carrying them around the arena. Since ROTATOR had pretty much no answer, Beta continued to push them around, taking them to the screws and taking advantage of ROTATOR's attempt to keep its weapon running. Beta then pushed ROTATOR near the pulverizer and lost its hammer head as it turned into ROTATOR's spinning disk. The time ran out and the judges awarded a 2-1 split decision for Beta. This fight, which was filmed after the highly controversial fight between HUGE and Hydra, was also controversial due to Beta winning despite not using his active primary weapon, and would force the producers to update the judging guidelines for future seasons.
Beta vs. Rusty Beta sinks its hammer into Rusty top armor. Beta’s next televised fight was against Dave Eaton and Rusty, though this was actually Beta's first filmed fight. As the match started, Beta circled Rusty before scooping it up and shoving it into the wall. After circling again Beta shoved Rusty into the screws and brought down the hammer, crumpling the rear of Rusty, but only two of the magnets intended on keeping Beta on the arena floor worked, leaving Beta to still jump in the air. Rusty was still twitching somewhat, so Beta hammered it again. Rusty was immobilized after this and was counted out, giving Beta the win by KO.
Beta vs. Sharko (Forfeit) Beta was originally scheduled to face Sharko for its third and final Fight Night battle, but after it could not be match-ready in time, GRABOT ultimately took their place instead.
Beta vs. GRABOT Beta strikes the defenseless GRABOT. Beta's next battle was against another newcomer, this time in GRABOT. Beta attempted to box rush its opponent and missed, but this did not phase Team Hurtz and they went on the attack, slamming GRABOT hard into the arena barrier. GRABOT recovered, so Beta took them to the pulverizer, but only managed to cause very superficial damage with its own hammer. However, after bringing GRABOT back to the corner, Beta delivered multiple blows that left GRABOT's top armor caved in and smoke pouring out of GRABOT as a result. Beta final left off the assault and waited for the count out, which came and went, giving Beta the win by KO.
Beta vs. Ribbot Ribbot finds an angle on Beta and attacks with its vertical spinner. Despite the controversy surrounding its fight with ROTATOR, Beta finished unbeaten in the Fight Night rounds qualified for the Championship Tournament as the No.13 seed. In the Round of 32, they faced No.20 seed, Ribbot. For this fight, Beta was armed with an anti-vertical spinner configuration which came in the form of sloped armor. Unfortunately, this configuration was not useful, as Beta was first shoved across the arena before taking a barrage of hits from Ribbot, one of which ruptured the gas tank for the hammer. This left Beta very vulnerable and eventually they were left twitching on their side of the arena near the screws. Unable to move, they were counted out, giving Ribbot the win by relatively quick KO and eliminating Beta from the competition.
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters
Beta vs. Lock-Jaw Beta and Lock-Jaw approach one another in the BattleBox. Beta is unable to right itself. Beta also participated in a mini bracket, but had to wait until it was over to find out their opponent, which turned out to be Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw. Beta was armed with a similar anti-vertical spinner armor and a new silver colored hammer, but started the match looking for an opening and allowed Lock-Jaw to grind its weapon against its front plow. Beta continued to wait and was eventually flipped onto its back. Beta struggled to self-right, but was given help from its opponent. Beta tried to retaliate with a hammer blow, but only delivered a glancing shot to Donald Hutson's robot. Beta was then flipped again, and was not helped out this time as it was counted out, giving Lock-Jaw the win by knockout and the Bounty title.
World Championship VII
Beta vs. Kraken Having been absent for World Championship VI, Beta returned for World Championship VII. Its first Fight Night battle was against the newly-designed Kraken. Beta swings its new bladed hammer. After much criticism in its last appearance due to the lack of weapon usage, Team Hurtz brought on famed UK builder Jason Marston as the new weapons operator, intent to avoid past mistakes and make use of the hammer "early and often." In response to Kraken's new spinning weaponry, Beta equipped its newly designed flat hammer for this match, intended to be fired directly into spinners and stay functional even when damaged. "I think our main goal for this season is to beat another robot to a pulp." — John Reid expresses his desire for more weapon usage after the previous season Kraken and Beta jockey for position. When the fight began, both robots drove towards the center of the arena, with Kraken's spinner grinding away at Beta's wedge before Beta retaliated with a hammer blow. The two robots struggled to connect again, with Kraken sliding up Beta's wedge and Beta missing its next strike. As both combatants fought to position themselves, Kraken wound up behind Beta, landing a shot to the back of its wedge that sent John Reid's bot flying. It became apparent that Beta was suffering ground clearance issues, accidentally exposing its back to its opponent after a missed charge. After several spark-throwing attacks from Kraken, nearly hitting Beta's vulnerable gas tank, the British bot escaped to the other end of the box to recover. However, mobility problems continued to hamper both machines, only making a single glancing contact with each other within the next forty seconds. "They have been firing that weapon, they just cannot find the strike zone!" — Chris Rose comments on Beta's inability to land an effective attack Kraken attacks Beta. The two robots collided a few more times without effect before Beta backed away, building up momentum for a charging attack. This time, the hammer connected solidly with Kraken's 13-pound spinning blade, bending the hammer at the neck but completely disabling the spinner. Both bots reeled from the attack, but once Beta was able to move properly it initiated a flurry of blows against its scaly foe. Despite its mangled weaponry, Beta refused to back down, landing nine more hammer shots in the closing seconds of the match and only ceasing once the buzzer rang. "It's good to see Beta's hammer swinging again!" — John Reid, satisfied with his robot's performance after the match Beta's hammer post-fight. Since the fight had lasted the full three minutes, the judges were called upon to make a decision. Though the battle was close, they scored it unanimously in favor of Beta, giving John Reid his first win of the season and an important boost in confidence against spinner robots.
Beta vs. Shatter! Beta's second Fight Night opponent saw it face Adam Wrigley's Shatter!, who lost its first fight to HUGE. For this battle, Beta was armed with its traditional mallet-like hammer. Shatter and Beta meet in the center of the arena. Early in the fight, Shatter! glided around Beta as both robots looked for an opening. As it drifted to the corner of the BattleBox, Beta fired its hammer but just missed as Adam Wrigley drove away from danger. Shatter! retaliated by firing its own weapon, but striking the floor before landing a glancing hit to the front of John Reid's machine. Beta then got to the side of Shatter! and drove in underneath, attempting to feed it to the screws. However, Shatter! escaped and on the opposite side of the BattleBox, struck the front wedge of Beta several times as it attempted to reach its weapon system. Chris Rose: "Kenny, if Adam Wrigley could land that shot, it would change this fight." Kenny Florian: "Yeah, it's a tiny opening but that would disable Beta's weapon like shooting Proton torpedoes into the Death Star!" — Chris and Kenny react as Shatter! picks up the pace Beta attacking Shatter! in the short corner. Now in the short corner, Shatter! swung its hammer desperately trying to escape while Beta got its wedge underneath again, striking the top of its opponent several times before allowing the Bots FC machine to drive away. Escaping to the opposite corner, Shatter! tried to swing its hammer at Beta but flipped itself over in the process, Upon self-righting, this allowed Beta time to align itself before landing a series of hits to Shatter!'s frame once again. Shatter! took refuge in front of the drivers' booths, but Beta gave chase and pinned it in place, landing several more blows with its hammer. "Adam Wrigley's gotta get out of there... and he does. John Reid giving him no room to breathe. Can Adam Wrigley turn this thing around?" — Chris Rose as Shatter! is pinned against the rails Shatter! briefly gets in underneath Beta. Beta continued to attack as both robots found their way to the center of the BattleBox, and Shatter!'s forks got in underneath the back end of the British bot. However, Shatter! was unable to capitalize as Beta used the power of its hammer to jump away from Shatter!'s clutches. It then became apparent that Beta's attacks had disabled its opponent's hammer by cutting its weapon chain as it mercilessly swung against the AR500 steel top panels of Shatter!, visibly bending the right-side panel inward and buckling the plastic underneath. Shatter! suffers a flurry of hammer hits in the final few seconds. Late in the fight, Beta suffered a hit from the pulverizer but remained the aggressor, getting to Shatter!'s side in the closing seconds and leaving not only a lasting impression on its opponent, but on the judges as well, as it took the win by unanimous decision to advance to 2-0.
Beta vs. Black Dragon Beta's configuration for Black Dragon. Beta's penultimate opponent was a fellow international competitor in Black Dragon. Ahead of the bout, Team Hurtz equipped their machine with its "Ugly Armour", a pivoting, AR500-plated upgrade of the 2020 anti-vertical spinner configuration. Beta is overturned by Black Dragon. Beta charged the Brazilian bot down, but Black Dragon spun, delivering a blow to Beta's front which threw it over. Beta was quick to self-right and evaded a follow-up from Black Dragon but missed with the first swing of its hammer. Black Dragon grazed its eggbeater drum spinner against the sloped armor of its opponent before riding up its front momentarily. The 2-0 bot could not capitalize though, and Black Dragon escaped. "Nice shot by Black Dragon! Good gymnastics by Beta." — Chris Rose as Beta recovers Beta is immobilized and counted out. John Reid's robot swung again, missing for a second time. The hammer was slow to retract, which allowed Black Dragon the opportunity to attack with less fear. Beta's weapon activated several more times, but it was noticeably limp as the British bot drove into the rails. Black Dragon retreated to the red starting square as it assessed its opponent's condition, and Beta began to slow. Its arm had still not retracted and Team Uai!rrior got to the back of Beta, ramming it into the screws. Black Dragon then hit the side of Beta's armor, overturning it again. This time, there appeared to be no life left John Reid's machine as the veteran captain signalled defeat. Beta was counted out, and Black Dragon took the win by knockout. "You know, not much went according to plan for John Reid in this fight. Black Dragon got great engagement on that new armor package right out of the gate. And the lighter hammer head was completely ineffective - a tough outing for Beta." — Kenny Florian post-fight
Beta vs. Bloodsport Beta's fourth and final Fight Night opponent was Bloodsport. For this battle, it was again fitted with the large front wedge and a "high-strength" AR500 hammer. "It's great to fight a horizontal spinner with this version of Beta as that is what Beta has always been designed for. Unlike in our fight against Rotator in 2020 we now have our high-strength steel hammer so Jason [Marston] can feel free to use it." — Beta – Fighting Robot Facebook post Beta gets underneath its opponent and slams it into the screws. Beta immediately pursued Bloodsport, as the Bots 'n' Stuff Robotics entry headed across the bottom inner perimeter and into the center. The two heavyweights clashed, sparks flying as Bloodsport's disk glanced off the heavily-armored wedge of Beta. Beta rounded Bloodsport up across the BattleBox, this tactic enabling it to get underneath and slam Bloodsport into the bottom-left paddle. However, while pushing Bloodsport back, it missed with its first hammer attack from Jason Marston. Beta pins Bloodsport against the Upper Deck. Regardless, Beta scooped Bloodsport back up again, driving it into one of the red square screws. Bloodsport was almost flipped over on impact, but tumbled back onto its wheels, though Beta wasted no time in driving it towards the other nearby screw and the Upper Deck bumper. This attack was enough to temporarily halt Bloodsport's "Wheel of Misfortune". Beta struck down on Bloodsport's directional indicator as the latter escaped, resuming its chase moments later. Chris Rose: "Nice job by Beta using the BattleBox and throw at Bloodsport, right off the rails - and again, off the screws!" Kenny Florian: "Yeah, it's definitely doin' a great job at introducing the BattleBox to Bloodsport here. This is exactly what they need to do. They have it trapped in the corner, but Bloodsport escapes!" — As Beta shepherds Bloodsport into the top-left pocket Beta drives Bloodsport into the Upper Deck. Two deflections lifted Bloodsport off the BattleBox floor, the second destabilizing and sending it careering into the bottom-right Upper Deck screw. Beta rushed in as its opponent tried to back away from the screw, flinging its opponent onto the Deck itself in the process. Beta stops the horizontal spinner of Bloodsport before landing blows to its top. As Bloodsport escaped from the Upper Deck platform, Beta approached and twice fired its hammer, causing a sheet of metal to be removed from underneath the former. Again, the UK entry chased, deflected and rammed Bloodsport into the bottom-left corner, though this time its hammer missed. This was followed by a similar sequence of attacks leading back to the Upper Deck screws. Beta pinned Bloodsport against one of the screws and its left-most mount, while stopping and pounding the "Wheel of Misfortune". With Bloodsport appearing stunned by this point, it began targeting its opponent's weapon housing, pounding the top of it twice with the hammer. Following gentle nudging, Beta backed away, allowing Bloodsport to escape and get its weapon back up to speed. "Big picture and enormous fight for both these bots sitting at 2-1. You're talking about Round of 32 seeding, and Beta just delivering shots, and stopping the blade of Bloodsport!" — Chris Rose, as Beta pounds and releases Bloodsport Bloodsport finds itself in the short corner. Again, Beta deflected Bloodsport in a head-to-head ram, sending Bloodsport back into one of the red square screws. As the battle entered half-distance, it proceeded to ram Justin Marple's machine against the bottom-left bumper a second time, almost turning it onto its side. More chasing and deflecting followed from Beta, causing Bloodsport's disk to again hit the Upper Deck screw mount. Beta initiated two more similar series of attacks, both ending with Bloodsport being pushed into the Upper Deck bumpers and screws. Two more rams popped Bloodsport into the air, prompting Beta to push it into the upper-right pocket. Beta hammered an escaping Bloodsport once again, before pushing it up against the center Upper Deck screw mount. While again shepherding Bloodsport across the arena, both robots temporarily fell foul of the rising killsaws. Beta hacks away at the top of Bloodsport. Undeterred, Beta drove Bloodsport one more time into the bottom-left bumper, using this opportunity to hammer and bend the latter's directional indicator. After once more chasing and pushing Bloodsport against the Upper Deck screw mount, it slammed the latter into the top-left paddle, along with the yellow bumpers on each side of the BattleBox. Now opposite the control booth, Beta pinned Bloodsport in place while striking both the "Wheel of Misfortune" and its top housing. These attacks broke apart the front casing for the latter, earning vital damage points for Team Hurtz, though Beta was in turn pushed back over the killsaws by Bloodsport. As the final ten seconds ticked down, both competitors clashed again near the center. Beta deflected Bloodsport and rammed it into the bottom-left bumper for the final time, releasing its opponent just before the end buzzer sounded. Chris Rose: "Kenny, credit to these two bots for putting on a show, but man, this was all about Beta." Kenny Florian: "Absolutely. There was just no getting around that big wedge! This was a masterful performance by John Reid, repeatedly ramming Bloodsport into the rails, and dominating the Control category..." — Over post-match replays Team Hurtz celebrated their dominant three-minute showing, initiating chants of Beta's name which were replicated by the audience. Their delight was substantiated by the resulting judges' decision, which unanimously deemed Beta to be the winner. With this, Beta completed its Fight Night schedule with a competitive 3-1 record.
Beta vs. Whiplash Beta with its anti-vertical spinner armor ahead of the fight. Beta secured the No.13 seed in the Top 32, and met the No.20 seed and former runner-up, Whiplash. John Reid's team paired Beta's anti-vertical spinner armor with its 16lb bladed hammer for this battle, knowing Whiplash had used its disk in each of its Fight Night battles this time around. "So we're up against Matt [Vasquez] - one of the best drivers in the sport. The big thing for us is that he's gone extra on the wheels. That means he's probably impossible to pin. His wheels can always grip on something, and can always escape. He's probably never going to stop - we'll have to be really accurate with our hits." — John Reid pre-fight Whiplash lifts its opponent, but Beta strikes back. Early in the fight, Beta found itself circled by Whiplash, who drove its lifting arm underneath the No.13 seed tipped it back. Beta swung its bladed hammer in retaliation, but Whiplash got another lift in before dropping the British machine. Beta is driven on top of the Upper Deck. As Whiplash retreated, Beta gave chase but drove into its opponent's spinning disk in an impact which spun the hammer-wielding robot around. Whiplash then got underneath the rear of Beta and rammed it into and on top of the Upper Deck. Whiplash celebrates an impending win. "Oh s**t." — John Reid shakes his head as Beta stops moving Beta is counted out. It was at this moment that Beta rolled onto the BattleBox hazard and suddenly discovered it had no drive power, as its frame had bent in such a way that it had become high-centered. Though its weapon still worked, Beta had no mobility and was unable to escape the immobilization count. Beta was counted out, and fell at the Round of 32 stage for a second time.
Beta vs. Lucky (Exhibition) Beta fought in a single exhibition match against Lucky as part of Vengeance in Vegas II. This served as a rematch from when the teams fought back in World Championship II, and Beta again used its pill-shaped hammer head for this battle. Beta begins on the back foot. Both robots quickly met each other in the center of the BattleBox, where Beta fired its hammer and hit the top of Lucky. The Canadian bot retaliated by getting underneath its sloped front and flipping the British bot towards the drivers' booths. Beta is taken the screws by Lucky. After self-righting, Beta found itself hurled against the BattleBox as Lucky landed a combination of attacks. John Reid's robot was caught momentarily on the arena but used its hammer to become free. However, Beta's hammer did not immediately retract, instead leaning against the flipper of Lucky until Beta was forced against the screws, when it finally reset. Lucky playing with Beta in the corner. Lucky drew Beta to the center of the arena and as both teams anticipated an opening, it was Mark Demers' team who got the next attack in, overturning Beta near the corner of the arena. Slow to self-right, Beta was thrown four more times in the corner as Lucky threatened to throw it out of the arena. Unsuccessful in achieving this, Lucky instead launched the inverted Beta towards the Upper Deck and into the short corner, eventually flipping Beta onto the platform itself. John Reid's robot appeared to be experiencing issues with its hammer mechanism as it fired its hammer to land back on the steel floor but was then unable to reset its hammer arm once again. Lucky looks on as Beta is counted out. Lucky got around to the vulnerable rear end of its opponent and dealt a smaller flip which propped Beta against the spiked barrier. After freeing the former Bounty Hunters boss from the wall, Mark Demers remained aggressive before finally retreating and allowing Beta to be counted out. This led to Lucky winning the rematch by knockout.
BattleBots: Champions II
Beta vs. Double Tap Beta in the blue square pre-fight. Returning for BattleBots: Champions II, Beta fought main season alternate Double Tap in the opening round of the third Sin City Slugfest bracket. Team Hurtz returned to their traditional sloped armor configuration, and also sported their pill-shaped hammer. Beta strikes the top of Double Tap. Double Tap was slow to spin up, and immediately drove into the Upper Deck in an attempt to evade Beta's box rush. John Reid stopped the weapon and drove the rookie into the short corner, landing several minor hits to its top. Beta then reversed and Double Tap drove up its sloped front. Double Tap tries to escape a blow from Beta. Beta retreated to the middle of the BattleBox, which allowed Double Tap time and space to spin up its weapon. However, it was quickly halted as Beta slid underneath again and drove the rookie bot towards the Upper Deck. Double Tap is scooped up and rammed into the rails. After this attack, Double Tap's weapon showed no signs of life. Beta was able to drive to its side, pinning its opponent against the housing of the screws and getting around to its rear. With Double Tap in a vulnerable position, Beta charged it into the rails, tipping Double Tap over and resting it against the BattleBox. Beta carves a hole in the baseplate of Double Tap. Double Tap's underbelly was now exposed, and Beta wasted no time in hammering away at its segmented baseplate. This caused visible dents in its underside before a large hole formed between its front wheels. Beta returned to the center of the arena, spinning in celebration. John Remar counted Double Tap out, giving Beta the win by knockout.
Beta vs. Free Shipping Beta took on Free Shipping in the Slugfest semi-finals, and opted for its thin hammer as it looked to hack into the flat top of Gary Gin's machine. Beta strikes the top of Free Shipping. Both bots circled one another in the middle of the arena to start the semi-final. Free Shipping then slid its wedges under the front of Beta, who fired its bladed hammer down in response. Free Shipping stares down a beaten Beta. Free Shipping rammed Beta into the screws, overturning it near the blue starting square. The vertical spinner of Free Shipping dealt a blow to the back of Beta, tearing one of its rear wheels as its primary weapon struggled to retract. Beta was unable to right itself and was counted out, eliminating it at the semi-final stage. "What a tough way to go for John Reid and Beta..." — Chris Rose as Beta is counted out

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 10
• Losses: 8

Competition	Wins	Losses
Season 5.0	None	Bender
World Championship I	None	None *
World Championship II	Lucky Overhaul Nightmare	Tombstone
World Championship V	ROTATOR (Undercard Match) Rusty (Undercard Match) GRABOT (Undercard Match)	Ribbot
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters	None	Lock-Jaw
World Championship VII	Kraken (Undercard Match) Shatter! (Undercard Match) Bloodsport (Undercard Match)	Black Dragon (Undercard Match) Whiplash Lucky (Exhibition Match)
BattleBots: Champions II	Double Tap	Free Shipping

* Beta's withdrawal from World Championship I is not considered to be a loss, as a replacement was selected to fight Tombstone. However, its withdrawal from Season 5.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots is considered a loss as Bender advanced in the tournament with a bye.

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"I hope you brought your aspirin, because you’re about to get hammered. From the United Kingdom, BETA!"

"In this symphony of misery, you'd better B-sharp or this bot will make you B-flat! It's nothing but treble! It's BETA!"

"If it were a fraternity, it would be Phi Slamma Hamma! When it rushes the Box, you'll be housed! It's BETA!"

"If it were a disease, it would be called die-a-beat-es, and sugar, it's time for your next shot. It's BETA!"

"The hammer bot from the land of Camelot, It's so dashing, even the Brits think: *British accent* "Well, isn't it just smashing?" The heavy hittin' Briton, BETA!"

"This bot collects by the British pound, and all you'll hear is its hammer sound. You've never been hit with such a force from a machine that shows no remorse. It didn't come here for a spot of tea, and it certainly won't get your sympathy. God save the Queen, this bot is straight up mean. It's BETA!"

"It's a British Invasion. A hard day's fight, you'll face defeat when he fires up his silver hammer to 'Let it beat.' Forget holding your hand, he'll hold this to your throat and your death will be almost as embarrassing as the songs Ringo wrote. He hates you, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's BETA!"

"This bot with the Greek name hits like one Zeus' thunderclaps. He'll make you crumble like feta. Like their economy, you'll collapse. He'll make a grease stain out of your bot. Will you live? Uh-uh. No. Nah. He'll smash your armor to pieces till we're all shouting, 'Opa!' It's the Achilles of slapping you silly. Here's BETA!"

"This bot comes from the U.K. Let's break that down. He's the ultimate killer if you come to his town. The Royal Family better update the keys to let him in their home because he's the uncrowned king and he's claiming his throne. Give it up for BETA!"

"This bot is British, but don't expect them to buy you a pint at the pub, or take you out here in Vegas and get you shots at the club. But if your goal was to get a little tipsy, your hopes aren't completely dashed because this bot will get you completely and absolutely hammered and totally smashed. Give it up for BETA!"

Merchandise

Any appearance by Beta in merchandise are listed below:

• Beta/Push Strike (Canceled)
• Beta/HEXBUG

Trivia

• Team Hurtz are the only British team to attend the first seven televised seasons of BattleBots, despite not competing in Season 5.0 and World Championship I.
• If Beta had been able to compete in Season 5.0, it would be one of only six robots to compete in both the original BattleBots on Comedy Central and the reboot on ABC and Discovery - the others being Warhead, Moebius, Complete Control, Son of Whyachi, and Nightmare.
• After Robot Wars had ended, Beta was taken to a barbecue and placed on a friend's lawn by John Reid, who tied it to two foot long rods that were driven into the ground. When John gave a demonstration of Beta's power, the force of its hammer pulled the pegs right out of the ground and Beta jumped in the air.
• Beta was the first UK-based team to receive a Hexbug BattleBots toy.
• In the pits during Season 5.0, Beta hung off a 1/8" steel sheet with Dominic Parkinson standing on the base of Beta without falling off, showing how powerful the magnets of Beta were.
• Beta entered a UK live event under its Robot Wars pilot name Basher after the first season of ABC's BattleBots reboot had ended.
  • It is known to have fought Chronic during the event.
• According to multiple teams present at filming for the 2020 season, Beta was originally set to fight Sharko for their third Fight Night battle until they were unable to repair their robot in time. GRABOT and Rampage were both considered to replace Sharko, but GRABOT was ready first and fought Beta instead.
• One of Beta's iconic hammers was sold after World Championship II for £1,175 (~$1,600), money which went towards a collective charity raising money for Ty Cariad Africa.
  • On July 13, 2022, another was listed for sale via eBay, alongside various other components from the 2016 build of Beta.
• In January 2023, Beta's hammer was listed for sale on eBay, still bent and warped out of shape by its opponent, Kraken.
• Beta's Fight Night battle against Shatter! during World Championship VII marked the first time two robots armed with axe or hammer weaponry faced off since Ragnarök vs. MadCatter during World Championship IV.
• Beta's "skinny" hammer weighs the same as its classic hammer.

See Also

• KillerHurtz (BattleBots)
• Killerhurtz (Robot Wars)
• Terrorhurtz (Robot Wars)
• Tánshè (King of Bots/This is Fighting Robots)