4X ProTour 2018: Round 2 – Szczawno Zdroj, Poland

Posted on May 20, 2018 by boomboom

Scott Beaumont

Qualifying – 5th

Race – 5th

Round 2 of the 2018 4X ProTour was held in a town called Szczawno Zdroj (pronounced Sch-av-no Stroy) in Poland.

The track in Szczawno Zdroj is in south west Poland is widely regarded as one of the finest 4X tracks in the world. In the heart of the city, it is the pride of the town, lined by hedgerows and trees. At around 40 seconds long, there is a mix of high and low speed, technical and huge jumps. There is something to suit all the riders and the racing is always amazing. Scott arrived on Wednesday as the team stayed out in Europe after round 1 in Winterberg the previous week. The immaculately prepared track looked perfect.

Scott did some light practice on Wednesday as the weather forecast predicted rain on Thursday. Immediately you could tell this was one of Scott’s favourite tracks. He was flowing well and jumping all the big doubles immediately.

Saturday morning rolled around and the race day schedule began with practice. Knowing just how physical this track is, Scott worked to a plan and restricted his practice to just 40 minutes to save vital energy for the racing.

After practice there was a small break for the riders meeting and then it was time for qualifying. The most exciting but nerve wrecking time in 4X. Riders get just one lap of qualifying. Any mistakes and it is time to head home.

Scott was one of the last riders to qualify. His start was on point and he laid down a great run. Missing a gear change point he may have lost 0.1 or 0.2 seconds but aside from that it was a perfect run. Crossing the finish line it would place Scott 5^th.

On to the racing. Scott won his early rounds and looked comfortable out on the track. In the quarter final he again made a great start and won the race start to finish.

In his semi final, Scott took gate 3, Tomas Slavik in 1, Mikulas Nevrka in 2 and Simon Waldburger in 4. and Scott made a great start and led the race on the first straight. Slavik got a good drive though into the first turn and took the lead back. Scott sat in 2^nd all the way to the last corner and looked like he was on for a spot in the final but Nevrka got an amazing drive off the last turn and on the drag race Nevrka got the advantage. Annoyed at letting the final slip through his fingers, Scott headed back up the track to contest the small final and race for the final podium position.

The gate dropped and Scott got away well. It was tight but he dived inside on the first turn and grabbed the lead. He pulled away through the mid section of the track before making a small mistake on the penultimate straight allowing Waldburger to close in on him. It was another drag race down the last straight but Scott powered to the win and 5^th place for the evening.

It was straight to the podium for the awards ceremony and then the long drive back home. It is now just 2 weeks until Scott’s home race in Fort William. The team are focused and looking for a great result there.

See you all trackside.

4X ProTour 2018 – Szczawno Zdroj Track Preview

Posted on May 18, 2018 by boomboom

Scott Beaumont takes us for a lap of Szczawno Zdroj 4X ProTour track.

Enjoy:

USN Racing – Winterberg Diary

Posted on May 15, 2018 by boomboom

The 2018 4X ProTour began in Winterberg, Germany last weekend. Here is the team diary from the event:

4X ProTour Round 1: Winterberg, Germany

Posted on May 13, 2018 by boomboom

4X ProTour 2018 – Winterberg

Scott Beaumont

Qualifying – 6^th

Race – 13^th

Round one of the 2018 4X ProTour took place in Winterberg, Germany at the weekend. After a strong winter of training, Scott Beaumont was looking to cement himself in the running for the overall title in Winterberg with a track that really played to his strengths.

Held as part of the Dirt Masters Festival, this event attracts thousands of fans who flock to Winterberg in Germany to watch 4X ProTour, IXS Downhill Cup and the impressive Slopestyle event.

The race had nearly 200 riders entered so practice was busy and the track had a constant flow of riders as everyone got to grips with it. The weather was dry for qualifying making the track super-fast and dusty. The sun was shining and the track was absolutely perfect.

Scott has had some great results here in the past and always rides his track well so we were confident heading into qualifying.

With all the top riders injury free, this year’s 4X ProTour looked set to be one of the best ever. With 10 of the elite men riders all more than capable of taking wins and the overall title, the strength in depth of 4X ProTour is now better than ever. Scott knows that consistency will be the key and was looking for a decent qualifying run to put himself in a good position for racing.

In his qualifying run, visually, Scott looked one of the quickest on course and as he crossed the finish line the time agreed placing Scott in 6^th position. Disappointed with the run Scott said:

“I made a great start and rode all the lines well. I was a little conservative on the table tops lower down on the track. It was a good run but to be 0.8 seconds off and all the way down in 6^th is disappointing.”

After qualifying, there was a short break and then straight into racing and Scott was ready. The Yeti race bikes were prepped and Scott rode a couple of practice laps to prepare for the racing. Winning his first round of racing Scott was looking good. In his second round Scott made a mistake out of the start and slipped into 2^nd around the first turn. He held this position all the way to the finish and transferred into the quarter final.

In the quarter final, Scott made his best gate of the weekend and battled for the lead into turn one. It all got a bit close and Scott was forced wide, slipping back to 3^rd. He fought on the second straight and moved himself back into 2^nd. Holding the position until the last turn, the rider behind made an amazing pass on Scott. Clean and smart, taking the spot away and unfortunately Scott’s race was over.

After the race, Scott said:

“Well that was a tough day in the office. I felt good and didn’t make any mistakes in the quarter final. Sometimes the other rider simply makes a great pass and there was nothing I could do about it. I’m gutted with 13^th, but I only have to wait a week to go again in Poland. I can’t wait”.