USN Racing official edit from 4X ProTour in Winterberg is now live. Check it out:

Here is the official highlights film from Lars Veenstra which is featured on PinkBike. Enjoy:

The opening round of the 2016 4X ProTour took place in Winterberg, Germany at the weekend. Officially classed as round 2 due to a warm up event the previous weekend, however this was the first points scoring event of 2016. Held as part of the Dirt Masters Festival, this event attracts thousands of fans who flock to Winterberg 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 start to his campaign. 

Qualifying:

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 5th position. Happy with the run Scott said:

“I made a great start and rode all the lines well. I was a little conservative due to the cross wind on the table tops lower down on the track, but generally I am happy with the run”.

Race Day:

Race day rolled around and what a difference 24 hours makes! With snow, hail, wind and rain, temperatures did not rise above 2 degrees all day. It was a winters day in mid May! The Yeti race bikes were prepped and Scott was ready. Winning his first 2 rounds of racing Scott was looking good. In his quarter final Scott made his best gate of the weekend and led the race into turn 1 but drifting a little wide, Swedish rider Felix Beckeman moved past. Scott finished 2nd and qualified through. 

In the semi final, a tiny mistake cost Scott dearly. Missing the first beep of the automatic start gate by fractions of a second, Scott got cut up down the first straight and was in the pack. Try as he may, he just could not find a way through and unfortunately he did not make the main final. 

Small Final:

Heading back up for the small final to determine 5th to 8th places, Scott wanted the final step of the podium. Unfortunately it was not to be as Scott fractionally missed the gate again. Standing his ground on the first straight Scott got tangled with another rider. Fighting back he was able to move into 3rd then at the finish line he almost grabbed 2nd but it just wasn’t to be. 3rd in the small final gave him 7th for the day. 

“Obviously I haven’t come to Germany to finish 7th. I am disappointed however there are a lot of positives to take from the weekend and I know we have the speed for Fort William. I’m looking forward to getting back to training on Tuesday and fox using on my home race in 3 weeks time”.

Here is our edit from round 2 of the 2016 Schwalbe British 4X Series from Afan.

Really happy to take the win, and from here move on towards the 4X ProTour.

Last weekend, Scott returned back to his mountain bike for round 2 of the 2016 Schwalbe British 4X Series which was held in Afan, South Wales. After a hugely successful winter on his BMX, Scott is in the best condition of his life and has his sights firmly set on some huge goals in 2016. The build up to all these targets started in Afan.

The track in Afan is one of Scott’s favourites. Rough, rocky and technical, this track really sorts the riders out and Scott always relishes the challenge that this track presents. Practice on friday went well and heading into the race on Saturday, Scott was feeling comfortable.

Saturday arrived and the forecast of rain simply did not happen. Sunshine mixed in with wind made the track perfect. With a good sized entry in the elites and practice all done, it was race time.

In his motos, Scott won two and placed second in one to transfer into the semi finals with no problem. In the semi final, Scott took gate two and with a characteristic great start, led the race from start to finish.

So it was final time. Choosing gate 2 again, the smooth run to the first turn was exactly the gate he wanted. Making another great start Scott led into turn one. Leading down the second straight he protected the inside. On the third straight he had lost a little speed and got into a tight battle in turn three. Railing the turn Scott emerged as the leader and from here did not look back. Committing to the 30 foot pro line doubles in the high winds was incredible to watch and as he crossed the line to take the win, we knew his winter had paid off.

“It has been a great winter and my training went exactly to plan. Winning the first 4 BMX Nationals was great, but now to get back on to the mountain bike and win this 4X national too feels extra special. Now it’s time for 4X ProTour in Germany.”

We want to thank all our team sponsors for all their support in the last year and for all their continued support for the next 2 years. Scott is riding better than ever and we can’t wait to see what 2016 will bring.

Full event highlights film is here: