USN Racing team rider entered the 2018 Schwalbe British 4X Series finals with a mathematical chance of winning the overall title. His job was simple. Win every race and look for his rivals to drop points through the day. Here is the edit from Redhill.
Tag Archives: 4X
2018 Schwalbe British 4X Series – Round 6 – Redhill
On Sunday 2nd September, round 6 of the 2018 Schwalbe British 4X Series took place at Redhill in Gloucestershire. The season finals were held on this iconic track and with the Overall Elite Men’s title still wide open, team rider Scott Beaumont had a mathematical chance of winning the title. Scott’s job was simple. He had to win every single race in the day and rely on others finishing in certain positions.
Scott had continued his training on from the National Championships two weeks ago so he was firing on all cylinders and ready to battle for the title.
A cornerstone of the British 4X Series for many years, Redhill is fast, flowing and always a favourite for riders and spectators. With fun jumps, high berms and split lines on the track, racing is always amazing and on Sunday it was no different.
Scott just did a small amount of practice on Sunday morning just to get ready for racing but also save a little energy for the big day ahead. The British 4X Series uses the moto system for qualification which means Scott would race 3 qualifying races against different riders to qualify through to the knockout rounds. The hope was he would race against his fellow title contenders, so he could hopefully take points from them and help his quest for the title.
Racing got underway at 12.30. Scott rode flawless and took 3 convincing wins in his motos – in the process beating all his title contenders. By the time the semi-finals rolled around, Scott was feeling confident. His track speed was very good, and gates were perfect.
In his semi-final he made a great gate and he stamped his authority on the race and took the win to book his place in the final. In his semi-final he managed to beat two of the title contenders and they both bowed out. That meant that Scott was now guaranteed either first or second in the overall title chase. In the second semi-final the team could not believe their eyes. The other title contender crossed the line in third and did not qualify to the final. This meant that whatever happened Scott had done enough to win the Championship!
Scott being Scott, he wanted to go out with a win and seal the title in the right way. Choosing gate one Scott was all set for the last national of the year. Saving his best till last, Scott made a perfect start and checked out. Laying down a perfect lap and pulling a big lead, Scott raced past the team pit area nodding and already celebrating before the finish line. Across the line he punched the air with delight as he had managed to do the unthinkable and seal up the 4X National Series Title.
“I could not be any happier. A perfect weekend doesn’t come along too often but we have been able to back up the perfect weekend in Falmouth with another one here in Redhill. I didn’t expect to win the overall title today, so I am absolutely stoked to have done it. Thank you to everyone for their support.”
It has been an incredible two weeks with Scott also becoming 4X National Champion, he now holds both domestic titles as well as topping the British Cycling National Rankings for 2018. It has been a perfect domestic year and we can’t thank our team partners enough for their support.
4X ProTour 2018: Round 3 – Fort William, Scotland
Last weekend, Scott had one of his most important races on the 2018 calendar. The 4X ProTour round in Fort William, Scotland. Held as part of the Fort William Downhill World Cup weekend, this event attracts thousands of fans who flock to the Scottish Highlands to watch 4X ProTour, Downhill World Cup and the impressive side events.
The race had a good entry, so when practice started the track had a constant flow of riders as everyone got to grips with it. The weather was wet, but in many ways, that helped the new track changes to bind together. The new changes were good as they added 2 extra turns to the track which would really help passing opportunities come race time.
Scott has had some great results here in the past and always rides his track well so we were confident heading into qualifying.
With most of 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 to set up his race night.
Qualifying:
In his qualifying run, visually, Scott looked one of the quickest on course. He crossed the finish in 6th. Clearly gutted, Scott knew he was on a flier but he was a little cautious in the final turn and did not carry speed onto the last straight. It was time to forget it and to plan for the racing on Saturday night. After the run Scott said:
“I made a great start and rode all the lines well. I really messed up in the final turn and that cost me today but we will be back tomorrow”.
Race Day:
Race day rolled around and the weather continued to stay dry, despite forecasts saying rain and storms. With huge crowds, Scott was ready. Winning his first round of racing Scott was looking good. In the second round he had a great battle and again moved through to the quarter finals. In his quarter final Scott made a great gate and led the race into turn 1. Ahead of Quentin Derbier, Scott looked comfortable until he nearly crashed in the 2nd turn. Losing all his speed Scott went back to 3rd and unfortunately could not make the ground back. He was out of the race and would end up with 9th overall for the night.
It wasn’t Scott’s best race in Fort William, but he was very happy with the way he raced on the night:
“I am pretty disappointed with 9th but at the same time happy with how I rode. Just a simple slip in the wrong place cost me dearly tonight. That was a race where anyone could have won but I gave it my all and 9th was the result. We have a few weeks now to prepare for the next round in Czech Republic”.
The next round of 4X ProTour is on Saturday 14th July. However before then we have the Malvern’s Festival, Round 4 of British 4X Series and the small matter of the 2018 4X World Championships in Val Di Sole, Italy. A huge month coming up. Stay tuned for all the news.
USN Racing – Winterberg Diary
The 2018 4X ProTour began in Winterberg, Germany last weekend. Here is the team diary from the event:
4X ProTour Round 1: Winterberg, Germany
4X ProTour 2018 – Winterberg
Scott Beaumont
Qualifying – 6th
Race – 13th
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 6th 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 6th 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 2nd 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 3rd. He fought on the second straight and moved himself back into 2nd. 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 13th, but I only have to wait a week to go again in Poland. I can’t wait”.
As Scott mentioned there, the teams next event is 4X ProTour round 2 in Szczawno Zdroj, Poland this Saturday.
To keep up with Scott, make sure you add him on social media:
www.facebook.com/beaumontracing