4X ProTour 2018 – JBC, Czech Republic

Posted on August 8, 2018 by boomboom

Scott Beaumont

Qualifying – 14^th

Race – 10^th

The fourth round of the 2018 4X ProTour took place in Jablonec, Czech Republic at the weekend. After a strong season, Scott Beaumont was looking to maintain a top 5 overall position at this penultimate round.

Historically this track hasn’t been the best for Scott with inconsistent results over the years. He was looking to maintain his good form to finally get the result he wants at JBC Bikepark.

The track is in his rivals, Tomas Slavik’s hometown of Jablonec in northern Czech Republic. It is the toughest track on the circuit with the biggest jumps, forest section, rocks, wall rides and rhythm sections. It has it all and it is also the longest track so it is extremely physical.

Practice was unfortunately cancelled on Thursday due to torrential rain and storms that swept through the city. In the evening Scott was one of the top 10 seeded riders who was introduced to the town and the mayor in the opening ceremony. It was great to see the riders being given the star treatment!

On Friday the weather had improved and an extended practice session got underway. Scott was looking comfortable on the track.

The weather was dry for qualifying making the track super-fast and dusty. The sun was shining and the track was absolutely perfect.

Scott was seeded 4^th, so he qualified at the end of the session. He rode a good lap, but made a big mistake in the woods losing vital seconds. The rest of his run was not perfect but it was ok and crossed the line in 14^th position.

“I made a great start and rode all the lines well. I nearly crashed in the woods and so I’m happy to qualify” said Scott in the finish area.

Race day and thankfully the rain which was forecast did not materialize. There was a short practice session for the riders before the racing started and Scott worked on his track speed.

Before racing started, the top riders were introduced to the huge crowds with a backdrop of dancers and flames flying in the air. It was an awesome start to the event. Then an acrobatic plane flew overhead and the crowds were going wild!

Onto the racing. In Scott’s first race, he took gate 1. With a great start he took the lead and rode his best lap of the weekend. Winning the race from start to finish, Scott was looking in the mood for a great night.

In the quarter finals though disaster struck. Scott had the 4^th pick on the gate and was left with gate 4. Making a great start, he opted to stay wide into turn 1. In the move of the night, he made a slingshot move from high in the entry of the corner to low on the exit passing 2 riders. He set off on the second straight in 2^nd position! Heading into the woods he was looking good but one of the riders he passed in turn one repaid Scott’s move with a very aggressive pass on the inside. Scott had to change lines to miss a tree and was dropped back to 4^th. He charged down the track and was able to make a clean pass for 3^rd but he couldn’t get back to 2^nd. That was unfortunately the end of his race and an overall position of 10^th.

A cruel way to end the night but as Scott said in the finish:

“I would have done exactly the same thing. I was very happy with the pass in turn one but he retaliated in the woods. That’s racing and it was fun out there. Over 10,000 spectators just saw 4X in it’s finest light’.

Now the team are heading home to prepare for the 4X National Championships in 4 weeks time where Scott will look to defend his Championship.

2018 4X World Championships – Val Di Sole, Italy

Posted on August 8, 2018 by boomboom

On Friday 6th July, USN Racing team rider Scott Beaumont lined up on the gate in Val Di Sole, Italy for the 2018 4X World Championships.

It is the 25th time that Scott has represented his country in the World Championships. 7 times in BMX and 18 times in Mountain Bike. It’s an incredible record and one that Scott is not ready to call time on yet.

Riding as well as he ever has, Scott was here to win.
The week started with a drive over to Italy in the new Dethleffs team truck. Arriving on Monday, the team set up the team area and then went to check out the track. With a few great changes, it looked amazing and Scott was excited to have a ride. Having a steady play, immediately Scott looked comfortable, having fun and jumping everything! Clearly he was in the mood for a good week…….

Thursday rolled around and it was qualifying day. Currently ranked number 7 in UCI World Rankings, Scott was 7th to start his single lap of the track. 4X is a brutal sport. Just a single lap determines the top 32 riders to qualify. If you crash, make a mistake or have a technical problem, your race is over before it has even started. It is a pressure cooker for the riders.

Scott was focused and as he left the start looked on point. However he made a couple of mistakes on his lap and crossing the line in a time of 46.592 he ended up in 8th position.

So after qualifying 8th, it was time to look forward to racing on Friday night. With thousands of fans rolling into the venue to watch the World Championships, the sun set, floodlights came on and everything was ready.

After an hour of practice Scott had his lines dialled. Passing places, options and a good few gates had him ready to go.

21.15 rolled around. It was race time.In his first race, Scott slightly missed the gate and moved into second through the first turn. He looked fast all the way and clearly was looking at options for next round of racing. It was the lap that would set him up for the night.

In the quarter finals, the draw looked tough as Scott lined up against the two Slavik’s. Hannes from Austria and fastest qualifier Tomas from Czech Republic.

Scott made an amazing start and bumped bars with Hannes on the first straight. It was super aggressive from both riders as they fought for that semi final spot. Scott got bumped wide and found himself in third. He stayed on Hannes rear wheel all the way and after learning a fresh line through the rocks in race one, he attacked just at the same time as Hannes made a mistake.

It was timed to perfection and Scott was able to grab second position and qualify through.

In the semi final, Scott again had gate 3. Without doubt, making one of the best starts of his career, he jumped out in the lead. Over the first drops he tangled with defending World Champion Felix Beckman on the first drop which nearly made them both crash. Scott just held on and moved into second. In turn three, Beckman came back and made a big pass on Scott. There was a little contact and it threw Scott’s gears out of sync. It was a big pass but it was a legitimate pass that Scott tipped his hat to.

On the exit of the turn Scott went to pedal and there was nothing there. It simply turned out that his gears had moved from 5th back up to 2nd, so it felt to Scott like his chain had come off.

He lost a lot of ground and his race was over.

No matter how many races you have done, being beaten in the semi final, finishing third in that race and not qualifying to the World Championship final will always be one of the biggest emotional roller coasters in the World.

Then having to regroup and head back to race again 5 minutes later to decide fifth to eighth, it’s a big ask for any rider!

Scott was in the gate and ready to race. Making another good gate he entered the first turn in second. Making another aggressive move he dived inside to take the lead but came up short. In the blink of an eye he was third and then fourth.

Re focusing, Scott clearly focused on carrying speed to catch the riders ahead of him. Into the final turn he was back in touch and made a clean pass before the rocks to take third place in the race and seventh for the 2018 4X World Championships.

As ever, in the finish area, Scott was completely honest about his performance.

“It’s very hard to be happy with seventh, but in a strange way I am. I fought hard all night. Took risks, made plenty of contact with other riders and gave it 100%. I could not have done any more. We were so close to making the final in that semi final and unfortunately the cards did not fall my way. I was one of the fastest riders on track tonight and I am already focused on the 2019 4X World Championships.”

Finally we want to thank all out team partners and sponsors. Without you this incredible performance would not have been possible. We have the best sponsors and an incredible presence at the events.

We are forever thankful for the opportunities you give us and want to sincerely thank you all.

We are now driving across Europe to our next race in Czech Republic – round 4 of the 2018 4X ProTour.

Scott currently sits in third overall so he will be looking for a strong result with just two rounds remaining.

4X ProTour 2018: Round 3 – Fort William, Scotland

Posted on June 7, 2018 by boomboom

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 6^th. 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 2^nd turn. Losing all his speed Scott went back to 3^rd and unfortunately could not make the ground back. He was out of the race and would end up with 9^th 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 9^th 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 9^th 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 14^th 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

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”.

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: