Schwalbe British 4X Series Round 5 & 6 – Falmouth

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2019 Schwalbe British 4X Series took place in Falmouth, Cornwall last weekend. After, lets say a very challenging season, team rider Scott Beaumont, although still recovering from his major thumb injury, was starting to feel good on the bike again and he was showing some signs of good speed once again.

A strong 4th last week at 4X ProTour in Poland was seriously impressive and coming into this weekend he wanted to continue his return to form.

Arriving on Friday Scott began his weekend with a practice session on the track. Over the years this track has been very good to Scott and straight away he looked comfortable on the track. A good evening of food and it was time for bed in the team Dethleffs truck.

Saturday – Round 5:

The weather was perfect and Scott was clearly in the mood. A good practice session and some gates that looked perfect and he was ready to race.

In his 3 qualifying races, he took the holeshot in each one and simply checked out. He was looking good and focused for the semi final. In the semi final he chose gate 1. Again made a great start and sealed his final place with a big win.

Onto the final. Again chasing his favoured gate 1. The beeps went and Scott fired out of the gate. Leading through turn 1, he went tight in turn 2 to hold the inside line. He powered out of turn 2 and nailed the log section before launching the pro line doubles. He was pulling away with every pedal stroke. Across the finish line Scott had built a good lead and took the win.

Scott’s last 4 weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and pain. At round 5 he looked relaxed and fast. Although still far from 100% he rode really, really well.

Sunday – Round 6:

Sunday and again we woke to blue skies and a perfect day for racing. The track had a few changes for Sundays race which would really spice up the racing. 

The same format for Sunday with 3 qualifying races to start the day. Scott won his first 2 races comfortably. In his third race he was bar banging through the first turn. It was some classic 4X action and it was good to see Scott feeling good on the bike again and racing hard. Scott held strong and took the win.

Into the final and Scott chose gate 1. Making a perfect start Scott was again going bar to bar on the first straight. It was entertaining for the crowd but Scott fought for the position and took the holeshot into turn 1. From here Scott rode a perfect lap and continued to extend his lead all the way to the finish. 

Out of 9 races through the weekend, Scott won every one of them. He looked strong and somewhere back towards his best after an horrific year of major injuries.

“I felt great on the bike all weekend and it feels even better to have taken the wins on both days. These result have now put me in mathematical contention for the overall title and I am excited to head to the series finals to see what we can achieve.”

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The teams next event will be the cycle show at Birmingham and then our next race the Schwalbe British 4X Series finals in Redhill, Gloucestershire in a few weeks.

Thank you again to all our sponsors for your support in 2019. We will see you all at the Cycle Show.

The final round of the 2019 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 in the team’s Dethleffs motorhome so that he could take his time practicing the track over the next couple of days whilst he still recovered from his thumb injury that was sustained less than 3 weeks ago. The immaculately prepared track looked perfect.

Scott did some light practice on Wednesday and again on Thursday as the weather forecast predicted rain on Friday. Immediately you could tell this was one of Scott’s favourite tracks. He was flowing well and jumping all the big doubles looking much more comfortable on the bike than he did 2 weeks ago at World Championships in Italy.

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. A coupe of tiny mistakes but aside from that it was a perfect run. Crossing the finish line it would place Scott 4th.

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 2, Tomas Slavik in 1, Stefano Dolphin in 3 and Denny Tischendorf in 4. and Scott made a great start and sat in 2nd all the way to the finish line.

Scott was ecstatic to make the final. Again defying all the odds and doctors advice he was chasing a great overall position in the 2019 series.
In the final it was the top 4 riders from qualifying who made it all the way to the final. Qualifying 4th it meant Scott was on the outside. The gate dropped and Scott grabbed the holeshot. He was flying down the first straight and looked like he was on for the win, until the rider in gate 3 tagged him going into turn 1 and forced Scott off the track. It was a racing incident but left Scott with no where to go and unfortunately he had to limp down in 4th. It was a cruel end to his night but the fantastic news was that Scott had done enough to finish 3rd overall in the 2019 4X ProTour.

“You know this feels like a win. I know I said that 2 weeks ago at Worlds but to be competitive here tonight and really have a shot at winning the race feels incredible. I still have some major problems with my thumb but I am thankful that in a year that has been effected so much by injury I have been able to finish 3rd overall in the 4X World Series. I am stoked. Thank you to my family, friends, all my sponsors and everyone who has taken the time to message me in the last few tough weeks. I think this result is something to be incredibly proud of and I couldn’t have done it without the support from everyone. Cheers.” Scott was clearly emotional in the finish area but could not stop saying thank you to everyone.

It was straight to the podium for the awards ceremony and then the long drive back home.

It is still no rest for Scott. In just 7 days we go again in Falmouth for rounds 5 and 6 of the 2019 Schwalbe British 4X Series. Thankfully after that he has a couple of weeks off!!!