The first round of the 2023 4X ProTour took place at Winterberg in Germany at the huge IXS Dirtmasters festival on Saturday. With huge crowds watching all weekend, this festival is certainly one of the biggest events in Europe and its amazing to have 4X ProTour there. The 4X track has undergone a complete transformation so we were excited to get there and get racing.

Scott had worked with the organiser on the track improvements and they had come up with a totally new layout. During first practice the riders were excited about the changes. Much more open than previous years meant that passing was going to be easier and the crowds would certainly be entertained.

Practice on Friday went well. Scott had the track dialled and looked good. The weather forecast was great all weekend and the track was dry.

Qualifying and the race took place on Saturday, so riders had to be ready for a full day of action. Seeded number 2 into this event, after his 2nd overall in the 2023 4X ProTour, Scott exploded out of the gate seeking the fastest time. The gate dropped and Scott smashed a great run, hitting all his lines. He crossed the finish line with the fastest time to that point. Unfortunately Tomas Slavik, the 2022 4X ProTour Champion was able to just beat Scott’s time. However. The team were happy and Scott went into racing with the 2nd fastest time of the day. He was happy and felt good going into racing.

With a practice session before the race, Scott decided to change his gearing to help make a better start. It was going to be crucial, so he rolled the dice.

Racing went well for Scott winning his early heats and moving through to the quarter finals. In the quarter final Scott made another good start and led that race too from start to finish. 

In the semi final Scott chose gate 2. He made a good start but after a bump got squeezed on the first straight. Into turn 1 he was battling extremely hard but was on the outside and had to hit the brakes before going through the tape. With ground to make up he set off in pursuit. Catching up to 2nd place, Scott made his move and dived into 2nd. It was a great pass, but then in the final turn he got passed back. It was the race of the day, but unfortunately Scott was into the small final to determine the 5th to 8th place riders. Scott wanted that 5th place and final spot on the podium!

The gate dropped and Scott was on point. Taking the holeshot, Scott didn’t look back, checking out and taking the win. Another good result for Scott landing on the podium. His speed was incredible all day and with the next 4X ProTour in only 2 weeks away, we are confident of a great year ahead.

In the finish area Scott said: 

“That was a good day. The first straight is super technical and quite narrow. I battled hard in that semi final and I’m gutted to not have made the final, but coming back to win the small final feels good and it’s a podium to start the year. The goal all year is top 5’s so that we can chase the overall World title. We are on course.”

Thank you to all our team partners for your support in 2023.

Our highlights film from round 1 of the 2023 Schwalbe British 4X Series from Chicksands. Enjoy:

After the long winter break, our 2023 4X season fired back into action with round 1 of the Schwalbe British 4X Series which was held at Chicksands in Bedfordshire on Sunday.

After filming a course preview film at the track on Thursday, Scott was immediately looking fast on the track and certainly looked like he had the pace to be at the sharp end in racing.

For the elites, the start was going to be absolutely vital with the ‘S’ bend at the top of the track where all the remaining action would take place. Britain’s fastest riders, all still bunched together head into these turns trying to out brake each other. Sometimes it works and sometimes it all unleashes!

In the motos Scott took a win and two second places which he was fairly happy about. He led races, was passed and crucially made some great passes himself on this tight and technical track. He also made a huge mistake whilst leading the second moto where he nearly crashed but saved it!

Into the semi final as the top seed in his race, Scott took gate one on the inside. Making a perfect gate, Scott led the race into turn one, but heading into the S bends, another rider got inside and Scott had to ride the outside berm. He then got immediately shuffled back to 4th and the race went from perfect to a disaster in 2 seconds straight. 

Unfortunately he did not make the main final. However. In 4X there is a small final to determine 5th to 8th positions and to award the final step of the 5 rider podium.

In the small final, Scott took gate 2 to give himself a bit more space. He made a great start and rode his best lap of the day, taking the win, 5th on the day and the final step on the podium. 

‘Today has been great. It’s been a long winter and it feels great to get started with 2023 4X season. Although I didn’t take the win today, there are a lot of positives to take away. My track speed was really good, and it has been a good start to the year. It was awesome to see so many riders racing 4X in the UK and I’m excited to celebrate 20 years of British 4X all year’ Said Scott at the finish line.

The podiums were held immediately after the finals.

Round 2 will take place at Fly Up 417 in Gloucestershire on Sunday May 7th. See you all there.

Thank you to all our partners for the 2023 season. It’s going to be a great year.

Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2023 British BMX Series took place at Cyclopark in Kent. An incredible facility for BMX, road cycling, cyclocross, XC and a great skatepark too. 

We arrived on Friday afternoon, parked the motorhome, set the team tent up and then it was a couple of official practice sessions. The weather was awful. Cyclopark had transformed into Cyclone-Park. However the show must go on and with a better forecast for the weekend, the team decided to utilise the Friday session to get used to the flow of the track. With a strong cross wind the session was simply about pumping around the track to lock in where the jumps were and look at some lines.

After practice our photographer Charles Robertson took some great images of our 2023 ICE race bike.

Saturday: Round 1

Saturday morning rolled around and it was time to get the 2023 show on the road. The weather was much better. Cloudy but no rain and less wind. 

In BMX riders have 3 qualifying races – called motos which qualify riders through to the knockout stages of quarter finals, semi finals and then the final.

Scott’s day got off to a good start, finishing 3rd in moto 1. His speed was good but his outside gate made it tough. In the second race he finished 4th after holding 2nd all the way to the finish line where he was pipped by 2 other riders. In his final moto he took a good 2nd and really looked good.

Qualifying through to the final, and with 3rd pick, Scott took gate 6. He wanted some space to simply focus on his first straight and not bang bars with the others in to turn 1. The gambled worked perfectly. Making a great start Scott powered down the start, just a fraction behind the leader. In a battle into turn 1, Scott managed to get all the way over and slot into 2nd. He tailed the leader all the way and as he closed on the final straight, the rider in 3rd also drafted Scott. Crossing the line it was a photo finish for 2nd – Scott taking it by 0.004 of a second! 

“I am stoked with that race. I gave it my all and finishing 2nd in a close race like that is a great result to start the season. I have had a great day and it’s amazing to be racing in Cyclopark again” said Scott in the finish area.

Sunday: Round 2

After some great food on Saturday night and a decent sleep, it was time for round 2.

In the motos, Scott looked on fire. He finished 2nd, 1st and 2nd in his motos and was able to progress to the final with the 2nd choice of gate.

After the motos Scott decided that he would change gearing, dropping from a 44-16 to a 43-16. Just to try and get a better jump out of the start and get across to the inside.

In the final, Scott took another huge gamble and chose gate 5. The theory was that the riders had been bumping and banging all weekend and this would give him a clean run around the outside. He made a great start and rocketed down the start straight. Level into turn 1. Scott hustled and got himself into 3rd. Another solid lap and he crossed the line in 3rd.

“That was a tough day, but again, I’m really happy with my riding. Finishing 2nd yesterday and 3rd today lands me 2nd overall in the points in the British BMX National series. We will now turn our attention towards the first 4X Nationals and ProTours of the year I am happy with how fast my legs are turning. There’s plenty to be happy about” said Scott after the final.

The team now has to turn everything around in 4 days as we prepare for the first British Cycling 4X National event of the year at Chicksands in Bedfordshire this weekend – Sunday April 9th.

Many thanks to all our team partners for your support.

Be careful in the woods. Spada had a surprise for Scott Beaumont in the woods recently on a training ride….