The 2022 race season began for Scott Beaumont last weekend at the National Indoor BMX Arena in Manchester. The facility at British Cycling headquarters is incredible. A £24 million pound building which holds the world’s only permanent indoor BMX track and seating for 2,000 spectators. It is brilliant and Scott’s favourite BMX track. It also happens to be the venue where Scott spends a lot of his time training, so coming into this race he was confident about starting his season strong.

We arrived on Friday and set up our Dethleffs trade pitch immediately outside the main entrance. Our photographer Charles Robertson was in his element!

Round 1 – Saturday:

The racing started on Saturday with round 1. After signing on and registering his transponder for racing, Scott took to the track for his practice session. Just a couple of laps were needed to get up to speed and he was ready to race.

Onto the qualifying races and Scott got off to the best start possible, winning his first heat. The second lap didn’t go to plan, finishing a disappointing 5th after a bit of bumping and banging. In his 3rd heat he took the win again and felt very confident heading into the final. 

As the 2nd seed, he chose gate 2 without hesitation. The gate dropped and Scott made a text book start. He battled with the rider on the inside of him and unfortunately couldn’t hold the lead. Slipping into 2nd into turn 1 things immediately went bad for Scott as he got a huge bump from a rider who dived inside of him. This pushed him off track and his race was over. Crossing the finish line in 7th Scott was frustrated but happy to have been part of an action packed race. It was now time for food and a regroup ahead of round 2 on Sunday.

Round 2 – Sunday:

Sunday morning arrived and we were ready to go again. Riders were allowed to do a single lap of practice ahead of racing. Scott made it count with a solid lap that looked as strong as his Saturday laps.

Onto racing and Scott was looking strong. His first heat was one of the most action packed races of the day. Battling on the first 3 straights with 2 other riders, Scott entered the final turn in 3rd, then emerged in the lead. It was a perfect high low pass and was executed to perfection. Another win in heat 2 followed by 2nd in heat 3 would again qualify him to the final as 2nd seed.

In the final he chose gate 2 once more. He made a good start and got a good drive down the start hill. Tucking into turn 1 tight he battled in to 2nd. From here he rode a great lap and crossed the line 2nd.

This result was enough to land him in 3rd overall for the weekend’s racing in the points chase.

Commenting after the race, Scott said: “I’m happy to finish 2nd today and end up 3rd in points. The racing this weekend was exceptional and the speed was really high. I felt fast all weekend and I am very happy with how fast my legs were turning. Now we get back on the Mountain Bike and prepare for the first 4X national in 3 weeks.”

As Scott mentioned the team’s next race is on 2nd/3rd of April with rounds 1 & 2 of the 2022 Schwalbe British 4X Series.

Dethleffs have been a sponsor of Beaumont Racing for a few years now and we thought it would be a great idea to show you around our house on wheels.

During the race season our Dethleffs Trend Motorhome becomes our team base at races, transporting all the equipment to races around Europe and gives me everything I need to perform at my best.

In the Winter time it becomes family home most weekends as we explore the country. We filmed this in Autumn at the fabulous Plassey Campsite in Cheshire.

The final round of the 2021 4X ProTour took place at Winterberg in Germany at the huge Dirtmasters festival. Due to Covid restrictions, this was Scott’s first ProTour race in a while so he was eager to get back. The race coming just 3 weeks after dislocating his elbow at World Championships certainly was not ideal, but thanks to the team at Core Clinics, he was in as good condition as he possibly could be.

The track this year was totally different from previous years. Scott had worked with the organiser 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 went well. Scott had the track dialled and looked good. His elbow was not hurting so all was looking good for the race. The track was now a lot longer so there were plenty of lines that needed dealing in.

Qualifying and the race took place on the same day, so riders had to be ready for a full day of action. Seeded number 1 into this event, Scott was the final rider to qualify. The gate dropped and Scott smashed a great run, carrying speed everywhere and looking good. It was fast enough for 4th position. He was happy and felt good going into racing.

Racing went well for Scott as he moved his way through to the semi finals.

In the semi final Scott unfortunately missed the start slightly and found himself in 3rd. He fought hard all the way but just could not find a way through. Crossing the finish line in 3rd, it wasn’t enough to move into the main final.

Scott was gutted to not make the final, but had to regroup quickly as the small final was ready to go. The small final sorts out 5th to 8th place positions, so Scott wanted that 5th place!

The gate dropped and this time Scott was on point. Taking the holeshot, Scott didn’t look back, checking out and taking the win. At the finish line, Scott said:

“It has certainly been an interesting 3 weeks! Dislocating my elbow at World Championships in Italy, racing 50 minutes later, then winning the Schwalbe British 4X Series 2 weeks ago and now finishing 5th today, it certainly shows the rollercoaster of emotions that pro riders have to deal with. I am really happy with my performance today. Doctors have all said I shouldn’t be racing, so I feel pretty proud of what we have achieved. Thank you to everyone for their support this year. It has been incredible.”

This result was a great end to an amazing season for Scott. Schwalbe 4X National Champion, Schwalbe 4X British Series Champion and HSBC British BMX Series 2nd overall. We will take that! Now it’s time to heal up, regroup and focus on 2022. Scott wants that World Championship title……..

Thank you to all our team partners for your support in 2021.

Images by BikeMail Order

Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2021 Schwalbe British 4X Series took place at Afan in South Wales at the weekend. 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 strong chance of winning the title. Scott’s job was simple. In either round 5 or round 6, he had to win every single race in the day on the way to the final and finish first or second in the final to seal the title. With two rounds he just needed a strong performance at one of them.

However. Just one week earlier at the UCI 4X World Championships, a crash in practice (caused by another rider) unfortunately dislocated his right elbow. Scott attended Core Clinics several times ahead of the weekend to try and get movement back into his arm. He was far from fully fit. But Scott being Scott, he wanted to get on the start gate and go for the title.

A cornerstone of the British 4X Series for many years, Afan is fast, flowing and always a favourite for riders and spectators. With fun jumps, high berms, rocks, corkscrew bridges and split lines on the track, racing is always amazing. The sun was shining and the stage was set for a great weekend of racing.

Scott did a small amount of practice on Saturday 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 12.00. Scott rode flawless and took 3 convincing wins in his motos. Taking a maximum score and his opponents losing a couple of points, the stage was set for the semi finals.

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 the final, Scott chose gate 1. Saving his best till last, Scott made a perfect start and took the holeshot. Exiting the first turn, two riders had gone high low on the first turn and dived inside of Scott. Finding himself in third, Scott battled hard into turn two and grabbed second place. He was where he needed to be. Laying down a perfect lap from turn two, Scott comfortably sat in second and crossed the line to clinch his thirteenth Schwalbe British 4X Series Elite men’s title. Across the line he punched the air with delight. It was a particularly tough week for Scott and the relief that he had sealed the title was evident.

“I could not be any happier. This has been one of the toughest weeks of my racing career, but the chance to win this series again was the motivation. I rode so nervous all day. I knew I could not make any mistakes and I could not crash! Thankfully I was able to keep it on two wheels and seal the title one round early. I am absolutely stoked to have done it. Thank you to everyone for their support.”

After the podiums, photographs and film interviews were done, the team returned to the Dethleffs team motorhome, where Sunday was discussed. Unanimously we decided that Scott would sit out Sundays round 6 race to now rest his elbow and focus on the 4X ProTour series finals in Germany in two weeks.

Scott did a couple of interviews during the day and some social media work on Sunday and then it was time for the Overall Series Podiums. 

Thank you to all our team partners. We could not do this without you.

Images by Charles Robertson and Nick Bentley

On Friday 27th August, Scott Beaumont lined up on the gate in Val Di Sole, Italy for the 2021 4X World Championships.

It is the 28th time that Scott has represented his country in the World Championships. 8 times in BMX and 19 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 1 in UCI World Rankings, Scott was first 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. Heading into the final corner, Scott clipped a rock and it bucked the bike up in the air. Scott was riding on his front wheel! Somehow, he saved it and was able to re group and finish his run. It was a disaster, but thankfully Scott did enough to finish 22nd. His split time placed him 2nd so we knew everything was fine and we were in the finals.

So after qualifying, 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 the first hour of practice Scott had his lines dialled. Passing places, and race plans were set. It was time for some gates. His first two looked on point. Really powerful and strong. Unfortunately it then went wrong. Lining up on gate 2, he made a good start but the rider on gate 4 made a great start. He then proceeded to cut across the front of Scott’s front wheel on the take off of the second jump. Scott crashed hard. Clearly in pain the medics were straight to him. It was his right elbow that was giving the most pain. Initially Scott got to his feet and walked off the track. However, soon afterwards, Scott was back on the ground and clearly something was wrong. It was then decided that he needed to be taken to the medical centre and a doctor needed to examine him because the pain was increasing.

With 50 minutes to go before racing, Scott was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow in the crash, but it had gone back in to the joint. As soon as Scott knew it wasn’t broken, Scott was straight back to the start. Most were stunned to see him back at the start! With a fresh helmet and spare bike prepared, Scott decided to ‘have a go’. He was extremely far from fit, but his mental drive and determination were all he needed in this moment. 

Scott lined up for his race and chose gate 4 on the outside – out of trouble and hopeful to just get going and let adrenaline take over. The gate dropped and Scott was predictably a little bit behind. He dived inside on turn 1 and then again on turn 2 and he briefly drew level with the riders in second and third, but on the third straight he clearly was in pain. To put it simply. Scott lost this race, but he won the respect of every rider, team and fan on that hillside. The commentator was going crazy telling the crowd what Scott had gone through in the last hour. Huge applause, chainsaws revving, horns and cheers all the way for Scott.

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

“It’s very hard to be happy with what has just happened. I am proud to have made it back on to the start gate, but I could just cry about the incident earlier. It was uncalled for and ultimately has cost me a shot at the World Championship. I am gutted, but, I suppose it could have been worse so for that I am thankful. In a week where so many bad things are happening in the World, I am able to walk away from this.

I’ll be back next year. I want this title so bad, we now go home, heal up and come back stronger.” 

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.