Scott Beaumont 2012 4X National Champion
Schwalbe British 4X Series Round 4 and 4X National Championships
So first up, Saturday and round 4 of the Schwalbe British 4X Series.
Practice for both Scott and Dave went well. Both riders had their lines dialled and were ready to race. Dave, is still recovering from his broken radius that he sustained earlier in the year and the rough course at Harthill was giving his arm some grief, but he was fine to race.
In the motos, Scott took 3 wins to move forward to the quarter finals as the number 1 seeded rider. Dave had a win and a couple of seconds in the seniors to book his place in the quarter finals in the seniors. Scott won his Quarter final as did Dave so they were both safely through to the semi finals.
In the semi finals, Scott made an awesome start and clearly took the win from start to finish and book his place in the final. Dave had a bit more drama. He made a bad start and was in 3rd place. He had a plan though and waited till the last turn to rail the berm, carry more speed and move into 2nd place at the finish. A smart move from him gave him a final place.
Dave was up first in the finals. With gate 4 he was going to have trouble getting across everyone. He made a good gate but just could not get to the first turn leading. He then got boxed out and was in 4th. He fought back from a distance behind to take 3rd at the finish line which we were all stoked with. Finally, Scott was up. He made another great start and led the race into the first turn. The others were close in the first 2 turns but then he started to pull a lead. In the penultimate turn, Scott railed the berm to give himself speed into the final turn. At the finish line he had a big lead and took a convincing win.
Sunday and it was the biggest domestic 4X race here in the UK. The Schwalbe 4X National Championships.
As the National Championships carries UCI ranking points, the event is run like a 4X ProTour race, where riders do a timed qualification run and the top 32 riders qualify to the racing where it is straight knockout until the winner is crowned. Also at the National Championships, Seniors and Elite riders are mixed into one senior 19+ category. This is the same in every country around the World and would provide a great chance for Scott and Dave to race in the same class.
First up it was qualifying. Dave had a great run and qualified 19th which mixed in with 17 elite riders was a great result for him. As qualifying was in reverse order and Scott is using the number 1 plate, Scott was the last rider to go. He had a perfect run and looked visibly quicker than the others. Across the line he set the fastest time, nearly a second quicker than the 2nd placed rider, so the team and Scott were stoked.
Onto the racing. Both riders made it to the quarter finals with no problems, winning their races. Scott won his quarter final to book his semi final place. Dave had all sorts of drama though. He made a bad gate and went into the first turn in 4th, but in one of the smartest moves by any rider all weekend, he came out of turn 2 in 2nd! He was in position to move forwards to the quarter final and upset a lot of elite riders. However, on the pro line he got cross rutted and nearly crashed, The guy in 3rd got a good drive and just got past Dave. It was close at the finish line, but Dave just missed out and ended the day in 12th position.
Scott was in the semi finals. Like the rest of the weekend, he made a perfect start and led that race from start to finish. He was in the final and had not been beaten all weekend. 1 race to go the big one.
In the final Scott took gate 1. A lot was going to depend on a good gate. Focused and ready, Scott got the snap and led the race. He was pulling small gaps all the way down the track and near the end had a good lead. A small slip allowed the others to gain a little but across the line, Scott took it with a good lead to become the 2012 4X National Champion.
For the next year Scott will wear the Union Jack flag of Great Britain on his sleeve symbolising him as the National Champion.
We just want to thank all the team sponsors for all their support in 2012. It has been a phenomenal season for both riders but Scott becoming National Champion again is the icing on the cake. Next up for the team will be the 2nd round of the Schwalbe Euro 4X Series in Switzerland on August 5th. We will keep you all updated on the preparation for that race.
Scott Beaumont 1st
Dave Richardson 3rd
Schwalbe 4X National Championships:
Scott Beaumont 1st
Dave Richardson 12th
