2023 4X National Championships – Malverns Festival
On Sunday, thousands of spectators lined the race track to watch the 2023 4X National Championships at the Malverns Classic Festival.
Thankfully the weather was dry and sunny and at 11am practice got underway. The track was a little different to what we are used to seeing on the British 4X Series. At about a minute long, and speeds in excess of 40mph, the track was fast, flowing and physical.
At 1pm, it was time for qualifying. The senior men and women would qualify against the clock, whilst the other categories would use the traditional 3 moto format for qualifying.
Qualifying:
Seeded as the number 1 rider, Scott would leave the start gate last as riders qualified in reverse order.
He fired out of the gate and was on a heater, pedalling everywhere and carrying great speed all the way. As he crossed the finish line, he slotted into 2nd position, 0.4 behind the fastest time. He was happy enough and set his focus on the racing.
Racing:
In the semi final racing got very serious. Scott went for gate 1. He made an incredible start and powered out of the gate, leading through turn 1. He carried good speed through the technical corners and pulled a good lead over the 2nd placed rider. As he carried on into the finish aren, Scott had a big lead and was able to coast into the finish and into the final. After a spin of his legs in the finish arena, he set off back to the top for the final.
Onto the final. Jono Jones took gate 2, Scott took 1, Dave Roberts went for 3 and Pete Watson took 4. The gate dropped and Scott got the snap leading down the first straight took the early lead. He continued to pull away down the track and even though the others closed up in the final turn, he had it under control.
Taking his 11th Senior mens National 4X title and adding this to the Senior Mens Dual Slalom National Championship title that he won on Friday, it was a hell of a weekend for Boom Boom.
“I just can’t believe it. I felt good all day, but at National Championships, the pressure is always on. As soon as I got into turn 1 I knew I could win and I just hit all my marks on the track to bring it home. This one is for my family. The support they have given me throughout my career has been second to none and I can’t thank them enough for all their support.”
Scott was ecstatic in the finish area and didn’t leave until every kid had a high five who wanted one!
Next it was the podiums, a couple of photoshoots for British Cycling and MBUK and then it was home time after an incredible weekend at the Malverns Classic.
Thank you to all the riders, medics, commentators, officials, commissaires, marshals, family and friends who attended this race. It was incredible.