4X ProTour 2023 Round 3: Val Di Sole, Italy – Race Report
On Friday 30th June, Scott Beaumont lined up on the gate in Val Di Sole, Italy for the 2023 4X ProTour race at this iconic venue.
The track in Val Di Sole, as always, was immaculate. The preparation that the team there had done on the track was incredible and we were excited to get out there.
Riding as well as he ever has, fresh off the back of taking the double win in British 4X Series last weekend, Scott was here to win.
The week started with a drive over to Italy. Arriving on Tuesday night, the team set up the team area on Wednesday morning and then went to check out the track. With a few great changes, it looked amazing and Scott was excited for practice to start on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the organisers asked Scott and a few others to test the track ahead of official practice on Thursday. Fresh floodlights had been placed on the track so lighting needed to be tested ahead of the event starting. The track was riding brilliant. The best it has ever been. Scott hit all the jumps and looked extremely comfortable out there.
Thursday rolled around and it was qualifying day. Currently ranked number 3 in the 4X ProTour World Rankings, Scott would qualify as the third rider from the end. 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 and looked on point. He looked perfect on track – as good as he ever has. Fast, smooth and precise. Crossing the finish line, he had the third fastest time. With just two riders to go, Scott was assured of at least 5th in qualifying. Tomas Slavik put down an awesome lap and he took the fastest time, but current 4X ProTour overall leader Gustaw Dadela couldn’t beat Scott’s time. So we placed 4th for the night and the team were happy with that result.
Friday Night – 4X ProTour Round 3:
It was time to start racing on Friday night. With thousands of fans rolling into the venue to watch the 4X, the sun set, floodlights came on and everything was ready.
After the first hour of practice for Scott, it wasn’t the best preparation. A big crash on his second run left him with multiple cuts, gashes and bruises. With his kit ripped, it was a full change, straighten the bike out and there was just enough time to grab 2 practice starts. In the second one as he was pulling off the track he was hit by another rider which snapped 7 spokes in his back wheel and bent his rear mech. So it was onto his spare bike for racing. Thankfully he had 10 minutes where he could sit down, calm down and regroup.. At 21.00 it was go time.
Scott lined up for his first round on gate 1. He made a perfect start and led the race from start to finish. It was a great start to the evening and settled all our nerves. Onto the quarter final and again he had gate 1. He made it work perfectly and took the lead into turn 1 – again leading from start to finish, thankfully clear of a big crash that happened behind hime.
In the semi final, Scott took gate 2. He made a great start and went into turn 1 in 2nd. Scott rode an incredibly smart race, carrying speed but defending in the passing places. He crossed the line in 2nd and we were all stoked to make another final.
In the final, it was the top 4 qualifiers – surprisingly quite a rare thing. Scott – having qualified 4th had the final pick so was left with gate 3. The gate dropped and Scott got the initial lead but couldn’t get across. In turn 1 he was then ridden a little wide and slipped back to third. He was being hounded by the rider in fourth all the way and was defending all his lines, not carrying speed. In the rocks, unfortunately it came unglued and Scott was pushed back to 4th.
In the finish area Scott said:
“That was one of the best 4X races I have ever raced in. The crowd were incredible. The track was perfect. I am proud of how I rode all night and whilst I am disappointed with 4th in the final, I have gained some valuable points for the overall title. 2 weeks and we go again in JBC.”
Whilst that is correct, our next 4X ProTour race is in 2 weeks, we had more pressing matters. The race finished at 23.00 on Friday night. The team were up at 04.00 and on the road, driving back across Europe with a 20 hour drive, arriving in Gosport late Saturday night. On Sunday Scott raced round 6 of the 2023 BMX National Series. Full report from the mid week!
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.