Race Report – 4X ProTour Round 3: Dobrany, Czech Republic
The third round of the 2022 4X ProTour took place at Dobrany Bikepark in Czech Republic yesterday. With big crowds watching all weekend, this race is certainly here to stay on the ProTour. The track was huge. Big jumps, high speed and a real challenge for all the riders.
Scott arrived at the track late Thursday evening and was excited to see the new track on Friday for the first official practice session.
On Friday, riders had 3 hours to get to grips with this new challenge. It took Scott most of the session to really dial in the track. It was huge and a lot to work on to get up to speed. By the end of the session though, Scott was certainly looking quick and we were focused on a great result on Saturday.
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, so he would go second from the end. When qualifying started though, the rain clouds arrived. The first riders got a dry track but by the time Scott got into the gate, the track had turned into a mess. Wet and slippery from the heavy thunderstorm meant that it was all Scott could do to stay on his bike. Impressively, Scott put together a good run and was actually able to jump some of the bigger jumps. It was a great run all things considered and he crossed the line in 7th position.
He was happy and felt good going into racing as the team immediately leapt into action. Changing Scott’s tyres to spikes, attaching a front mudguard and prepping the bike for wet weather.
Racing went well for Scott winning his early heats and moving through to the quarter finals. In the quarter final, Scott started to feel the pinch from his bad qualifying. He would be given gate 3. However he made an incredible start and managed to get across to lead into turn 1 and then go on to win the race. It was a really impressive ride.
In the semi final Scott now found himself on gate 4. However, he was clearly in the mood. He made a great start and battled down the first straight. After a bump and a bang Scott got all the way across and again led the race into turn 1. He then rode a perfect lap and won the semi final. He was unbeaten and looking great into the final.
In the final, Scott had gate 3. The gate dropped and Scott was on point. Taking the holeshot, Scott was leading into turn 1. Then disaster struck. He landed short on a double jump into turn 1 and everything unravelled. He went from 1st to 4th in the blink of an eye. From there he battled back but just could not make a pass and ended up finishing 4th.
In the finish area Scott said:
“I can’t believe it. I am so annoyed with myself. I had it in the final and I messed up. It’s on me. I made a mistake and I am absolutely gutted. There’s nothing else to say. This one got away and it stings pretty bad.”
The result, although disappointing for Scott moves him up to 2nd overall in the 2022 4X ProTour overall rankings. His consistency with podiums at every race so far is paying off. There are 4 rounds left and he is certainly fighting for the overall title.
The next round is this weekend, again in Czech Republic at the famous JBC 4X Revelations event. The biggest race of the year. Let’s keep the momentum going.
Thank you to all our team partners for your support in 2022.
