4X PROTOUR ROUND 7 – PAMPOROVO, BULGARIA
X ProTour Round 7 – Pamporovo, Bulgaria:
Scott Beaumont
Qualifying – 4th
Race – 4th
Hi all,
The weekend saw the final round of the 4X ProTour in Pamporovo, Bulgaria. Scott entered into this race in 5th position overall but he could move as high as 3rd or drop down to 6th. Looking for a top 5 podium overall result, Scott was focused and ready for the challenge.
Practice began on Thursday. The track was a new venue in the 4X ProTour and a track that Scott had not previously raced on. It was the longest track of the season at just over 50 seconds and it had a great mix of elements. Super fast on the long straights, tight ‘S’ bends, a forest section and some huge jumps. It was technical but Scott was liking it right from the start.
Here is a helmet camera run of the track taken on Thursday:
Friday: Qualifying
Onto Friday first job of the day was a press conference for the top 5 riders for the Bulgarian mainstream media. As joint organiser of the 4X ProTour, Scott hosted the press conference as well as answering questions from the press. In the afternoon it was time for qualifying. Both qualifying and the race were shown live on the Internet in stunning hd quality. Overnight rain made the track perfect. As UCI World ranked number 2, Scott’s qualifying was 2nd from last rider. With a great start, Scott attacked the track and it looked to be a clean run. Across the finish line it was good enough for 4th position overall.
Saturday: Race
Saturday and Scott needed to speed up and work on his race lines. Practice went well and he was ready. At 15.00 it was race time. Scott was flying. He looked good on the track and everything was shaping up nicely. Taking the win in his quarter final he was in the semi final. With a great start Scott led down to turn 1 but slipped back to 2nd in turn 1. He held 2nd to the finish to book his place in the final.
Final time. Tomas Slavik to gate 1, Quentin Derbier in 2, Felix Beckeman in 3 and Scott in 4. Scott made a decent start and with a clash of handlebars by the 3 guys inside he had a great run around the first turn. Unfortunately the riders on the inside drifted wide and cut off Scott’s move. He was quite a way back at this point but fought hard down the track to set up a drag race with Beckeman on the last straight. Drawing level at the last jump Scott was charging for 3rd but then disaster struck. In one of the biggest crashes of his career Scott was thrown over his handlebars when his front wheel bogged down in a soft spot on the take off. The crash was brutal as Scott bounced off his back, scorpioned and ‘rag dolled’ down the track. It was truly horrific.
Here is the official film from the race:
After attention by the medics and after getting his breathe back Scott began to move and after a while he was sat up. A battered Scott finished the race and more or less headed straight to the airport to see his doctors back in the UK.
Scott is seeing specialists today to check his lower back out further and of course we will keep you all updated with his condition as we get information.
For those of you brave enough, here is the footage of the final and Scott’s crash:
The team film featuring Scott’s crash is also on the front page of:
PinkBike: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/crash-scott-beaumont-at-4x-2014.html
Dirt: http://dirtmountainbike.com/videos/scott-beaumont-4x-crash.html#!bKpAzw
Right now, we are unsure on Scott’s next race as we have his condition assessed by doctors and specialists but we will let you know in due course.
The result of 4th in the final was enough to give Scott 4th overall in the 4X ProTour for 2014. After successfully defending the 4X National Championship 2 weeks ago, currently sat in 2nd overall in the UCI World Rankings and also leading the British 4X Series with only 1 round remaining, Scott has had an incredible year and we hope the injuries sustained in Bulgaria are not serious and don’t put a dampener on what has been an amazing year for Scott and Yeti Racing UK.