Race Report – 2022 HSBC British BMX Series Rounds 3 & 4: Cyclopark, Kent
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2022 HSBC British BMX Series took place at Cyclopark in Kent. An incredible facility for BMX, road cycling, cyclocross, XC and a great skatepark too.
We arrived on Friday afternoon, parked the motorhome, set the team tent up and then it was a couple of official practice sessions. Scott looked great on track and quickly got to grips with the technical jumps. It was pretty windy but the track was in fantastic condition and we were ready for a great weekend of racing.
Saturday: Round 3
Saturday morning rolled around and it was time to get the show on the road. In BMX riders have 3 qualifying races – called motos which qualify riders through to the knockout stages of quarter finals, semi finals and then the final.
Scott’s day got off to the rough start, getting pushed wide in turn 1 and dropping back to 5th. It was a rough start! In the second race he finished 2nd and in his final moto he took another 2nd.
Qualifying through to the final, and with 3rd pick, Scott took gate 3. Making an ok start Scott powered down the start, just a fraction behind the leader. In a battle into turn 1, Scott came off worst and got bumped to the back of the pack. He started his comeback and ended up salvaging 6th across the finish line. .It was a frustrating race but that’s BMX
“I am disappointed with that race. I gave it my all and today it wasn’t quite enough. I found myself in a tough position in turn 1 and I chose to hit the brakes rather than try to force it. I have had a great day though and it’s amazing to be racing in Cyclopark again” said Scott in the finish area.
Sunday: Round 2
After some great food on Saturday night in our Dethleffs team motorhome and a decent sleep, it was time for round 2.
In the motos, Scott looked on fire. Even though he scored a 4th, 2nd and 4th, he was battling hard and those results could have easily been 1st, 1st, 1st as the top 4 in each race were only covered by less than 0.3 seconds. It was tight racing and Scott was in the hunt.
After the motos Scott decided that he would change gearing, dropping from a 44-16 to a 43-16. Just to try and get a better jump out of the start and get across to the inside.
In the final, Scott took a huge gamble and chose an outside gate – 7. The theory was that the riders had been bumping and banging all weekend and this would give him a clean run around the outisde. He made a great start and rocketed down the start straight. Level into turn 1 unfortunately the rider next to him made a mistake and ran him extremely wide. Scott hustled and got himself back into 5th. Scott came close to making a couple of passes, but he crossed the line in 5th.
“That was a tough day, but again, I’m really happy with my riding. Finishing 6th yesterday and 5th today doesn’t reflect how well I was racing and now as we head towards the first 4X Nationals and ProTours of the year I am happy with how fast my legs are turning. I leave here in 5th overall in points with only 20 points separating 2nd to 6th! There’s plenty to be happy about” said Scott after the final.
The team now has a couple of weekends off before the first round of Schwalbe British 4X which will take place at Afan in South Wales on 30th April and 1st May.
Many thanks to all our team partners for your support.
