4X ProTour 2013 – Round 3 – Val Di Sole, Italy

Scott Beaumont
Qualifying – 6th
Race – 2nd


From Fort William last week, Yeti Racing UK and the rest of the 4X ProTour riders travelled south to Italy for round 3 of the 2013 4X ProTour in Val Di Sole. The 'Valley of the Sun' rarely lets us down and this year was no different. Blue skies and sunshine all week with temperatures close to 30 degrees everyday provided perfect track conditions for round 3.

Unchanged from last year, this track simply doesn't need any changes. It always delivers fantastic racing. It is the longest track on the ProTour, but with huge berms and plenty of space on each straight, the riders can move around and set up passes well in advance.

As always big crowds flocked to the track to watch both qualifying on Friday night and racing on Saturday night. Under floodlights, the drama unfolded.

In Practice, I felt really fast. The best I have all year. We were on pace and I was looking forward to qualifying. Qualifying was on Friday night under floodlights. I was third rider from the end to go. Michael Mechura left the gate ahead of me. I got myself set and about 20 seconds later the gate dropped. Unfortunately Michael had a huge crash when he slid out on the bridge that drops into the finish. He crashed hard and knocked himself unconscious. The medics ran over to him to attend.

At this point I was half way down the course when the call went out to stop qualifying. I was absolutely flying on a perfect run when the marshals ran out onto the track with red flags to stop me just before the bridge. I hit the brakes but slid out at full speed trying to stop and crashed hard in the same place. It was lucky as I would have jumped off the bridge and landed on Michael and the medics who were treating him.

My back, kidney and right leg were all hurting from the impact. I got up and was trying to walk off the crash. Michael was taken to the medical unit, but I needed to get back up to the start. There are vital overall series points up for grabs in qualifying and I needed a good time. I was shuttled up to the start for a re run. About 10 minutes later, the gate dropped and I was going for it on my 2nd quail run. As I crossed the finish line, I placed 6th overall which I was both stoked about and gutted. Stoked as I couldn't walk properly on my right leg, but gutted as I knew my first run was really fast!! I ended up just 1.4 seconds behind Michal Prokop – the fastest qualifier.



So it was time for racing. For me it was a tough day. When I woke up my leg and hip were hurting bad and I had thoughts of not even racing. As the day wore on I felt a bit better and decided the show had to go on. It turned out to be a good decision. The crowds came out in force and lined the track 5 deep from top to bottom. The first gate dropped at 20.00 and racing was underway. What a night it turned out to be.

The racing all night was simply incredible. So many passes, so much action and one of the best ever displays of the level that world 4X riders are at now. There were more than 3 passes in every race.

I won my first round and second round to make it into the quarter finals. My gates were not very good as I just could not power from the start. In the quarter I made a good gate considering and slipped into 2nd behind Quentin Derbier. Milan Mysik then made a good pass on me in turn 2 and I got him back in turn 3. He passed me again in turn 5 then I got him back on the penultimate straight. The crowd were going absolutely crazy, but the main thing was, I had made it into the semi finals. The day was all about damage limitation for me and getting as many series points as I could. We were in bonus territory from where I thought I would finish earlier in the day.



I was in semi final 2. Tomas Slavik, Quentin Derbier, Stefano Dolfin and me. The gate dropped and it was me, Slavik and Derbier wheel to wheel in turn 1. The 3 of us pulled a slight lead on Dolfin and the action unfolded in the huge berm after the ProLine. Slavik covered the inside, Derbier carried speed mid track and I railed it. Coming down the long straight before the rocks we were all next to each other. Slavik held the inside into the rocks whilst Derbier drifted wide to cover me. In practice I had spotted an extremely wide line in the rocks. Somehow I found space on a knife edge and squeezed passed Derbier down the rocks. The crowd loved it and across the line it was Slavik and me who transferred to the main event.



So we were down to the final race. I was buzzing to reach the final. Prokop took 1, Slavik 2, Beckeman in 3 and I had 4. As the gate dropped Prokop made his best gate of the night and bar to bar with Slavik managed to lead into turn 1. Slavik and Beckeman battled as I cut to the inside. Heading out onto the ProLine, the positions held then it all went wild again after the doubles. Prokop led, Slavik went inside and Beckeman followed him. I railed the turn and in a repeat of the semi final we went 3 riders wide heading into the rocks. Slavik launched down the rocks and somehow managed to pass Prokop to take the lead. I went level down the rocks with Beckeman, but he held onto 3rd into the final turn. When it all looked like it was over into the final straight, Slavik crashed off the bridge. Prokop could not avoid him and both crashed out. Me and Felix flew by them and in the blink of an eye the race results were turned on their head. Beckeman took the win and I crossed the line in 2nd.



Every podium is special but this one in particular felt good. Even now I am not walking properly and to think back, I rode really well up to the final and had a little luck in the final to produce a great result. I am stoked.

This race was 4X at its absolute best. In fact the 2013 season so far has been brilliant. The organisers at Val Di Sole were blown away by the crowds and the atmosphere and without doubt the 4X ProTour will be back again at this fantastic facility. 4X has come of age and the ProTour is proving week in and week out just how great this sport has become.



Thank you to www.mtb-news.de for the photos.

4X ProTour Round 2 - Fort William

Scott Beaumont:
Qualifying – 3rd
Race – 6th

Dave Richardson:
Qualifying – 22nd
Race – 26th




Hi all,

Just back from an amazing weekend in Fort William. Not only was the sun shining all week, but there were hardly any midgies!! A first for Fort William!!

The crowds were huge as always and they were going wild all weekend for round 2 of the 4X ProTour. For us, it all started on Thursday with practice. The track was immaculately prepared and riding better than ever. The 2 hour practice session on Thursday was fun and both riders were feeling fast. Onto Friday and there was another practice session before qualifying. In 4X riders qualify in reverse order from lowest ranked to highest ranked. Dave was first up for the team. He had a really good run, apart from one turn where he clipped a rock and nearly crashed. He re grouped though and crossed the line with a time that would be good enough for 22nd position. Scott was third from the end to go for his qualifying run. On the big screen, he looked on fire and tore the track apart. His time was good enough for third position when all the riders were down.



Both riders were happy and looking forward to the race on Saturday night.

Saturday came and both riders were ready. Scott was busy all weekend doing various signing sessions and tv interviews. Attached are photos of his signing session with Fox Europe, Interview in the finish area as one of the top 5 fastest qualifiers and filming for ITV Cycle Show which will air this summer. Scott also did interviews to camera for BBC Scotland and Yeti Racing UK’s own film that will be released this week.



Racing started and both Dave and Scott won their first heats. In the second round, Dave came unstuck. He was fighting for a qualifying position in the first turn and unfortunately crashed out of the race. It was an earlier exit than he had hoped for but the main thing was he did not pick up any injuries. 26th position was his reward which again has raised his bar with his international results.

Scott was focused and on it. He clearly wanted to win in front of his home crowd. He won the first round, second round and quarter final to book his place in the semi final. In the semi he drag raced David Graf on the first straight, but Graf just pipped him to turn 1. Scott settled into 2nd and both riders had a decent lead on third placed Hannes Slavik. However, on the penultimate turn, Slavik simply did not brake. He carried a huge amount of speed and dived inside of Scott. With no contact it was an awesome pass and one that Scott simply could not defend. Scott was heading to the small final to determine 5th to 8th positions.



Scott was clearly disappointed, but vital series points and the final step on the podium were at stake. He made an amazing start but pulled his left foot out of the pedals on the start straight. Instantly he was at the back of the race. He put together an awesome race, passing a rider in the rocks and another rider in the final turn to finish 2nd in that race which gave him 6th overall for the race.

After 2 rounds of 4X ProTour, Dave currently sits in 42nd position and Scott maintains 3rd in the overall standings.

Even though the team were disappointed, Scott again showed his speed this year and he will bounce back at the next round this weekend in Val Di Sole, Italy.

Full report next Monday.

Also the Yeti Racing UK edit will be released this week so when it is, we will get it to you all.

As ever thanks to all the team sponsors for your support. We could not do it without you all.

Cheers for now,

On Sunday 2nd June, we were racing at Harthill for round 2 of the Schwalbe Euro 4X Series.

In the Euro 4X Series, all riders over 18 race in the same category – Elite men. So on this day, Dave and Scott would be riding in the same race. The other change is riders qualify for this race with a single lap qualifying session followed by straight knockout competition.

Dave was up first. He rode a perfect lap and was on it. His run was good enough for 9th position, his best ever international qualifying position.



Scott was the penultimate rider to go. He was on the ragged edge and in the turn after the pro line almost crashed as he pushed hard to secure the fastest time. Crossing the finish line Scott was the fastest with just 1 rider to go. Tomas Slavik made no mistakes and just got ahead of Scott.

1st – Tomas Slavik
2nd – Scott Beaumont
3rd – Felix Beckeman
4th – Michal Prokop

9th – Dave Richardson



Onto the racing. Both Dave and Scott made it to the quarter finals with no problem. In Dave’s quarter final he was against Slavik, Tom Dowie and Beni Kistner. Dave made a good gate and was in third all the way to the last turn. He made a dive to the inside of Tom Dowie and grabbed the qualifying position. He was through to the semi final. Scott got the snap and took the win to also move into the semi final.

Semi final 1. Gate 1 was Tomas Slavik, gate 2 Michal Prokop, 3 Dave Richardson and in 4 Milan Mysik – Czech National Champion. It was Dave vs 3 Czech Republic riders! The gate dropped and Dave dived to the inside. He was in third and on Prokop’s back wheel. He hounded Prokop all the way to the finish and was so close, but just didn’t quite make it. Without doubt it was the ride of the day. Amazing.

Semi final 2. Boom Boom was on 1, Felix Beckeman in 2, Duncan Ferris in 3 and Will Evans in 4. Scott missed the gate a little and got clamped down on the inside by Beckeman. Ferris then followed Felix and Scott was in third. He got his foot back into his pedal and set off in pursuit. In the last turn Scott swung wide and made the pass of the day as he swooped inside of Ferris to grab the last qualifying position.

Small final. Mysik took 1, Ferris 2, Dave in 3 and Evans in 4. Dave made a good gate and slipped into 3rd in the first turn. He stayed close and rode great but just couldn’t pass the guys in front. This was enough for Dave to finish 7th which makes it his best ever international result. He was so happy and the team were absolutely stoked for him.



So it was onto the final. Slavik was in 1, Beaumont in 2, Beckeman in 3 and Prokop in 4. Scott made an ok gate but was clamped down by the 2 RSP riders in turn 1. A quick move to the outside and he carried speed in turn 2 to move into 2nd and set about chasing Tomas Slavik. Scott gained 3 or 4 bike lengths on Tomas down the track and it was all set for a last turn decider. But..... on the penultimate turn Scott swung wide to carry speed, unfortunately slippinjg a little and losing a bike length on Slavik. At the finish line it was close but Tomas took the win ahead of Boom Boom.


All in all it was a very successful weekend for the team and heading into Fort William this week for round 2 of the 4X ProTour, both riders are confident and ready for their home ProTour race.

The final thing that I haven’t mentioned is that Sunday was also Scott’s birthday. Saturday night the team threw a little party for him as a surprise and Dave Richardson presented him with an awesome birthday cake.



We just want to take this opportunity to thank all our team sponsors for your support. We are having our most successful season ever and we couldn’t do it without all your help. It is really appreciated.

We will see many of you this weekend in Fort William,

Schwalbe British 4X Series – Round 3:

Scott Beaumont – Elite men – 1st
Dave Richardson – Senior men – 2nd



Well what an amazing weekend the team has just had. We were racing at Harthill in Cheshire. On Saturday it was round 3 of the Schwalbe British 4X Series.

Dave was loving the track. He looked fast and confident and definitely went into this race as the favourite. He won all his motos, quarter final and semi final to move into the final. In the final he was drawn with gate 2. He made a good gate but the rider on the inside just got to the first turn in front of Dave and held him wide. Then before he knew it, in turn 2 he was bumped and banged and found himself in 4th for a brief moment. He battled into 3rd by turn 3 and set off after the 2 in front of him. A strong move in the final turn gave Dave 2nd. Always someone who wants to win, Dave was still happy with 2nd as he fought back from quite a way behind to secure 2nd. Great ride from him. Dave retains the overall series points lead at the halfway point of the series.



Scott again was riding fast. We would probably say as fast as he has ever been. His winter training is showing now week after week and he was in confident mood ahead of the race. With the World’s top 4X riders racing as well, Scott was looking for a good result.



He won all his motos and the quarter final to set up a very tough semi final against Tomas Slavik, Duncan Ferris and Nathan Parssons. Scott made the snap and took the lead, ahead of Slavik. On his way down the track Scott pulled a good lead and took the win ahead of Tomas. It was a good confidence boost and set Scott up well for the final. In the final, Scott was on gate 1, Felix Beckeman took 2, Slavik on 3 and Will Evans in 4. Scott again made a great gate and rode a strong first turn to take the lead. Will Evans made a smart pass in turn 1 and tucked in behind Boom Boom. These 2 pulled a small lead and battled all the way to the finish, but it was Scott who took the win and maximum points for his series title defence. Beating the World’s top riders, Scott deserved this win as his gates and track speed were just unreal. Great ride from him. Scott also retains the series points lead at the halfway point of the series.

Scott Beaumont:
Qualifying – 3rd
Race – 3rd

Dave Richardson:
Qualifying: 18th
Race – 17th

Last weekend we were in Winterberg, Germany for round 1 of the 2013 Schwalbe Euro 4X Series. A fun track situated in a bike park that always produces close racing.

In qualifying, Dave was up first and he laid down an awesome lap, which would eventually land him in 18th position.
In my run, again I rode a good lap that I was happy with. It was good enough for 3rd, just 0.18 behind the fastest time.
Both of us were confident after qualifying and looking to convert it into a great result in the race.



In racing, Dave won his first race which was a great start to his day. In the second round, he fought hard and it was close at the finish line, but he just got beaten and ended up 3rd in that race. This was enough though for 17th position which is Dave’s best ever international result. He rode fast and hard all weekend and thoroughly deserved this great result. Congratulations from the team.



I was feeling good. I won the first round, second round and the quarter final. In the semi final I made a mistake on the first jump and found myself at the back. I battled through and in the last corner made my move to take the vital 2nd position. So I was in the final. In gate 1 it was Tomas Slavik, in 2 Hannes Slavik (no relation), I was in 3 and Aiko Gohler in 4. I got the snap and led out of the gate, but from gate 3 just couldn’t get across by turn 1. I was in 2nd but Hannes Slavik dived tight and we collided in turn 1 with us both crashing out. I scrambled for the bike and managed to get going first but the other 2 were gone. Still it was enough for 3rd position.

Here is the finals of both men and women's:



Here is the full reply: