Race Report: Schwalbe British 4X Series Rounds 2 & 3

Words: 4X Pro Tour

Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2023 Schwalbe British 4X Series took place under blue skies and sunshine in Falmouth, Cornwall over the weekend. Carrick Riders Mountain Bike Club have done an amazing job over the years maintaining one of the UK’s premier 4X facilities and this weekend was one of the best prepared tracks we have ever seen. It is one of the best 4X race tracks in the UK. With a great mix of overtaking, multi lines and technical sections this track is loved by amateurs and elites.

With the track being just 1 mile away from the nearest beach this is also an excuse for the riders to arrive a little earlier than usual to enjoy the idyllic setting that this unique track has. The open practice session on Friday was busy as riders sessioned the sections working out the best lines for racing on Saturday.

Saturday:

Saturday rolled around and the weather was on our side. Blue skies and sunshine was the order of the day and it delivered. The track was in perfect condition and it was time to go racing.

After a practice session in the morning racing commenced at 12.30. The elite mens race was incredible to watch during the motos. Every race could have been a final, such was the depth of talent. After 3 motos it was Connor Hudson and local rider Tom Bell who were unbeaten.

There was a huge shock in the semi final when 2022 Elite mens series champion Zac Hudson was eliminated by Connor Hudson (no relation) and Scott Beaumont.

After the semi finals it was final time.


First up it was the 7 - 9 rippers. This has got to be the class of 2023. So much talent from so many riders and they are all aged between 7 and 12. In the final it was Jaxon Marsh who held it all together to take the win from Harrison Grigg and Harvey Roberts. All of them are stars of the future.

Then the 10 - 12 rippers lined up. Evan Davey took a convincing win ahead of Jacob Marsh and Hadley Harding.

Next it was Juveniles. Felyx Williams had looked strong all day and in the final, he held off the challenge from Jay Holt-Davies to take the win. Jack Davey ended up in third.

Youth and this battle was anyone’s guess as these guys go back and forth every weekend. At Falmouth though it was Dominic Hines who took the win from Lucas Rose and Harvey Gulliver.


For this race, Juniors raced against the seniors. James Sankey was flying all day but disaster struck for the junior in the final whilst he was leading! His front tyre washed out and he would end up 4th. However James crash opened the door for another junior rider Izak Williams to take the win. Senior riders Connor Jocelyn and Louis Hopkins took the top 3.

50+ Vets and any one of the riders in the final could have won. It was all elbows in turn one and two. David Michael came out leading with Andy Davies close behind. These two traded places a couple of times but it was Micael who took the win from Davies and Andrew Ballard in third.


In the womens race, commentator/racer, Hannah Escott took the holeshot and led the race from start to finish. The ever improving Jessica Taylor finished 2nd and Alice Taylor crossed the finish line 3rd.


Finally the elite men. Tom Bell took gate 1, Connor Hudson in 2, Scott Beaumont in 3 and Ian Forsyth in 4. The gate dropped and all 4 riders were level. Into turn 1 Hudson edged it. In turn 2 Bell attacked for the lead, but came up short. Beaumont dived inside nearly hitting Hudson’s back wheel. Beaumont and Bell literally rode bar to bar for the next 2 straights neither giving an inch until Beaumont stamped the pass and moved into 2nd. He then tracked down Hudson and across the finish it was close but Hudson took it from Beaumont, Bell and Forsyth in 4th. It was an epic final that showcased 4x brilliantly.

After the racing we had the podium celebrations and then it was time for BBQ’s and relaxing at the beach whilst the stories of the day were told around open fires.



Sunday:

Sunday morning rolled around and round 3 was all set. Again racing got underway at 12.30.

With a couple of major track changes, there was a new challenge for the riders with a couple of big grass corners added. It certainly change the flow of the track and would add to the drama of the day.


In the elite mens semi finals 2022 Series Champion Zac Hudson unfortunately again found himself in 3rd and didn’t make the main final. Tom Bell and Ian Forsyth qualified through. In the other semi final an extremely tight finish between Dave Roberts and Scott Beaumont went Beaumonts way by a millimetre as he went to the final with Connor Hudson.

Onto the finals and we started with the rippers 7 - 9. These guys pushed each other all weekend but the result was identical on sunday with Jaxon Marsh taking the win from Harrison Grigg and Harvey Roberts.

Next up were 10 - 12 rippers. The Harding brothers battled all the way with Layton and Hadley taking 1st and 2nd ahead of Evan Davey.

Next up were the juveniles. Felyx Williams made it a perfect weekend as he led the race from start to finish ahead of Jack Davey and Jay Holt-Davies.

The ever exciting youths stepped up onto the start. The gate dropped and Harvey Gulliver took the holeshot with Markku Reynolds close behind. The 2 battled all the way to the finish line but Harvey won from Markku and Lucas Rose in 3rd.


Senior male again had Juniors mixed in. Junior rider Izak Williams made it an incredible weekend for the Williams family, taking the win again and making it a sweep for him and his brother Felyx who won Juveniles. Connor Jocelyn rode great to finish 2nd but the ride of the weekend came from Josie McFall, who, racing against the senior men this year got herself onto the podium with a fantastic 3rd place finish.


50 plus Vets had the addition of Paul Soden for sundays race. David Michael took the lead from the gate and Soden certainly kept him honest. At the line it was Michael from Soden and a strong ride from Andy Davies gave him 3rd.

Onto the women and Hannah Escott did an incredible job this weekend mixing commentary duties with racing. Every race was close and action packed, however she was able to take the win again from Jessica Taylor and Isobel Stylianides.

The final race was the elite men. Local hero Tom Bell was on gate 1, Connor Hudson in 2, Scott Beaumont in 3 and Ian Forsyth in 4. The gate dropped and Hudson battled with Bell. In turn 1 the 2 touched and Hudson went off track. Beaumont dived inside and briefly took the lead in turn 2. Then Bell passed back and Forsyth almost slotted through as well. The race settled and Beaumont was hunting Bell down but at the finish line, Bell took the win from Beaumont and Forsyth.


The podiums concluded the event with cornish pasties handed to the winners!


A huge thank you to Tom Bell and his parents Helen and Alec for all the hard work in preparing the track. Weeks of fettling created an incredible race track for all to enjoy.


The next round of Schwalbe British 4X Series takes place on June 24th & 25th at Redhill in Gloucestershire.

See you all trackside.

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