Schwalbe British & European 4X - Harthill Reports

Published: 5th June 2013 | By AngusMcIntosh

Schwalbe British 4X

On Saturday, 1st June, the Schwalbe British 4X Series returned to Harthill in Cheshire for round 3 of the 2013 Series. The Phil Saxena designed track has never failed to deliver great racing with races often never decided until the finish line.

This track has a sand base so most of the corners are loose and riders are always hunting for grip to carry speed. With a flowing Pro Line section, split berms and huge last turn, the racing was set to be great once more.

With this weekend also hosting the 2nd round of the Schwalbe Euro 4X Series on Sunday, a lot of European riders were present. Tomas Slavik, Felix Beckeman, Hannes Slavik, Martin Neumayer, Mirco Weiss, Helen Fruwirth, Anna Borschig plus many more had all made the journey over to Cheshire for the weekend, and that included them racing in the British round on Saturday.It was sunny and warm, but the only factor that was a real influence was the wind.

There was a really strong cross wind that was causing some problems on the first straight where riders had to jump a 25 foot double and land into turn 1. The decision was made to move the start lower down the first straight so that riders would not have as much speed into the first turn and create closer but safer racing.At lunchtime the motos got underway. In the women's race, 16 women had entered the race which was fantastic. (Hopefully there will be over 20 by the next round....)

It looked like it was going to be a battle between Katy Curd and Helene Fruwirth. Both were riding fast, but it was Katy who took all the wins in qualifying.In the small final it was Cara Murray who took the win and the final spot on the podium. In the main final, Katy lined up in gate 1, Helene Fruhwirth in 2, Suzanne Lacey in 3 and Anna Borschig in 4.

Katy made her best gate of the day and took a dominating win. There was a great fight for 2nd between Helene and Suzanne, but at the finish line Helene took 2nd, Suzanne in 3rd and Anna in 4th. The women's racing yet again provided some of the best racing seen all day. 4X riders, enduro riders, BMX and downhillers were all on the gate and this is the sport that puts all these riders on a level playing field. Fantastic to watch and we are looking forward to the class growing even more this year.

In the men?s race, 29 Elite riders were entered. Just another sign of the growth of 4X in 2013. Felix Beckeman, Will Evans, Tomas Slavik and Scott Beaumont went unbeaten in the motos. They were all looking fast along with Hannes Slavik, Duncan Ferris and Nate Parssons. In the semi finals, it looked like we were at the 4X ProTour with the world?s fastest 4X riders lining up.

In semi final 1, Boom Boom took gate 1, Tomas Slavik in 2, Duncan Ferris in 3 and Nate Parssons in 4. Beaumont got the snap and led through the first 2 turns. Ferris carried amazing speed in turn 2 and passed Slavik into the third turn but lost grip and ran off track on the exit. Slavik held onto 2nd and moved onto the final with Beaumont.

In semi final 2, Beckeman was in 1, Will Evans in 2, Hannes Slavik in 3 and Dan Bateson in 4. Beckeman made the jump and won start to finish. A great battle in 2nd between the other 3 with loads of passes, but it was Will Evans who took the final spot.In the small final Dan Bateson took the win and the final spot on the podium with 5th for the day.

So onto the main final. Beaumont was on 1, Beckeman in 2, Slavik in 3 and Evans in 4. Boom Boom made the gate and led the race through the tricky first 2 turns. The RSP riders Slavik and Beckeman battled and this gave Evans the opportunity to power around the outside. He flew into 2nd behind Beaumont. The 2 Brits pulled a lead and they were close all the way to the finish but Beaumont took the win, Evans in 2nd, Beckeman in 3rd and Slavik 4th.

Other Harthill winners:

Thanks to our sponsors Schwalbe, Fox & Kore

Full results are here: http://www.british4x.com/results/rd3-results-2013/  The next round of the Schwalbe British 4X Series is in Redhill, Gloucestershire on Sunday 23rd June.

For full details check the website www.british4x.com

For daily updates follow www.twitter.com/british4x

To discuss the series, like www.facebook.com/british4x

Photo Credits: Charles Robertson.

Schwalbe European 4X

The Schwalbe Euro 4X Series arrived in Harthill, Cheshire for round 2 of the 2013 Series.

The track would offer Europes top 4X riders some slightly different challenges on this track with slow speed first turns and big open final turns, the racing was going to be more open and predicting a winner was going to be very tough.

After practice, the elite men and women took to the track for their timed qualification runs. ?1 lap, no crap? is the motto used. A slip, crash or a mechanical and chances are you will not qualify. It is nerve wracking for the riders but great to watch for the spectators. First up were the women.

Katy Curd has simply dominated in 2013 and at this race, it was no different. She rode a perfect lap that was actually quick enough for 29th position in the mens qualifying! She took the fastest time ahead of Helene Fruhwirth, Anna Borschig, Heather Kay and Jess Greaves.

In the mens Will Evans set the early pace. Michal Prokop then went fastest, but was quickly topped by Felix Beckeman. Scott Beaumont was next to have his run. It all looked perfect until the penultimate turn where a big slip cost him some time. As he crossed the line he went fastest by 2 hundreths of a second. Finally it was down to the series points leader Tomas Slavik. He looked quick at the top, used every inch of the track and crossed the finish line to clock the fastest time by 4 tenths of a second. Less than half a second covered the top 4!

So onto racing. In the mens some early exits for Stefano Balestrassi and David Axelsson were a surprise. In the quarter finals a great last turn pass from Dave Richardson put him into the semi finals. A crash from Hannes Slavik would end his day and a couple of very close finishes kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.

In the women?s semi finals Katy Curd took the win in semi final 1 with Heather Kay in 2nd. Helene Fruhwirth won semi final 2 ahead of Jess Greaves. An unfortunate crash for Anna Borschig ended her day in the semi final, but she bounced back to take the win in the small final to claim 5th overall.In the mens Semi Final 1, Tomas Slavik took gate 1, Michal Prokop in 2, Dave Richardson in 3 and Milan Mysik the Czech National Champion in 4.

As the gate dropped Slavik grabbed the holeshot followed by Prokop. Mysik crashed out in turn 2 whilst Richardson powered around the outside. Richardson almost made the pass on Prokop in turn 3. He stuck on Prokops back wheel all the way but couldn't get by. Slavik and Prokop were in the final.

In semi final 2, Beaumont was in 1, Beckeman in 2, Duncan Ferris in 3 and Will Evans in 4. As the gate dropped Beckeman made the best gate and got across on Boom Boom. A great move from Ferris on the third straight and Beaumont was back in third. Boom Boom closed on Ferris and in the last turn made his move carrying speed all the way around the outside and passing Ferris on the finish line.

In the mens small final Milan Mysik took the win to give him 5th for the day ahead of Duncan Ferris, Dave Richardson and Will Evans.So it was time for the main finals.

First up the women. Katy Curd was looking to continue her winning streak of 2013. As the gate dropped she made an awesome snap and took the holeshot. The battle in 2nd was tight and Helene Fruhwirth was bumped wide. Jess Greaves dived inside and rode brilliantly through the first few turns to get settled into 2nd. Across the finish line Katy took it from Jess, Heather Kay in 3rd and Fruhwirth in 4th.

Finally it was the men. Slavik in gate 1, Beaumont in 2, Beckeman in 3 and Prokop in 4. This was anyones race. As the gate dropped Slavik took the lead and Beaumont was squashed in an RSP sandwich. Beckeman was into 2nd. Boom Boom railed the 2nd turn and then flew into 2nd behind Slavik. These 2 moved ahead and pulled a lead on Beckeman and Prokop. It was wheel to wheel into the penultimate turn where Slavik covered the inside, Beaumont went wide to carry speed but slipped a little and at this level that was all it took. Slavik held on to take the win ahead of Beaumont in 2nd, Beckeman in 3rd and Prokop in 4th.The speed that these guys tore apart the Harthill track in the final was absolutely amazing.

Round 3 and the Series finals of the Schwalbe Euro 4X Series is in Leibstadt, Switzerland on August 11th.

Keep up to date with the Schwalbe Euro 4X Series on: www.euro4xseries.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/eurofourcrossseries

On Twitter: www.twitter.com/euro4xseries

Photo Credits: Charles Robertson.

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