Connor Hudson and Tom Bell took elite men wins in the second and third round of the Schwalbe National 4X Series in Falmouth, while Hannah Escott juggled commentating and racing to take the women’s victories.
Carrick Riders Mountain Bike Club hosted the second and third round of the series in Cornwall, with riders ready to take on the technical course.
Round 2
The elite men’s race was incredible to watch during the motos, with every race displaying a depth of talent. After three motos, it was Connor Hudson and local rider Tom Bell who were unbeaten, with Hudson going on to ensure the 2022 series champion Zac Hudson was eliminated in the semi-finals.
In the final, Bell, Connor Hudson, Scott Beaumont and Ian Forsyth were all level from the start. In turn two, Bell attacked for the lead, but came up short, before Beaumont dived inside, nearly hitting Hudson’s back wheel. Beaumont and Bell literally rode bar to bar for the next two straights, with neither giving an inch until Beaumont stamped the pass and moved into second. He tried to catch, but Hudson took the win, while Bell came third and Forsyth fourth.
In the women’s race, commentator and racer Hannah Escott led the race from start to finish. The ever improving Jessica Taylor finished second and Alice Taylor crossed the finish line third.
In the combined senior and junior race, James Sankey was flying all day but disaster struck in the final whilst he was leading as his front tyre washed out, but the junior still managed a commendable fourth place. The crash opened the door for junior Izak Williams to take the win. Senior riders Connor Jocelyn and Louis Hopkins rounded off the podium.
In the 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 as Jack Davey ended up in third. Dominic Hines took the youth win from Lucas Rose and Harvey Gulliver.
The 7-9 rippers saw Jaxon Marsh hold it all together to take the win from Harrison Grigg and Harvey Roberts. Evan Davey took a convincing win ahead of Jacob Marsh and Hadley Harding in the 10-12 rippers.
In the veteran category, David Michael came out leading with Andy Davies close behind. These two traded places a couple of times but it was Michael who took the win from Davies and Andrew Ballard in third.
Round 3
With a couple of major track changes, including grass corners being added, there was a new challenge for the riders on the second day in Falmouth for the third round.
In the elite men’s semi-finals, an extremely tight finish between Dave Roberts and Beaumont went Beaumont’s way by a millimetre as he went to the final with Connor Hudson.
The final had the same four riders competing as the day before, with Bell, Hudson, Beaumont and Forsyth battling it out once again. In the first turn, Bell and Hudson fought for the front spot, resulting in Hudson going off the track. Beaumont dived inside and briefly took the lead before Bell reclaimed it. The race settled and Beaumont was hunting Bell down but at the finish line, Bell took the win from Beaumont and Forsyth.
Hannah Escott did an incredible job mixing commentary duties with racing, and was able to take her second win of the weekend ahead of Jessica Taylor and Isobel Stylianides.
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 the juveniles. Connor Jocelyn rode great to take second once again in the combined senior and junior race, but the ride of the weekend came from Josie McFall, who got herself onto the podium with a fantastic third place finish. Jack Davey and Jay Holt-Davies took second and third place in the juvenile’s race.
The exciting youths stepped up on the second day of racing, with Harvey Gulliver taking the holeshot as Markku Reynolds followed closely behind. The two battled all the way to the finish line, but Gulliver just snatched the win. Lucas Rose finished in third place.
In the rippers 7–9 category, the riders pushed each other all weekend, but the result was identical, with Jaxon Marsh taking the win from Harrison Grigg and Harvey Roberts.
The Harding brothers battled all the way in the 10-12 rippers race, with Layton and Hadley taking first and second ahead of Evan Davey.
The addition of Paul Soden added a new dynamic to the veteran’s race, battling David Michael for the win. At the line, it was Michael who was crowned the winner over Soden, while a strong ride from Andy Davies saw him finish third.
The next round of Schwalbe National 4X Series takes place on 24 and 25 June at Redhill in Gloucestershire.
