British rider Scott Beaumont was denied a home victory by Holland’s Joost Wichmann in the final of the men’s 4x pro tour series at Fort William on Saturday.
Kidderminster racer Beaumont had been firmly on course to lift the title, having stolen Wichmann’s lead in the early stages in the 0.4km race, on a day of rainy conditions in the Highlands.
However, with the pair neck and neck approaching the finish, Wichmann showed great composure to tightly jump the triple and secure a dramatic victory in 35 seconds – just one sec faster than Beamount.
Britain’s Lewis Lacey was a further sec behind Beaumont in third, while Austria’s Hannes Slavik came fourth with a time of 41 seconds.
Radon Flow Team’s Wichmann was proud of his victory, and said: “This is a really special moment for me and it’s definitely one to tick off the bucket list.
“The track was wet, but it’s been built to withstand heavy rain so it didn’t affect me too much. If anything, the conditions suited me and gave me enough grip on the track to pull through and get the win.”
There was to be no stopping a British victory in the women’s final however, with Natasha Bradley overcoming Austrian favourite Helene Valerie Fruhwirth, who had been the fastest semi-final qualifier with a time of 44.6sec.
The teenager’s triumph came in only her third race, with Bradley delighted by her victory.
Bradley, of Decoy BMX Club in Devon, said: “It feels absolutely amazing to have won, especially since this was only my third 4X competition. I’m only 17 so I didn’t even know how to open the champagne.
“Conditions on the course were pretty tricky because it was so wet, but at least everyone was in the same boat.
“It’s my first time at Fort William and I can’t get over what an amazing vibe there is. The crowd is fantastic, and the atmosphere totally wasn’t affected by the rain.”
