JULIEN BEAUMER - GRIT 248 250SX

GRIT-248 | 250 SX

May 20, 2024 9:45 am

With a "relatively" clear forecast in the days prior to the Nashville SX event, KTM's Julien Beaumer remained hopeful that dry terrain would be encountered upon arriving to that of Nissan Stadium. The course was filled with an array of varying soils, and was destined to fill with ruts and square edges for the conclusion of Saturday night's main event. However, Beaumer was ready to combat whatever was thrown his way as the green flag waved for practice. He was sound, and calculated through the rhythm sections - remaining polished as he timely pieced together tripling sequences before eventually departing the raceway. He was established amongst both, West and East divisions...creating a positive outlook for his heat race that followed. As the gate(s) fell for his respective qualifier, he rounded the opening laps near a standing of tenth before unfortunately undergoing a mistake, which deterred him to seventeenth. Subsequently, he could only rebound to that of thirteenth...and was forced to go to the LCQ shortly thereafter. Once there, he took the early lead and realized that the entrance into the whoop section was a bit tapered - which left many riders coming in at rather unorthodox angles...and lessened the aggressiveness of numerous opponents. However, he would capitalize, gaining time when possible while seeking to be firmly established atop the leaderboard. At the halfway point...that goal would be conquered. His KTM engine exclaimed authority when leaping into the lane that proceeded the whoop section - barking with a loud echo before diving into the right-handed bend just before the "SX" triple. Though even the most rippling of effects, wouldn't deter that of Gage Linville behind him...keeping him "honest" per se, until the checkered flag was thrown. Ultimately gathering a standing of first, there was little time to spare before storming into the main event. Athletes like RJ Hampshire, Jo Shimoda, and teammate Tom Vialle, were all labeled as threats to infiltrate podium territory in the earliest of stages...though Beaumer was willing to lay it all on the lints and contend with various series leaders on his own behalf - running rampant with aggression as he powered through the whoop-pad. He had to be aware of the corner thereafter (after initially residing around fourteenth), as minimal traction was now at his disposal with the original soil seemingly eroding away from what was intact earlier in the day. He and Anthony Bourdon were contending over single-digit territory - with neither ever giving more than a few bike lengths of advantage to the fellow adversary, even when flying over the makeshift "SX" double. His KTM chassis was being occupied with brute strength at times, especially as the sand section had now become decimated with pot-holes and edges that would buck the rear end. But even as fatigue would heightened, and the overall pace of the field had faltered, he flourished - distancing his machine ahead of Phil Nicoletti while also keeping Chance Hymas (eighth) rather close...with roughly two and a half minutes to go - to occupy ninth in the final standings, once and for all.

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