Julien Beaumer really stood out at A1. The second year KTM rider outpaced Haiden Deegan of all people to take the fastest time at A1 then rode to a smart second in the main event taking no risks. It was an impressive day showing raw speed, calmness and maturity. Beaumer had speed last year but he looks to be a lot closer to the full package this year – and he believes.
This kid is the real deal, and he explained how he had made such a leap in the off-season:
“It was me bringing what I bring to the rest track to the race. This off-season for me was perfect, I put in a lot of work, we worked our butt’s off all off-season, I have a lot of confidence in the work I put in and the way I was riding at the test track all off-season, I think that was the biggest thing for me”.
“Last year it was hard for for me, I started work late with the training side of things, last year’s boot camp was tough for me, this year we are in a lot better space mentally and physically for boot camp, it’s been awesome, he (Davi Millsaps) has been awesome.”
Another rider who was really impressive was Cole Davies. Eighth place on paper just doesn’t tell the story of how well Cole rode. The Kiwi kid was awesome all day long, on pace with the main stars despite being in B practice, holeshotting his heat race and taking second to Deegan, but in some ways the main was even more impressive.
Cole went down with teammate Mosiman in lap one and, for a long time in the main event, he kept pace with Deegan coming through the field, making his way all the way to eighth without any sketchy moments and a confidence like he belongs at the front. His technique and body position is fantastic, he is seeing Deegan’s speed during the week, so he knows the level he has to get to and he doesn’t look far away already. A stunning debut from a classy rider.
Keep an eye on both kids this season in the West, they look to be the full package and champions of the future, Beaumer might even be a champion in May. If anyone can challenge Deegan on raw speed it might be Beaumer.