Image: Octopi Media.

Red Bull KTM’s Julien Beaumer finished P10 in the 250SX main event at Denver but left the race feeling like he rode the best he had all season. Beaumer was in seventh place early in the main event when he went down in a collision with Talon Hawkins that put Beaumer all the way back to 19^th place. He steadily charged back to a top 10 position and was satisfied with his riding and fitness.

“I think tonight was my best riding of the season,” Beaumer told MotoOnline. “It showed this week in training. I rode really well all week at the practice track, and I felt really good coming into this weekend. Sometimes it’s out of your control and that’s how it went tonight. I was in a good spot, and I got landed on in the beginning. That was all she wrote. I started from way back and had to fight forward.”

The collision happened in the long rhythm section on the third lap of the race when Beaumer said AEO Powersports KTM’s Talon Hawkins cross-rutted and landed on his arm. His arm blew off the bars and Beaumer hit the deck. Luckily for him, Beaumer was uninjured in the contact and gathered himself back up to ride through the field.

Though the result on paper wasn’t his best of the season, Beaumer believes his resilience in the main event shows signs of progress. Now just three points out of P5 in the championship with one round to go, the rookie could end up with a solid position in his first-year racing Supercross as a professional. For Beaumer, he believes it was just a few things that held him up in his learning process through his first season.

“I wish we didn’t have two mud races in a row,” said Beaumer. “That slowed my momentum down pretty good and then by the time I got going again, I had a rib injury before Glendale. I was fighting so much during those weeks and then I finally was cleared to get back to full training after St. Louis. I think that showed in Nashville and tonight. My fitness is back where it should be, my speed is coming back, so the A1 Juju I think is back. I just need to clean some things up.”

Beaumer is three points back of Garrett Marchbanks who has missed two rounds with a broken thumb and will not race the finale in Salt Lake City. It’s very likely that Beaumer can end P5 on the season which would be a big accomplishment for the rookie.