Julien Beaumer: “I am going to put everything I have into this, I don’t care what I have to go through."

Julien Beaumer is now a winner in both AMA Supercross and Motocross.

“Yeah, I think everything was running through me after the crash in Charlotte last year. It was one of those things where leading into the season, I’ve had maybe one or two top five overalls and that’s I think maybe one top five in a moto. So, the odds were kinda against me coming into the series I’m not the best in [and] coming off a nine-month-long injury. I wasn’t even sure in April I was going to be able to lineup for round one. So, yeah, it shows how much work me and the team have put in. From when I was released to start training off the bike in January, I pretty much told myself, ‘I am going to put everything I have into this, I don’t care what I have to go through, what I have to do,’ and it’s showing right now. So yeah, to get through that one was amazing.”

Our own Sarah Whitmore-Smage asked if Beaumer is working harder now than before the crash.

“I wouldn’t say working harder, but I would say just a little more disciplined…I just look at things a little bit different now. Obviously, consistency is everything, and from the moment I was able to start training again, I treated my camp as if it everything had to be perfect. And I’m still the same right now: everything during the week has to be perfect for me to be the best I can be on the weekends. I think right now, I have a different perspective on it. I look at things a little bit different.  I did a lot of studying when I was hurt that now I have a little bit more of an understanding of how my body needs to feel and the things I need to do to be the best version of myself on Saturdays. And I am really happy with where we are at.”

“All I can say is I’m really proud of him. Yeah, today, his first win, I knew it was coming but it was a really good day for him,” said Ian Harrison, Beaumer’s team manager at Red Bull KTM. While JuJu gives the team credit, Harrison says this one is mostly on the rider and how hard he has worked to get back to racing.

Steve Matthes has reported that Beaumer will be returning to the team next again next year with a new contract, and now this win solidifies that decision. The KTM team has to be more than happy with what they are getting from Beaumer right now, especially considering the circumstances. We all saw how good Beaumer was in Monster Energy AMA Supercross last year, winning a race early, having the points lead, and earning multiple podiums. But this summer he is putting to rest all of the "he's only a supercross guy" talk.

Beaumer went from having that "turtle" shell back brace on for months to winning a race. The turtle shell is off and and that "monkey" is off his back. Beaumer's return to racing—and the top step of the podium—is the latest and greatest in the long line in this sport's history. We all know SX is about the finesse and outdoors is about the fitness. Beaumer is showing us he has both and is showing true grit overcoming this injury AND taking himself to another level in the process.

Beaumer has said recently that his riding has been great, but his results do not show this. Look, a ton of riders say this, but what Beaumer is saying feels accurate. Late in the races he is pushing and putting down strong lap times. That finally showed itself at the very front with that last-lap pass for the moto win. He said Saturday that when he got back onto the bike earlier this year he was focused on technique and building a stronger foundation. He got on a turn track and just hit the fundamentals. 

"I spent four weeks just basically cruising around and working on my foot placement and things like that. ...I think that was the biggest thing that hurt me in the beginning: I didn't have a great foundation outdoors. And it was something I was able to work on a lot leading up to this and that's why I am at where I'm at right now."

Last year Beaumer started the Pro Motocross series with decent finishes, but a few crashes started to add up, physically, and by the time the series hit the eastern tracks, he wasn't the same rider. This only added to the narrative that he can't perform on softer, more rutted tracks. At RedBud he suffered early-race crashes that ruined his chances for a win, and didn't show how much he has improved. Southwick and now Spring Creek have buried that narrative.

Couple Beaumer's excellent day in Minnesota with Cole Davies's DNF (and zero points) in the first moto plus a rough moto two and now Beaumer is in second place in the championship standings. With Kitchen and Davies having such up and down days, could Beaumer squeak out the title somehow? In a class like this with so much talent, you cannot count it out. 

But for now, Beaumer and the team are taking it one day at a time. They are already back to work looking forward to the Washougal National this weekend.