Round 2 of the 4X ProTour kicks off in Poland this weekend. Tom Dowie gives us a chesty-eye view of the track.

I’ll tell you more details tomorrow but the backroom boffins have rigged up an amazing interactive way for you to be able to watch the live ProTour 4x night race at Festina right here on Dirt. Stay tuned!!!

After the tremendous success of round 1 of the 4X ProTour in Houffalize, Belgium, just 2 weeks ago, round 2 is upon us and will take place in Szczawno Zdroj, Poland on Saturday night – 5th May.

The town of Szczawno takes 4X very seriously. ‘sunny meadow’ 4X track is in the centre of the town and is the sport of choice for the area. A lot of money and pride is invested into the track by the local mayor and race organiser Andzrej Skrzypczak or just Andy basically dedicates his life to ensuring that this race is the best event it can possibly be every year.

Residents in Szczawno also take 4X very seriously. When the 4X ProTour rolls in to town at the weekend, there will be billboards promoting the event, shops with posters in the windows and best of all, the towns shops will close early on Saturday afternoon to make sure that everyone can get over to the 4X track to watch the race. 4X for this town is very important.

The track is a work of art. A fantastic start cabin covers the riders before they snap out of the gate and race on the fastest 4X track we will visit this year. High speed and huge jumps are the trait for this track and only the most focused riders will make it to the final.

After his sensational win at round 1, Tomas Slavik is entering round 2 with the points lead and the most important thing in 4X – confidence. 2 weeks ago he won every race to take the win ahead of Czech compatriot – Lucas Mechura. Of course at round 1, Jacub Riha was the fastest qualifier as well. It was clear to see that Czech domination in Belgium was in full force. At round 2 look for Holland’s Joost Wichman, Germany’s Aiko Goehler, Sweden’s Felix Beckeman and USA’s Blake Carney to be looking at denting the Czech dominance.

Round 1 winner Anneke Beerten will not be racing at round 2 due to some prior sponsor commitments. The battle will surely come down to Celine Gros, Katy Curd or Lucia Oejtens to take the spoils.

The most exciting news for round 2 is the race is going to be broadcast live on freecaster. Here is the link for you all to watch:

http://extreme.com/mountainbike/1019976/4x-festina-night-race-szczawno-zdroj-2012-live

So the build up has started. The 4X ProTour round 2 is this Saturday night – 5th May. Look out for daily updates on:

www.4xprotour.com
www.facebook.com/4xprotour
www.twitter.com/4xprotour

Full results and race report with you all next week