The morning of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship final, Julien Beaumer was expecting to focus on winning the 250 race, a championship, and a half-million dollars. He didn’t expect to be deep in discussions to race for Team USA at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, and on a 450, but the situation developed quickly for him. Chance Hymas, the team’s original MXGP-class (450) entry was out with injury, and JuJu accepted an offer to replace him. Then the Red Bull KTM team went to work on a scramble to get a 450 ready to test in California, and another one to race in France.

“He did the best he could, but it’s a tough ask to get called up a week ago,” said Ian Harrison, his team manager, to Gatedrop.com.

“On Monday, he came out and tested for a few hours, and then he did a little more riding on Tuesday, and moto and some sprint laps, but then we had to get everything back to the shop so we could pack it up and take it with us!” said Harrison. “It was a nail biter. I was coming anyway because Jorge [Prado] was riding, but we had to add more crew. Then we’re working with the Austrian side changing engine settings, the graphics guys, the gear guys. These guys, they printed the gear on Monday, and on Tuesday they delivered it to the track so we could bring it with us! The ink was still wet! All of these people that did all of this stuff. It was literally a miracle.”

Beaumer says he had never raced a 450 before. It was a big change, and quickly.

“Obviously a week ago I was in Missouri on a 250 being ready for a vacation now I am here on a 450 on a bike I have put maybe an hour on leading up to this,” he explained to GateDrop MX.” So yeah, overall happy with my riding, I started outside both motos, just strategy for us. Started from the back, rode good moto one, I fought from about 22^nd-ish to tenth. Moto two again started in the 20s, fought to 12^th, went down, little struggle after that but overall happy with my riding. Never ridden a track like that in my life. It was the gnarliest track I have ever ridden.”

The bike was expected to be tough to learn. The tight, rough, rugged Ernée circuit in France became another part of the learning curve.

“Hard to learn, you had to ride it completely different than you have to ride an American track, so for me trying to learn a bike and the track at the same time was tough,” he said.

Beaumer ended up with 10-17 moto scores for seventh overall in the MXGP class. Team USA took fifth overall.

“The guys asked me if I regret doing this, I said, ‘No,’" he said. "To race the 450, I never raced a 450 as an amateur, I never rode one. The first time I rode a 450 was last year, I rode about an hour on a stock bike. And then I rode about an hour this week, that was my first time on a factory 450. Had to detune it today. I told them, ‘It's too much, I need a slower bike!’ Overall really happy, got a lot of experience. I’ve got a lot to learn but today was a big step for me and I can take a lot out of this.”

Learning the new bike and track will certainly add to Beaumer’s versatility as a rider. He’s also better having experienced the Motocross of Nations itself, and experiencing that pressure. In one post-race interview, he repeated over and over how much he loved being there, and how he will always be willing to race the event for the rest of his career. The atmosphere really caught him off guard, but it’s an experience he would love to have again.

“I’ve never sat on the gate so nervous in my life. I was sitting on the gate and I was like, ‘Oh my, this is insane.’ I’m super stoked I got to come, obviously last minute.”

Plus, this MXoN invite caps off an incredible career comeback for Juju, whose career looked to be in jeopardy a year ago when he broke his back.

“For me I couldn’t have asked for a better year coming off that injury,” he said. “A year ago I laid in that hospital bed not knowing if I was going to race again. To be honest this morning, moto one I almost teared up on the line. A year ago I was in a hospital bed and now I am here at the Nations. So, for me sitting on the gate it was a full bucket list moment."