It’s seemed like an age since the 2025 Motul ACU British Motocross Championship fired into life at Hawkstone Park at the end of March, but the the sun is now out and all roads lead to the revamped Canada Heights in Kent for Round 2 this Sunday 18th May.
Last time out in MX1, Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Conrad Mewse put on a fantastic display for the crowd, winning both motos the hard way, having to trawl through the pack and showing an epic turn of speed at the end of the moto’s to overhaul the impressive Chambers Racing Star Adam Sterry who finished second in each moto.
While Mewse has been plying his trade in the UK, Sterry, along with Lexa MX’s Josh Gilbert and John Adamson, has been slogging it out in Europe and racing GPS. The question is, will this give them an edge on Mewse this weekend? Mewse’s starts weren’t great at Hawkstone, and Canada Heights can be hard to pass on, so this also could be a hindrance to the Crendon rider.
The three GP protagonists have been looking good on foreign soil, too, so it will be interesting to see who will prevail. Back to old blighty and Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Jamie Carpenter has been having a fine season on the domestic front, as has Bike It Kawasaki’s Taylor Hammal. Sc Sporthomes Husqvarna’s South African ace Tristan Purdon had third in moto one at Hawkstone and wasn’t gapped massively by Mewse in Elgin a few weeks back in the Scottish Championship, so he will be one to watch. Brad Todd has been consistent this year, and in a long season, that could pay off in the final standings. Other riders to keep your eyes on will be Ben Edwards, Carlton Husband, Dan Thornhill, Sam Nunn, Matheo Miot, Martin Barr, Jason Meara, Liam Knight, Chris Mills and of course, Dirt Store Racing Triumph’s Joel Rizzi, who will be looking for redemption after a tough Round 1. Don’t count out some Eastern Centre specialists either, like Eastern Centre MX Championship Round 2 winner Luke Benstead.
MX2 looks wide open with Round 1 winner and Red Plate holder Bobby Bruce having a torrid time in EMX250 action for the Bike It Kawasaki team. Bobby will be a determined character at Canada Heights, so don’t be surprised if he pulls off a great result if his injuries don’t hamper him too much.
Dirt Store Racing Triumph duo Tommy Searle and Billy Askew hold the second and third spots in the championship after a great start to the season in Shropshire, with Askew taking an impressive moto two victory. You can be assured a win in front of the large Kent crowd will be on the agenda for both of these riders, and it could be a case of Master Versus the apprentice for the win!
A spanner has been thrown in the works though with the news that Spanish GP star Oriol Oliver has signed for the Gabriel SS24 KTM for the remainder of the year and that he will be racing the rest of the British Championship with team boss Shaun Simpson saying, “It will be exciting to bring Oriol to the British Championship this weekend in Canada Heights and try to fight for the win and then we will see if we can gain enough points throughout the season to be in the title hunt for the Championship.”
The other Gabriel SS24 KTM rider Gyan Doensen, showed potential at Hawkstone too, with third in moto one and sits in eighth in the standings. ASA United GasGas’s Ben Mustoe was one of the standout performers at Round 1, and his starts this season have been lightning, so this could play into his hands at Canada Heights as the young gun looks to make his mark on the series.
Chambers Racing’s Ollie Colmer has been toughing it out on the EMX250 stage and has certainly been in amongst it and getting plenty of points on the board and experience, and it showed at Hawkstone, where he finished fifth overall. With even more EMX rounds under his belt, Ollie could be ready to make a charge for the podium this weekend.
SC Sporthomes Husqvarna’s Charlie Heyman has had a solid start to the year and holds sixth in the standings, but you get a feeling that one big result could ramp his career up a notch. Could this be the weekend for this?
There are plenty of other riders in MX2 who could be pushing towards the sharp end including Crendon Tru7 Honda’s veteran Jake Nicholls, British Youth Champ Josh Vail on his Phoenix Tools Fantic Machine, Chambers Racing’s Glenn McCormick, James Barker, Worx Total Triumph rider Callum Mitchell, Gavin Stevensen, Liam Garland, Bayliss Utting, Scottish Champs Round 3 winner Max Harris, Freddie Bartlett and the list goes on. Fan favourites also racing are Brad Anderson and Nev Bradshaw.
Again, the MX2 class will have two qualifying groups and an LCQ. One rider who missed out in the LCQ last time round but has looked super fast since then is 3flo concepts Ollie Bubb.
In the 125s, Ryan Waggott was in sublime form at Hawkstone, going 1-1 in fine style. He has tough competition at Canada Heights, though, from the hard-charging Hayden Statt, who was second at Round 1, Charlie Richmond and Drew Stock. Pre-season favourite Jamie Keith returns from injury and has the title firmly on his mind, but he has a lot of work to do to overhaul Waggott and Statt, and it needs to start this weekend. Watch out also for Lucas Moncrieff, Harry Lee, Kameron Greenhaigh, Zane Stephens and Lewis Spratt who will all be looking to make their mark on the series and get a good result.
With the weather looking good, there is going to be no better place to be this weekend than Canada Heights, so make sure you get yourself there, support British Motocross, and enjoy some top-class racing. If you can’t be there in person, don’t forget you can watch the free live stream on MXGB.TV.
Get the full event info below:
Entry Lists
For the Entry Lists >>CLICK HERE<<
Venue
Canada Heights
Swanley
Kent
BR8 8DX
What 3 Words: RAVES RACED TRANSIT
Tickets
Adult Ticket: £25
Child 5 – 15 years: £10.00
Overnight Camping arriving Saturday 17th May- per vehicle: £10.00
You can purchase tickets online or at the gate. Online tickets are >>HERE<<
Live Streaming
The event will be live-streamed for FREE by MXGB.TV via their YouTube Channel, which you can find >>HERE<<
Images courtesy of MXGB – Insight Media UK