After Mother Nature postponed the opening meeting, round one of the Motul Fastest 40, powered by Michelin series took place last weekend at the iconic and historic Foxhill Moto Parc in Wiltshire. The tack has been used for many Motocross GPs, and spectacular hills and massive jumps entertained both riders and spectators.
New for this year is a switch of the Pro races from the traditional Sunday to the more accessible Saturday. Also running alongside the Pros this year will be the new ACU Apico two-stroke festival125cc championship for adults and youth riders together.
The Crendon Tru7 Honda pairing of Taylor Hammal and Conrad Mewse set the two fastest Apico Pro MX1 qualifying times and were separated by just a tenth of a second on a fast, hardpack Foxhill track in Wiltshire. Martin Barr (Apico Factory Honda) was third, and his teammate Tom Grimshaw was fourth.
At the start of the race, Mewse was not messing around. He got the holeshot and controlled the race from the front. Tristan Purdon (SC Sporthomes Husqvarna) and Jason Meara (Moto-Cycle Gas Gas) had gated second and third, and both riders stayed with Mewse for the first half of the race until his metronomic pace lap after lap, just pulled further and further away as he crossed the finish line almost eight seconds clear of Purdon.
On lap eight, and for just a lap, Meara found a way past Purdon but, in the end, had to settle for third. Barr spent all the race in a lonely fourth place, while Hammal, after a first-turn crash and another later in the race, came from fifteenth at the end of the opening lap to finish fifth with his usual flamboyant style.
Tom Murphy (GRM Apico Yamaha) started fifth but slipped back a bit as the leaders' pace hotted up. Grimshaw didn’t get the start he was looking for but fought his way past Murphy on lap three and looked set for a fifth-place finish till Hammal snatched it from him with four laps to go.
Jamie Carpenter (Dirt Store Kawasaki) and Dan Thornhill (Chambers Gas Gas) seemed to spend the race close to each other till the Hammal train came through.
Purdon got the holeshot at the start of race two, but Mewse took the lead by the end of the third lap. Hammal had a better start and rounded the first turn in third place, but by lap six, he had passed Purdon and set off after Mewse. He closed the gap several times, but Mewse was doing just enough to stay in front.
Once again, Barr spent the whole race in fourth, and if you look at the lap charts, he didn't overtake anyone or be passed by anyone all day. Grimshaw passed Thornhill on lap one on his way to fifth place, while Meara came home sixth after a not-so-good start.
Overall, Mewse earned the £100 holeshot prize from Mitch Haul Ltd, Purdon, and Hammal. Barr missed out on the podium, and Meara slipped down to fifth because of his bad start in race two.
Searle, on his return to the MX2 class, showed he had lost none of his small bike racing skills as he set the fastest qualifying time by over a second from the on-form Charlie Heyman (SC Sporthomes Husqvarna) and Ben Mustoe (ASA United Gas Gas).
At the start of the first Leatt Pro MX2 race, Howard Wainwright (HRW Racing Honda), got the holeshot, which earned him £100 holeshot prize from Mitch Haul Ltd, from Searle, Mckenzie Marshall (DK Offroad KTM). But despite a monumental effort by Heyman to hold off Searle, he slipped through and into the lead on lap six.
Marshall had gated third, but after a couple of laps, Mustoe and Joe Brooks (Chambers Gas Gas) passed him on their way to finishing third.
Joel Rizzi (Dirt Store Kawasaki) rounded turn one in tenth place but carved his way through the pack to a fine fifth place, passing Josh Coleman (Concept Yamaha).
Tyla Hooley (KTM) didn’t have the best of races. He was involved in a first-turn crash but fought back to thirteenth place, only to crash again with two laps to go for no race points.
Searle got the holeshot at the start of race two, and that was the last the other riders saw of him. Rizzi kept him honest for about half the race until he edged away for a comfortable win.
Rizzi spent the entire race in second place, while Jack Lindsay (Apico Husqvarna) and Reece Jones (KTM), who gated third and fourth, had troubles. First, Jones, on lap two, crashed his way to last place before pulling out of the race, while Lindsay slipped back to fifth before he crashed.
Mustoe and Jamie Wainwright (WHP / SBR KTM) took full advantage of what was happening in front of them as Mustoe finished third with Wainwright fourth.
Heyman could have had better races. He was held up in turn one and ended the first lap way down the pack in sixteenth place. For lap after lap, he picked riders off until he crossed the finish line in fifth.
Overall, it was Searle from Mustoe and Rizzi with Heyman just off the podium.
Combined with this event was the MX2 under twenty-one championship, which Mustoe won from Heyman, Brooks, and Ty Westcott.
There was no stopping Josh Vail (SJP Moto KTM) in the AUC Apico Two-Stroke Festival British 125cc British Championship race, as he led both races from start to finish. But that's not to say he had it all his own way. Jamie Keith (MBR/PXM KTM) pushed him in both races for two second-place finishes and second overall.
In fact, the first five finished in the same order in both races: Charlie Richmond (KTM) third, Ollie Bubb (3Flo Madison Crescent Blu Cru Yamaha) fourth, and Will Haddock (Poppin Canady KTM) fifth.
The holeshot award went to Vail, which earned him £100 holeshot prize from Mitch Haul Ltd.
This event included two classes: The Adults and the youth. Nathen Bache (KTM) was the winner of the adults from Jorden Bachler (Yamaha) and Matt Bayliss (S Briggs Commercial Gas Gas). While in the youth side of things, it was Vail from Keith, Richmond and Bubb.
Sunday
On Sunday, along with the Amateur and Clubman classes, it was also round one of the Honda Cup. It’s for the riders of 250cc Hondas (2021 and onwards), with three races on day two of each round.
At each round, a "celebrity" rider will be invited to take part. At this round, ex-British Motocross champion Graeme Irwin was invited to take part, and he showed that he had lost none of his racing skills at speed.
He got the holeshot in the first two of the races and led from start to finish. But in the third and last, Howard Wainwright got his only holeshot of the day and was followed around the opening lap by Luke Mellows and Adam Chatfield, with Irwin fourth.
It only took Irwin five laps to get in the lead as he cruised to a third win and the overall. Wainwright, with two-second places and a third, was second overall, with Adam Chatfield third.
Josh Greedy (Yamaha), with two race wins and a second, won the Fly Racing MX1 Amateur championship overall from race three winner Scott Alldridge (Feehily MX KTM). Jamie Fort (Team 40RT Honda) was third, with Daniel Maule (Yamaha) missing a podium position.
It was tight at the top of the Bell MX2 Amateur championship. With a first, a second, and a third place, Harrison Greenough (Simpson & Associates KTM) won the overall, with race two winner Daniel Brough (Rutxx Husqvarna) second, just eight points behind him and Charlie Hamlet (Feehily MX KTM) third, just two points behind the other.
Harry Fletcher (Honda), by winning all three of his races, won the Oakley MX1 Clubman championship overall from Luke Bull (Gas Gas) and Charlie West (KTM).
Richard Roberts (Rutzz Racing KTM), with two race wins and a second place, won the RFX MX2 Clubman championship overall, with race three winner Joshua Fletcher Williams (1 Five Design Honda) second and Matthew Pocock (MGP Steel Fantic) third.
Saturday top ten overall
Apico Pro MX1:
1 Conrad Mewse (Crendon Tru7 Honda) 25 + 25 = 50
2 Tristan Purdon (SC Sporthomes Husqvarna) 22 + 20 =42
3 Taylor Hammal (Crendon Tru7 Honda) 16 + 22 = 38
4 Martin Barr (Apico Factory Honda Racing) 18 + 18 = 36
5 Jason Meara (Moto-Cycle Gas Gas) 20 + 15 = 35
6 Tom Grimshaw (Apico Factory Honda Racing) 15 + 16 = 31
7 Brad Todd (DK Off-Road Honda) 12 + 14 = 26
8 Dan Thornhill (Chambers Gas Gas) 13 + 13 = 26
9 Jamie Carpenter (Dirt Store Kawasaki) 14 + 11 = 25
10 Sam Nunn (John Banks Honda) 11 + 10 = 21
Leatt Pro MX2 incorporating the Under 21s:
1 Tommy Searle (Dirt Store Kawasaki) 25 + 25 = 50
2 Ben Mustoe (ASA United Gas Gas) 20 + 20 = 40
3 Joel Rizzi (Dirt Store Kawasaki) 16 + 22 = 38
4 Charlie Heyman (SC Sporthomes Husqvarna) 22 + 16 = 38
5 Joe Brooks (426 Motorsport KTM) 18 + 14 = 32
6 Mckenzie Marshall (DK Offroad KTM) 14 + 13 = 27
7 Howard Wainwright (WHP Racing Honda) 11 + 15 = 26
8 Josh Coleman (Concept Yamaha Racing Yamaha) 15 + 9 = 24
9 Jamie Wainwright (WHP / SBE / Pure Redline KTM) 5 + 18 = 23
10 Jak Taylor (Husqvarna) 12 + 11 = 23
Under 21s MX2:
1 Mustoe 47, 2 Heyman 47, 3 Brooks 40, 4 Ty Westcott 33, 5 Jack Lindsay 31, 6 Liam Bennett 27, 7 Lennox Dickinson 27, 8 George Hopkins 26, 9 Syd Putnam 22, 10 Reece Jones 18.
ACU Apico 2-Stroke Festival British 125 Championship, Combined:
1 Josh Vail (SJP Moto KTM) 25 + 25 = 50
2 Jamie Keith (MBR / PXM KTM) 22 + 22 = 44
3 Charlie Richmond (KTM) 20 + 20 = 40
4 Ollie Bubb (3Flo Madison Crescent Blu Cru Yamaha) 16 + 16 = 32
5 Will Haddock (Poppin Canady KTM) 15 + 15 = 30
6 Jake Walker (T’s Racing Husqvarna) 14 + 12 = 26
7 Roan Delaney (KTM) 10 + 14 = 24
8 Nathan Bache (KTM) 11 + 13 = 24
9 Jordan Bachelor (Yamaha) 12 + 9 = 21
10 Matt Bayliss (S Briggs Commercial Gas Gas) 0 + 18 = 18
ACU Apico 2-Stroke Festival British 125 Championship, Adults:
1 Bache 24, 2 Batchelor 21, 3 Bayliss 18, 4 Daniel Brough 18. 5 Ryan Allen 8,
6 Christopher Chapman 1.
ACU Apico 2-Stroke Festival British 125 Championship, Youth:
1 Vail 50. 2 Keith 44, 3 Richmond 40, 4 Bubb 32, 5 Haddock 30, 6 Walker 26, 7 Delaney 24, 8 Freddie Gardiner 18, 9 Travis Laughton 14, 10 Jack Brearey 13.
Sunday top ten overall
Honda Cup:
1 Graeme Irwin (Honda) 25 + 25 + 25 = 75
2 Howard Wainwright (Honda) 22 + 22 + 20 = 64
3 Adam Chatfield (Honda) 20 + 20 + 22 = 62
4 Henry Williams (Honda) 16 + 18 + 18 = 52
5 Lennox Dickinson (Oakleaf Motorsports Honda) 18 + 15 + 15 = 48
6 Luke Mellows (Taunton Tyres Honda) 15 + 16 + 16 = 47
7 Jake Rackham (Lings Powersport Honda) 14 + 14 + 14 = 42
8 Callum Meara (Stephen Russell MX Honda) 13 + 13 + 12 = 38
9 David Russell (Stephen Russell MX Honda) 11 + 12 + 13 = 36
10 Ben White (Honda) 12 + 11 + 11 = 34
Fly Racing Amateur MX1:
1 Josh Greedy (Yamaha) 25 + 25 + 22 = 72
2 Scott Alldridge (Feehily MX KTM) 20 + 22 + 25 = 67
3 Jamie Fort (Team 40RT Honda) 22 + 18 + 20 = 60
4 Daniel Maule (Yamaha) 18 + 20 + 18 = 56
5 Sean Wainwright (Wainwright Plant KTM) 16 + 16 + 16 = 48
6 Keelan Southwood (JK Jointing Honda) 15 + 15 + 15 = 45
7 Brad Thornhill (LMC Plant KTM) 13 + 13 + 14 = 40
8 Adam Reeves (Kawasaki) 14 + 14 + 12 = 40
9 Shane Davies (Monarch Motors Yamaha) 12 + 11 + 13 = 36
10 Lawie Davies (KTM) 10 + 10 + 11 = 31
Bell Amateur MX2:
1 Harrison Greenough (Simpson & Associates KTM) 20 + 22 + 25 = 67
2 Daniel Brough (Rutzz.co.uk Husqvarna) 25 + 16 + 18 = 59
3 Charlie Hamlet (Freehily MX KTM) 22 + 20 + 15 = 57
4 David Plank (916 Racing KTM) 15 + 18 + 20 = 53
5 Jonathan Roderick-Evans (Concept CCF UK Yamaha) 18 + 25 + 7 = 50
6 James Lassu (25 Racing KTM) 16 + 15 + 16 = 47
7 Shaun Springer (KTM) 12 + 6 + 22 = 40
8 Jacob Randall (KTM) 13 ++ 9 + 13 = 35
9 Ryan Osborn (Blades Bikes Fantic) 11 + 13 + 10 = 34
10 Leon Ongley (Fantic) 14 + 4 + 14 = 32
Oakley Clubman MX1:
1 Harry Fletcher (Honda) 25 + 25 + 25 = 75
2 Luke Bull (Gas Gas) 22 + 22 + 22 = 66
3 Charlie West (Tim Feeney Super MX KTM) 20 + 18 + 18 = 56
4 Matt Dowes (KTM) 15 + 20 20 = 55
5 Ryan Daniel (Knight and Davey Fantic) 16 + 15 + 14 = 45
6 Luke Richardson (Yamaha) 18 + 14 + 11 = 43
7 Billy Stevens (KTM) 10 + 13 + 16 = 39
8 Ted Bailey (Gas Gas) 12 + 12 + 15 = 39
9 Justin Robinson (MHP Racing Yamaha) 9 + 16 + 12 = 37
10 Alex Christopher (SDG Access KTM) 5 + 8 + 13 = 26
RFX Clubman MX2:
1 Richard Roberts (Rutzz Racing KTM) 25 + 25 + 22 = 72
2 Joshua Fletcher Williams (1 Five Design Honda) 15 + 16 + 25 = 56
3 Matthew Pocock (MGP Steel Fantic) 18 + 22 + 15 = 55
4 Harry Foster (KTM) 20 + 13 + 18 = 51
5 Alex Hamer (KTM) 8 + 20 + 16 = 44
6 Toby Lightbown (RFX KTM) 22 + 16 + 7 = 44
7 Aaron Framingham (Fabrican Engineering KTM) 14 + 18 + 11 = 43
8 Jordan Ambler (KTM) 13 + 12 + 12 = 37
9 Sean Frayne (RDS Racing Kawasaki) 0 + 10 + 13 = 34
10 Rheis Morter (KTM) 12 + 7 + 14 = 33
You can replay all the racing action from round one by visiting DirtWorld-TV on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@DirtWorld-TV/streams
Round 2 of the Motul Fastest 40 championship powered by Michelin takes place at Preston Docks on May 11th/12th.
Race Report by Dick Law