The 2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship took place at the Circuit Kamperweg Heerde in the heart of the Netherlands on Sunday the 15th of July.
Nearly 300 riders from 40 separate countries were entered for the event, with riders from every continent involved, including, of course, the UK.
The home team (The Netherlands), with two overall podium finishers and a fourth place, were the overall winners in the team Championship. France was second and Team GB was just a single point behind in a brilliant third overall against the best youth riders in the world.
Prior to Sunday’s racing, officials led an Opening Ceremony that introduced the international event and welcomed all the teams. This set the stage for a day packed with close racing on the 1.72km sandy Dutch circuit that wound its way through lush woodland. There was a great atmosphere with over 4,000 spectators in attendance over the weekend.
Team GB’s Cohen Jagielski finished sixth overall in the 65cc class, while Jamie Keith also took a sixth in the 125cc group. The top GB finish in the 85cc class was Finley Pickering with a 13
th overall.
In the 65cc group, Jagielski showed incredible speed and agility on the track. Unfortunately, a few crashes affected his scores, but it was clear to everyone watching that he was one of the fastest riders out there. Jett Gardiner showed a promising amount of talent and speed but, a machine failure in the first moto and a crash in the second one hindered his chances of getting a good result. His track skills, however, were evident. John Slade showed resilience and determination, never giving up and finishing both races. Tommy Wood and Elliot Shawyer were incredible in the qualifying race. They gave it one hundred per cent and had the pace to finish in the top four, but a little slip up cost them the result.
One hundred and eight 85cc riders lined up in Holland for the Junior Motocross World Championship. There were some outstanding performances, none more so than Pickering who showed determination and unwavering confidence throughout the event. He put on a solid performance in race two with an eighth-place finish but was running in sixth for most of the race. Luck was not on the side of Hayden Statt and Robbie Daly, who both encountered bikes issues and other incidents out of their control. Both young riders showed tremendous potential and are sure to bounce back. Alfie Geddes Green and Blake Ward Clarke had a learning experience over the weekend, and both showed great determination.
The super competitive 125cc class had the highest level of riders, many of whom could run in the MX2 class. The standout Team GB performance was from Jamie Keith who finished in an impressive sixth and eighth place, securing sixth overall. Josh Vail had a tough time, but still managed to secure a respectable 14th place in race one. He was sadly forced to retire in race two, but his determination and grit were evident throughout the weekend. Charlie Richmond and Jake Walker were two riders who gave it their all in both qualifying and in race two race on Sunday. Their energy and resilience were unmatched, and it's clear that they have a bright future ahead of them. Sonny Rooney didn’t make it into the Sunday races, but he clearly gained a huge amount of experience from the event.
Team GB manager Dave Willet summed up the weekend; “It was an emotional weekend on so many levels, and a brilliant job by all involved with Team GB. I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing amazing things from all these young guys in the future. Whatever their experience at the Junior MX World Championship this year, they will all come back stronger.
“This weekend has been a massive confidence boost for all our riders. They all made the grade at the highest level and held their own.
“What was really encouraging was that we received quite a few compliments recognising our efforts, with people saying our programme is on a good pathway. We now must put our thinking caps on to work out what we do from here but, to be honest, it’s great to be British and I’m mega proud of our Team GB.
“I’d like to add a big thanks to all involved - Glen Phillips, Lee Dunham, Ashley Wilde. Of course, we also need to say a huge thank you to the ACU and our valued sponsors, without whom we couldn’t operate at this high level of professionalism, Paul Grimshaw Vehicle Movements, S Briggs, Zeroninemx and MotoHead Mag.”
2024 Junior Motocross World Championship top 5 classifications:
1. Netherlands 8 points, France 24, 3. Great Britain 25, 4. Estonia 29, 5. USA 31.
The 2024 Team GB riders were:
65cc: Cohen Jagielski, Jett Gardiner, John Slade, Elliott Sawyer, Tommy Wood.
85cc: Hayden Statt, Robbie Daly, Alfie Geddes Green, Finley Pickering, Blake Ward Clarke.
125cc: Jamie Keith, Josh Vail, Charlie Richmond, Jake Walker, Sonny Rooney.