British champion Conrad Mewse continued his run of excellent form by taking two second places for second overall in round two of the series at Canada Heights in Kent. Unlike the opening round, where he shared the spoils with five-times world champ Jeffrey Herlings as both riders scored a race win and a second place each, this time less than perfect starts hindered the Crendon Tru7 Honda rider. He raced hard but had to settle for second in both races behind the flying Dutchman. Words: Press Release
That leaves Mewse in a strong second place in the series, just six points behind Herlings, who has not yet confirmed if he will ride more rounds after his two wildcard appearances so far this year.
The opening moto saw Mewse tail Herlings around the first corner and give chase as hard as he could. But at half distance, Herlings managed to start edging away as Mewse held on for a solid second place. Such was their pace that third placed Triston Purdon was more than a minute behind the Honda rider, with a best lap time almost five seconds slower. The leaders lapped up to seventh place.
The second race saw Herlings carve through into second by the end of the first lap, then take the lead on lap two and began to pull away. Mewse was buried near the back of the pack after mistiming the start, and began a stunning charge towards the front.
The 25-year-old Mewse managed to move in tenth on the first lap, and eventually picked off his rivals one by one and pulled through to second place by lap five. But by that time, Herlings had a commanding lead so Mewse brought home the Honda CRF450R is second place again for second overall.
Mewse said: “I had a fantastic day bit but it’s frustrating. Days like this would be amazing if Jeffrey wasn’t here! But if he doesn’t do the full series, I’m in a great place for the championship and I’m riding well.
“I was pushing on in race one but I tightened up about half way and that was it. I was really disappointed with that. In the second one I was really conscious I needed a good start as I wanted to run with him. But I was fifth from last and had to come back through the pack. I got to second place and he was gone – there was no catching him.”
But it was a nightmare day for his Crendon Tru7 Honda MX1 team-mate Callum Green who didn’t even complete a lap of the first race. He crashed hard and was immediately run over by a following rider. Green was hospitalised where initial scans showed he’d fractured his hip and forearm. He will be out of action for some time.
In the MX2 class, Taylor Hammal looked to be on for a podium after running second for the majority of the opener, showing stunning pace. He eventually lost the place but third was still a great result. But in race two he had a crash on the start and had to come right back through the pack. He dug deep and bravely fought through to sixth place, which gave him fifth overall.
Hammal said: “I was chuffed with today and it’s a step in the right direction. I had a really good first race, and ran in second for most of it but got third in the end. I didn’t actually realise I was second for so long. Then in race two I crashed on the start and it was a tough race to come back through. It was a long way to go to close the gap down, so I have to be happy to get back to sixth.”
His Honda CRF250R team-mate Jake Nicholls, who came out of retirement to contest the British championship this year, had a tough day. He went down on the first lap of the opener and rode with a damaged throttle to come back to tenth. In race two he got away cleanly but had a minor technical issue yet still managed to hang on to eighth place for eighth overall, and he now holds eight in the series.
Nicholls said: “It was a frustrating day as the first race I had a good start and went down in the second turn and my throttle grip got stuck in someone’s sprocket which tore it all up. But I got back on and came through to tenth, which was a pretty good ride.
“In the second I had a better start and stayed on! But the bike wouldn’t rev out fully so that made it one of the most frustrating races. The track was demanding and I was having to ride the socks off it and I got eighth. I ride for fun nowadays but that wasn’t much fun! We played about with the bike when it was muggy this morning then it got warmer and I think it was that. Maybe one day I’ll have a race without dramas!”
Team manager, triple world 500 champ Dave Thorpe said: “Obviously we’re all thinking of Callum who had a nasty accident and wish him all the very best for a fast recovery. The rest of the team had some great races today, with all three putting on some great performances and having some incredible rides. Conrad is in top form and riding so well. It’s a shame he couldn’t get close enough to have a serious run at Jeffrey Herlings but his second race start wasn’t the best. We’re only two rounds in and lots of points to play for.
“In the MX2 class, Taylor had a great opening race but I think what was really impressive was how he came through the field in race two after a crash at the start. That showed real determination and race craft to get back to sixth.
Image: Crendon Tru7 Honda
