Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Conrad Mewse now has the red plate in both major UK motocross championships after taking a well-deserved double win at Hawkstone Park on Sunday. And his teammate Jamie Carpenter also had two storming rides with fifth and fourth places to take fourth overall in the opening ACU British Championship. Words: Crendon Tru7 Honda
But it was far from easy for 25-year-old Mewse, who had to come through the pack in both 25-minute plus two-lap races on the rough, sandy circuit, which had attracted a large line-up of 35 riders.
After narrowly missing out on pole position to MXGP regular Adam Sterry in qualifying by a fifth of a second, Mewse didn’t get a great start in the opening heat while Sterry quickly took the top spot and began to pull away. Mewse was careful to pick his way forward through the traffic to ensure he had a clean run towards the front of the pack.
Rounding the first lap in seventh place, he used his speed and track craft to pick off his rivals, and it took him until lap three to catch and pass Carpenter, who was having a great first British championship ride for the team in fourth place despite being under the weather. Mewse continued to make up ground, and by lap eight, he worked through to the runner-up spot behind former British champion Sterry, who at one time had a commanding lead.
The Crendon Tru7 Honda man took another lap to pounce on the Welshman, then he pulled away with lap times several seconds faster. Mewse pulled away hugely, crossing the line a huge 36.8 secs in front, having set the fastest lap of the race. Third-placed Tristan Purdon was 52 seconds behind the leader. And Carpenter brought the Crendon Tru7 machine home in a solid fifth place as Honda CRF450Rs filled five of the top seven places.
In the second moto, Mewse was determined to get a better start and got a decent jump off the gate but had to back off as he got crowded out by other racers. But once again it was a flying start for Carpenter, who was well inside the top ten at the end of the first lap. Mewse ended the lap in 12th place and once again started to make his moves towards the head of the field, where again, Sterry was in front of Josh Gilbert.
It took four laps for Mewse to move into third place, just as Gilbert made a lunge to put his Honda into the lead. But he soon ran wide, which let Sterry get back to the front. But nobody had an answer for Mewse, who got close enough by lap nine to leap past Sterry and take the lead away. From then on, the win was in no doubt as Mewse pulled away by 21 seconds and set a blistering fastest lap, 2.3 seconds quicker than Sterry’s best.
Carpenter was also having a great ride, making regular passes as he moved up to a fantastic fourth place to take fourth overall on the day.
Mewse said: “With two wins, I certainly can’t complain! It was an awesome day for me and the team – it’s what they deserve as the grind they put in for me nonstop is phenomenal. That bike’s incredible so I take my hat off to them.
“It’s nice to start the season like this, and get the red plate back on the bike, as I didn’t have it all last year. I made life a bit difficult for myself with two bad starts. I had two awesome jumps, but fluffed it after the gate, as I was a bit off balance. It made for good racing and really tested where we’re at right now. I’m in a good place. I’m fit and strong and the bike’s incredible. But when you come round the first turn in 15th, it’s not just about passing, it’s about not making any mistakes, as with so many other riders everywhere. It can end in disaster. I focused on not rushing the first few laps. I was confident of my ability at the end of the race, but Josh and Adam were riding well. And when I was second, they were a fair bit in front. So to go one-one is a great result to start the year.”
Team manager Ryan Thorpe said: “This is the second week of championship racing for the team, and just like last week, it was a great result and an impressive effort from everyone. After not getting great starts, it was an incredible ride for Conrad to come through the field and still win by big margins. It shows just how in-form he is at the moment, and how he’s getting on so well with the bike too. And it was a fantastic day for Jamie, especially as he’s not been feeling too well. To get fourth overall is simply a great result at the first British championship, and shows both riders are in a very good place for the season.
“For Jake in MX2, he showed real maturity especially after the crash in the first corner. The bike was burning Billy Askew, and Jake helped get the bike off him before getting going. The second race was much better for Jake and he really enjoyed it, which is what it’s all about for him.”
Image: Crendon Tru7 Honda
