Crendon Tru7 Honda rider Conrad Mewse shared the spoils with five-times world champ Jeffrey Herlings as both riders scored a race win and a second place each in the opening ACU British championship round at Lyng on Sunday. Words: Press Release
Reigning British champ Mewse had the crowd running from one side of the track to the other to see the thrilling battle in the opener. The 25-year-old blasted his CRF450R into the lead in the first corner but Herlings was behind him for the whole race. It came down to a last lap dash to the line and the Brit held on to take a historic win by 0.7 seconds from Herlings. The pace was so quick, the leading duo finished 1 minute and 46 seconds in front of third place and lapped up to seventh place.
Second time out the roles were reversed as Herlings led from the start with Mewse behind. In the tough, wet conditions that saw many riders not make it to the finish, Mewse couldn’t get close enough to make a challenge but came home second, almost a minute clear of third place.
With Dutchman Herlings winning the deciding second race, he was awarded the overall victory despite being level on points with Honda man Mewse. But as Herlings isn’t contesting any more rounds, it leaves Mewse in a strong position in the series.
His Crendon Tru7 Honda MX1 team-mate Callum Green had a technical issue on the first lap of the opener, which forced him out. In the second race he was running just outside the top ten when the mechanical gremlins hit again.
In the MX2 class, it was a day of mixed results for Jake Nicholls and Taylor Hammal. The day started so well for Nicholls who was fastest for most of qualifying until he was demoted to fourth right at the end of the session.
Knowing he had the speed to run at the front, Nicholls got a decent start and as many riders had issues, he capitalised and moved forward. With two laps to go he held a stunning second place that had his army of local fans urging him on all around the circuit. But he couldn’t hold off the challenge of eventual overall winner, Dutchman Cas Valk who got by. Then he lost third place on the penultimate corner to former champ Tommy Searle.
Hammal had not made a great start but put on a charge through the pack. He came around in 18th on the first lap then a determined ride saw him reach seventh at the flag.
In the second race, Nicholls was inside the top ten and pushing hard when his bike stopped with a technical problem. Then Hammal, who had come through from tenth on the opening lap to sixth, also had issues in the deep mire as a sprocket issue meant his chain came off on the last lap. He was credited with a disappointing 13th place which gave him eighth overall on the day.
Lead Image: Crendon Tru7 Honda
