The Dirt Store ACU British Motocross Championship and Fastest 40 joined forces to put on a sensational weekend of racing at Hawkstone Park.
With action aplenty across the divisions, the MX1 class is the perfect place to begin, as all in attendance were eagerly watching to see how the battle between Jeffrey Herlings and Conrad Mewse would play out.
It was all Herlings this time around, however, for the masterful Dutchman went 1-1, on a day where he not only raced clear to dominate both motos, but also recorded the fastest lap time in both races.
Handling the Hawkstone track with aplomb and right on top of his game, there was no beating “The Bullet” in this encounter, as the MXGP star further underlined why he’s one of the premier riders on the planet.
“It was like a good practice day for me, it was amazing. It was a fun track, it got nice and shaped up by the second moto and a little more rough than the first one. Really enjoyed it, 1-1 and extended my points lead in the British Championship to nine points now with two to go so it’s looking good,” Herlings reflected.
While Mewse admirably fought his way back to second in the opener and stayed with the Red Bull KTM wizard in the final moto before Herlings pulled away, his 2-2 for second overall was still a strong result.
Behind the aforementioned heavy hitters, Bobby Bruce secured an impressive third overall (5-3) ahead of Josh Gibert (4-4), as both men look to keep staking their claim for Team Great Britain selection for the 2024 Motocross of Nations on home soil.
Banking fifth was Brad Todd, who put in another top effort to finish in front of Tristan Purdon, Carlton Husband, Tom Grimshaw, Jason Meara and Martin Barr.
Switching the focus to the ultra-competitive MX2 class, and it was Tommy Searle who triumphed over Dirt Store Kawasaki teammate Joel Rizzi.
Splitting moto wins, the dynamic duo were on fire form to clinch the top two spots on the podium, as an overjoyed Searle prevailed in fine style to stamp his mark.
“I’m really, really happy to win that because the class is fast this year – really fast. I’ve dropped down and some say I’m sandbagging, but I’ve made it harder work for myself. I thought it wouldn’t be quite as competitive as it is. You’ve got Cas Valk and Jack Chambers, they’ve come in, and Joel is riding really, really well. As are so many other riders,” a delighted Searle reflected.
“The start is so, so important for us. And today I ripped two unbelievable starts and I thought ‘right now is my time, I can’t blame it on a bad start anymore so I just let it have it and kept pulling away’. I then managed that gap and brought it home. I really, really enjoyed it. So happy for the Dirt Store Kawasaki team because they have put in such a big effort this year. Big thanks to all the guys and everyone that helps the team.”
Title contenders Cas Valk and Jack Chambers fought it out to land third and fifth respectively while Billy Askew notched an excellent fourth.
Joe Brookes, Jake Nicholls, Dylan Walsh, Taylor Hammal and Alfie Jones then filled positions five to 10 in this stacked category.
The many support classes ensured the entertainment didn’t stop there from what was a memorable event at the iconic Hawkstone.
As the championship battles heat up and continue to gather momentum, expect this stop on the calendar to be looked back on and seen as a pivotal point in the season for both the British Championship and the Fastest 40.
Image: Dirt Store ACU British MX Championship
