The MX1 class was never really in doubt as Mewse quickly moved into the lead on the first lap in race one and began to pull away to a huge lead. His only issue came when he thought he’d crossed the finish line and pulled off the track, only to be waved back on by his team But his lead was so huge, he still won by Triston Purdon.

Jason Meara took a solid third, from fellow Ulsterman Martin Barr, Mewse’s new team-mate Taylor Hammal, who set the fastest lap in qualifying, went down twice on the first lap but came back to fifth from Tom Grimshaw and Jamie Carpenter.

Second time out Purdon led again and it took Mewse a couple of laps to get by, then he started to pull away for an unchallenged win.

This time Hammal made a batter start, reeled in Purdon then pounced on lap six to take second. That dropped Purdon to third form Barr and his Apico Honda team-mate Grimshaw.

It meant Mewse continues his unbeaten run this season with first overall, from Purdon and Hammal.

In the MX2 class, the opener was a thriller between Husky’s Charlie Heyman and Searle. The youngster held off experienced man Searle until half way, until the former British champ got by and edged away for the win. Ben Mustoe came through to third from Joe Brookes and Joel Rizzi.

Searle led away in race two and controlled the pace, keeping a decent distance from his Kawasaki team-mate Joel Rizzi in second, with that man Mustoe third again. Jamie Wainwright took fourth while Heyman had problems on the first lap and came around in 17^th spot. He pulled back up to fifth with a gritty ride.

So Searle took the overall from Mustoe and Rizzi, with Heyman on the same points but in fourth place.

Former 85 ace Josh Vail dominated both packed 125 races, to claim a dominant overall win from Jamie Keith who took a pair of second places with Charlie Richmond third both time out for third overall.

British Motocross icon, Tommy Searle, spearheads the Dirt Store Kawasaki team in the MX1 class, with MX2 riders Mel Pocock and Joel Rizzi completing the team.

Competing in the Arenacross UK, Dirt Store British Championship and Fastest 40 MX Championship, Dirt Store Kawasaki will be aiming for the top spot with all guns blazing! With official support from Kawasaki UK; Searle, Pocock and Rizzi will be equipped with their KX250 and KX450 machines, making 2024 an exciting season for all involved.

Headed by Dan and Jon Giffard, Dirt Store Kawasaki has been brought to life thanks to the hard work and dedication of the whole team, and its incredible partners. Also coming on board for 2024, Nick from GTCI has played a pivotal role in putting all the pieces together for Dirt Store Kawasaki. The team cannot thank Nick, GTCI, and Dirt Store enough for their support.

At the head of the team, MX1 rider Tommy Searle will be hoping for success in all Championships in 2024. He will also look to defend his Arenacross UK title in 2024.

Lining up alongside Searle, Mel Pocock and Joel Rizzi will both be looking for success in 2024 too. Pocock, also competing in Arenacross UK and is no stranger to being at the sharp end of the field, will be looking to bring home some silverware in 2024 aboard his KX250. Joining him in MX2, Rizzi is one of the UK’s top young talents, and will be looking to make his mark on the British Championship.

Dan Giffard – Team Manager: “Wow, what can I say? Jon and I have worked so hard since we began as a British Motocross team four years ago, and to see the outfit and team we have today, is something we only dreamed of. 

We have had amazing success over the past few years with the team, including a British National Championship in the Youth and Pro classes, along with multiple podium finishes. For sometime we felt overlooked as a team, but for 2024, we feel as though the hard work is paying off.

To have an incredible rider lineup, and the support from Kawasaki UK, we are so excited to get the season started next year. Thank you to all sponsors and those who have helped the team achieve the great things we have so far!”

Tommy Searle – MX1: “I’m really happy to continue with Kawasaki for 2024. I feel they have been a massive part of my career up to this point and with the added bonus of the all new KX450, which I’ve been lucky enough to get out on for a few days should make for a great season. I would say it’s the best production bike I’ve ever ridden, so I’m excited to get going!”

Mel Pocock – MX2: “I can’t wait for 2024 to start! I’m feeling really confident going into the season and I know that combined with the Dirt Store Kawasaki team and the Kawasaki KX250, we can certainly be challenging for race wins and the Championship from the opening round – let’s get this show on the road!”

Joel Rizzi – MX2: “I’m looking forward and happy to be a part of Dirt Store Kawasaki with a great group of people around the team. The Kawasaki KX250 blew me away first day on it and I can’t wait to get behind the gate on it for the Dirt store British Championship next year!”

Ross Burridge – Kawasaki UK: “It’s great to be able to finally reveal our new rider line up for 2024. All three riders have a great history with Kawasaki already and we are excited to see them all add to that in 2024. I firmly believe that with a strong winter testing plan we will be heading into both the Arenacross and British MX Championships with a good chance of title success. We can’t wait to get going!”

After a great 2023, Dirt Store Kawasaki cannot thank its existing, and new partners enough going into 2024. Photos: Elliot Spencer / Ed Warren

The announcement, fittingly made ahead of the Coronation weekend when the whole country will celebrate the ‘best of British’, confirms the importance the UK’s top pro riders place on the two-day ACU Apico 2-Stroke Festival. Both riders contested the event in 2022 and finished as Champion and Vice-Champion. With the battle lines drawn, and Searle hailing from Kent, the racing at the Sellindge track on Sunday the 23^rd of July is set to go down to the wire.

There will be spot prizes across all classes and, thanks to additional support from title partner Apico, the prize fund is set to be substantial, adding even more value to the hugely-popular mid-summer race fest.

On-line booking is now available for all classes which cater for a wide range of rider and machine abilities.

Saturday and Sunday:

ACU British 125 two-stroke

ACU British Open two-stroke

ACU British Evo two-stroke

ACU British Super Evo two-stroke

Red Bull Pro Stroke National Clubman MX1

Red Bull Pro Stroke National Clubman MX2

Red Bull Noughties (age 25 + machine year 2000/2008)

Over 40s Open 2- stroke

Youth 125

Youth 250F

Youth BW/SW85

Sunday only:

Red Bull Pro Stroke National MX1/MX2

To enter, go to www.goracemx.com and search Club – Xbladez 2

The consistently-fast former World number two and back-to-back British Champion led the outdoor series from the opening round to secure the title. He is now set to adapt his immeasurable race skills for the short and sharp combating style of Arenacross racing.

Searle returns to Kawasaki for next year. This means that motocross enthusiasts attending any one of the six rounds of Arenacross at leading arenas in Belfast, Aberdeen, Birmingham and London, will be the very first in the UK to see the 33-year-old ace in competitive action on the Team Green with GTCI Revo Kawasaki race bike.

Searle competed indoors at Arenacross throughout his youth career and believes Arenacross played a big part in how he developed as a rider. He said; “The feeling of being in a city, lining up in front of thousands of fans is the best – something that every young rider should be doing as there’s no better training than racing. It develops their skill set, their race craft.

“I can even remember my first ever indoor race in Exeter, the start line, packed crowd, first corner, whoops, air horns, nerves, watching the top boys racing … it’s just a mega feeling that I will never forget,” added Searle.

Commenting on the Arenacross signing of the British MX Champion, Matt Bates, Arenacross promoter said; “We’re excited to be able to make this announcement about Tommy. It’s incredible to hear him talking about his early indoor racing memories, particularly as we staged the Exeter event almost 20 years ago. We can’t wait to see him line up on the Arenacross start line ready to do battle when the gate drops in Belfast next January.”

Tommy talks about his history, experiences and future with Arenacross in the latest episode of the podcast, 2 Pro 1 Slow. Filming for the podcast will also take place at 2032 Arenacross rounds.

The 2023 Arenacross Tour:
Round 1: Friday 20th January – SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Round 2: Saturday 21st January – SSE Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Round 3: Saturday 28th January – P&J Live, Aberdeen, Scotland
Round 4: Sunday 29th January – P&J Live, Aberdeen, Scotland
Round 5: Saturday 4th February – The Resorts World Arena, Birmingham NEC, England
Round 6: Saturday 18th February – The OVO Arena, Wembley, England

Visit www.arenacrossuk.com for more Arenacross news and information on how to book tickets.

With the MX Nationals championship already won by Harri Kullas at the last round where Searle was too ill to race, the 33-year-old Brit rode two consistent motos as he gets ready for Sunday’s forthcoming British championship final where he holds a strong points lead.

In the first moto at the fast and spectacular Oxford Moto Park circuit, Searle came out of the first corner in second place but was demoted as Conrad Mewse and Martin Barr slipped by on the first lap. Searle retaliated and fought his way past Barr but by then the leading duo had pulled away so the Honda man took a sensible third.

Second time out Searle didn’t get the best jump off the line but quickly got into third place on the opening lap. He kept Josh Gilbert at bay to hold onto third for third overall, which gave Searle fourth in the championship despite missing a round.

Searle said: “I felt OK but struggled a bit to set up the bike, as this is a real GP-style track that we don’t normally ride on in the UK, with some big jumps and hard hits. The made the track a bit tricky so didn’t want to take too many risks – I was just doing what I needed to do. I was looking after myself as I have the British championship final next week then the Motocross of Nations at Red Bud for Team GB.

“But it was so nice the guys put on an event at a new track like this which is a credit to them. I definitely want to come back and race here again.”

A surprise late entrant to the event was Jake Nicholls, who officially retired from full-time professional racing mid-way through this season after getting injured. Riding a stock Honda CRF250R with just an aftermarket exhaust on it, Nicholls’ bike sported the all-black livery that the new Tru7 Honda Racing Academy team will use in 2023. He will run the team in conjunction with Crendon Fastrack Honda’s team boss Dave Thorpe, and was having a ride just for fun.

“I raced the Vets Nations at Foxhill last week and got the buzz for racing again,” said Nicholls. “I’m not training like I was before and I wasn’t worried about where I came. I came to have a bit of fun.

“I had a steady start but got better as the day went on. In the first race I was eighth then in the second I changed my suspension and had a better start. And the track got more technical which suits me. I had a blinder and got third! I’ll do some more MX2 races next year just for fun.”  

Crendon Fastrack Honda team manager, triple world 500 champion Dave Thorpe, said: “I have to say congratulations and well done to everyone involved with this brand new circuit which is just incredible. It’s always exciting when a new track comes onto the calendar and this new Oxford Moto Park is a real stunner. The amount of work everyone has put to create a top-class track is amazing.

“For our team, Tommy had a couple of solid rides without taking any unnecessary risks to made sure he came away unscathed. All our focus is on the last round of the British championship next week at Landrake.

“And it was really great to see Jake riding again, just for the love of racing. It’s testament to his skills and how good a stock Honda CRF250R is that he took a third place, too.”

MX Nationals championship round six, Oxford Moto Parc.

MX1 overall:

1 Harri Kullas 47
2 Conrad Mewse 47
3 Tommy Searle Crendon Fastrack Honda 40
4 Josh Gilbert 34
5 Martin Barr 34
6 Sam Nunn 27
7 Brad Todd 27
8 Dan Thornhill 25
9 Stuart Edmonds 24
10 Gavin Stevenson 18

Final championship positions:

1 Harri Kullas 282
2 Josh Gilbert 204
3 Martin Barr 186
4 Tommy Searle Crendon Fastrack Honda 179
5 Brad Todd 175
6 Petar Petrov 145
7 John Adamson 144
8 Glen McCormick 132
9 Dan Thornhill 119
10 Ben Edwards 100

Despite struggling with a sickness bug all week, the 33-year-old dug deep as he took his race win tally to eight motos this year, with two double wins, and he extended his points lead to 15 with just one round remaining.

In conditions a world apart from the scorching hot last round at the sandy Fatcat Motoparc, Searle faced rain, mist and mud on the rutted, jump-filled track that tested every rider to the maximum.

In the first race he started well and was soon right behind title rival Harri Kullas. He chased the Estonian for the whole race but couldn’t get close enough to make a pass so backed off on the last lap to take a safe second.

In the second race, Searle blasted his Honda CRF450R into the lead with yet another holeshot. He was tailed by former British champion Shaun Simpson and Kullas as the trio pulled away.

Simpson found a way past Searle to take the lead on the second lap. Red plate holder Searle stayed with the Scot and then made a spectacular dive to take the lead back on lap seven. Simpson tried to get through but wise-riding Searle held the lead to flag to take the moto win and the overall once more.    

Searle said: “I’ve been really under the weather with a stomach bug and not eaten for three days. I was struggling to get my head into it and was not looking forward to today, especially with the weather and the mud.

“But with a second and a win I’m really happy with my day, and managed to extend my championship lead by two point. So overall I’m happy with myself, the team and the bike. We made some improvements coming into today and it really made the difference.”

Team manager, triple world 500 champion Dave Thorpe, was on hand to witness Searle’s dogged determination and was thrilled. “Tommy was sick and bed ridden on Thursday and Friday. When I saw him in qualifying on Sunday morning, I thought it would be a day of damage limitation and just get as much out of the event as possible,” he said. “But again his performance was incredible and the results speak for themselves. Tommy proved today what an amazing athlete he is. He rode extremely well in very difficult conditions.

“It’s not over, though, as we know Harri Kullas will be as tough as ever in the final round at at Landrake.

“As always, a massive thanks to Willy, Rob and Ryan – the real hub of this amazing team – and to all our partners who make it possible.”

Searle’s team-mate Jay Hague didn’t line up for the race as he crashed in the run up to the event and hurt his shoulder. He is due for scans this week but is unlikely to race again this season as he recovers from several injuries.

The final ACU British motocross championship round is at Landrake in Cornwall on September 11.

ACU British championship round seven MX1 overall:

1 Tommy Searle Crendon Fastrack Honda 47

2 Harri Kullas 45

3 Shaun Simpson 42

4 Martin Barr 33

5 Josh Gilbert 32

6 John Adamson 32

7 Petar Petrov 26

8 Liam Knight 24

9 Dan Thornhill 23

10 Tristan Purdon 23

Championship points after seven rounds:

1 Tommy Searle Crendon Fastrack Honda 324

2 Harri Kullas 309

3 Shaun Simpson 275

4 Josh Gilbert 237

5 John Adamson 188

6 Liam Knight 159

7 Brad Todd 159

8 Martin Barr 153

9 Petar Petrov 137

10 Jake Millward

Searle was in stunning form at the sandy circuit in Norfolk, setting the fastest time in qualifying. In the opening race he made a good start and quickly moved into second place behind title rival Harri Kullas. On a track that proved very difficult to pass, Searle staged an incredible late race charge to set his fastest lap on the penultimate time around the roughening circuit. But he couldn’t get by and took second, around one second behind Kullas.

Second time out and Searle was in no mood for second place as he took the holeshot and led every lap to take a dominant win. He controlled the race and only lost a little ground to second place Kullas when he got held up by backmarkers. But the current British champ held on for a classy win, meaning he has won four of the six motos this year, with one second and one third place finish. He has a 14-point lead.

Searle said: “Definitely a decent day with a second and a first in the races and I won qualifying as well. You need a good start here as it’s start very difficult to pass. I was third at the beginning of the first race but got into second behind Harri and he was riding so well. In race two I got away first and broke away then got caught up with the lappers. But I then pulled a gap again to take the win.

“It’s so nice for Jake to get third as I know he’s worked hard. And it’s definitely great for Crendon Fastrack Honda to have both riders on the podium.”

It was a real return to form for Searle’s MX1 team-mate Jake Nicholls, who struggled in the last round after crashing and hitting his head hard then was hit by a virus. After an intense testing programme in the days before the Lyng round, the Suffolk ace simply got better every time he went out on the bike.

After taking sixth in qualifying, Nicholls had a decent start in the opening moto and worked his way through to a solid fifth place. Then in race two he rounded the first lap in third and stayed within sight of the leaders all moto. He began to close in on second place Kullas but couldn’t quite make up the gap and took a well-deserved third place. This put him onto the final place on the podium and he was elated to get back to such incredible form. He also leapfrogged from tenth to fifth in the championship chase.

Nicholls said: “That was better! I’m so pleased to get back to where I think I should be. We worked on the bike and I feel so much more comfortable. It shows that when you want something bad enough, it can happen. The crowd were going for it and I gave everything I had.”

Team manager, triple 500 world champion Dave Thorpe, said: “What a stunning day for Tommy and Jake and it’s a whole credit to the team – riders, mechanics, technical partners and everyone involved. Just an amazing result.

“For Tommy, I truly believe he was the fastest rider all day. Although his start in the first race meant he couldn’t win as the track was so difficult to pass on, in race two he showed his speed by leading and controlling the race. The only time he lost a bit of ground was with lapped traffic. But he had everything under control as he took the win.

“And I’m so pleased for Jake to get a third place finish and third overall after what’s been a tough start to the season. He had a great week coming into the event working with his mechanic Rob, engine tuner Ryan and suspension tuner Mark Eastwood. You could see Jake’s confidence and self-belief improving during the day. He now knows he has the pace to run at the front after such a great ride.

“Let’s hope our two MX1 riders take this form to the next round at Canada Heights when hopefully our MX2 rider Jay Hague will be back from injury and fit enough to race.”

ACU British championship round three MX1 overall:

1 Tommy Searle Crendon Fastrack Honda 47
2 Harri Kullas 47
3 Jake Nicholls Crendon Fastrack Honda 36
4 Josh Gilbert 36
5 Shaun Simpson 36
6 Jake Millward 29
7 Liam Knight 27
8 Petar Petrov 20
9 Gavin Stevenson 17
10 John Adamson 16

Championship points after three rounds:

1 Tommy Searle Crendon Fastrack Honda 142
2 Harri Kullas 128
3 Shaun Simpson 108
4 Josh Gilbert 104
5 Jake Nicholls Crendon Fastrack Honda 78
6 Liam Knight 73
7 Jake Millward 70
8 Brad Todd 66
9 Ashton Dickinson 65
10 John Adamson 60

The opening moto of the combined MX1 and MX2 pro classes saw Searle get a rapid start on his Honda CRF450R, rounding the first corner in second place behind Harri Kullas. But he was soon put under pressure by Josh Gilbert, and the pair engaged in a race-long battle which allowed Kullas to pull away. Searle finally outfoxed Gilbert on the final lap to take a well-deserved second place as the constant rainfall made the track very slippery.

In the second moto the soaking wet starting grid caught out many riders including Searle, who didn’t get a great start. He put in a determined charge and worked his way through the pack to fourth place. He was about to mount a challenge for third when a lapped rider swerved sideways on the very greasy face of the finish line jump and Searle took evasive action, heading off the side of the jump. He was lucky to stay on board but his challenge for third was effectively over and he took fourth place. That gave him third overall and he is third in the championship.

Searle said: “I really enjoyed the track today. It was really tricky so took some time to get into it. I didn’t want to push too much and make a mistake so had to find my rhythm. In the first race I had a good start and was in the top three then got into second on the last lap which was nice. But in the second race I had a really bad start as I just slipped on the gate with it being slippery and wet. But I pulled my way through and ended up fourth which put my third overall, so a pretty good day.”

In the MX2 class, Jay Hague was pleased to be feeling fit again after battling through Coronavirus which was diagnosed the day after the Foxhill British championship round two weeks earlier. Despite not much time back on the CRF250R, he was third fastest in qualifying and determined to go one better in the opening race. With all the MX2 bikes struggling against the MX1 machines at the start, especially on the deeply ripped uphill start, Hague was outside the top ten but right in the mix with the other 250cc riders.

The North Easterner put on an impressive charge in tough conditions and pulled through to a well-deserved second place. The second moto was packed with excitement as all the four main MX2 contenders ended up within a few seconds of each other as they staged a battle for the overall win and podium places that lasted right until the very last corner.

Hague had the crowd gasping as he managed to get past one rival withing sight of the flag and he took third in the moto for third overall in one of the closest race finishes for a several years.

Hague said: “I had two consistent rides. I had a good qualifying practice but in the first race I had a terrible start and picked my way through in the first couple of laps. There was so much mud on my helmet it was pushing my goggles down so I had to take them off. So I had to settle for second place.

“In the second race I kept trying to find different lines to get through to the front – sometimes you’d gain time, sometimes lose time. The track was so tricky there was a lot of ‘follow the leader’. The last couple of laps was so much fun – how racing should be. The top four were all on the same straight! I managed to get third on the last lap so a second and a third put me on the podium.” 

Next weekend the team head to Lyng in Norfolk for the British championship where the team’s other MX1 rider Jake Nicholls is aiming to make his race return after missing the Landrake MX Nationals to concentrate on getting back to 100% race fitness. 

With the event being the first time that the track was run in reverse for nearly 12 years there was many riders looking forward to contesting the new layout, which also attracted a large crowd of spectators.

In Group A there was a handful of National riders contesting alongside the Experts and top Juniors including current British Champion Tommy Searle along with Blaxhall regulars like Tom Grimshaw, Lewis Tombs and Luke Benstead. Following the morning qualifying session, Searle had quickly got to grips with the new layout and posted the fastest lap time, closely followed by Tom Grimshaw.

The opening Group A race saw Searle make a great jump out of the gate and charged into the main arena ahead of the field. Grimshaw was close behind and pushing for the race lead early on. Both riders settled into the race and charged hard as they pulled away from the rest of the pack as Searle took the race win ahead of Grimshaw, with Luke Benstead claiming third ahead of Lewis Tombs and Luke Parker making up the top 5, while Joseph Leeks finished as the top Junior in 14^th place.

Following the opening race win, Searle once again took another great start in the second Group A race to take the early race lead and once again had Grimshaw chasing him down once again as the pair battled at the front and pulled away from rest of the pack to finish 1 and 2 in the moto. This time it was Luke Parker who claimed third ahead of Lewis Tombs and Charlie Cole in fifth. Once again it was Joseph Leeks who finished as the top Junior in 16^th.

The final Group A race saw Searle spin out of the gate and it was Grimshaw who made the start and took the early race lead. Unfortunately, Grimshaw slipped off on the second lap allowing Searle to take the race lead once again. Grimshaw remounted on the bike in 6^th place but was soon picking off the riders ahead to recover back to 2^nd by mid-race and tried to close the gap on Searle at the front. In third it was Luke Benstead who had another good ride ahead of Calum Mitchell in fourth and Lewis Tombs in fifth. This time it was top National youth rider Jacob Randall who finished as the top Junior.

Alongside the event was the second round of the NGR Championship where series leader Tim Clark was looking to extend his Championship lead. In the opening moto it was Lee Powell who took the race win ahead of Paul Bennett in second and Tim Clark in third, with Peter Hook in fourth and John Hinz in fifth.

In the second NGR race it was Sean Wright who rode well to claim the race win ahead of Paul Bennett who once again took second ahead of John Hinz in third. Fourth and fifth place in the race went to Tim Clark and Robert Baldry.

The final NGR race of the day saw Sean Wright once again take the race win ahead of Paul Bennett who made it three, second place finishes on the day to take the overall win. Peter Hook claimed third in the moto ahead of Tim Clark in forth and Mark Goodson in fifth.

In the Group B races it was Cullen Hawkins who took the opening race win, while Joseph Hall took the other two moto wins to claim the overall victory ahead of Hawkins with Carl Miller in third overall. Fourth overall went to Mark Hunt ahead of Simon Daniels in fifth overall.

Group C was dominated by James Taylor who took three races wins to claim the overall ahead of Luke Clifton and Henry Utting in second and third overall. Fourth overall went to Joe Scillitoe with Bradley Allen in fifth overall.

In Group D it was Shaun Tacey who took the overall win ahead of Trevor Buckley and Chris Gaut.

The Woodbridge DMCC now focus on their next event which is the fifth round of the Revo ACU British Motocross Championship fuelled by Gulf Race Fuels on Sunday 19^th June and Discounted Advance Tickets can be purchased online now.

Full Results can be found here – https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1971248

Report and Images by Richard Blyth – Image Rich Media