And in MX2, Jake Nicholls had an incident-packed first race which was cut short due to a rider crashing. He came back even more determined in the second race to take a solid fourth place on the Crendon Tru7 Honda CRF250R.

After only riding once in the past four weeks due to a wrist injury, Mewse was uncertain how strong he’d be but started the day in incredible form as he was fastest in qualifying with Carpenter a strong third. As the gate dropped for the first race, Mewse rounded the first turn in second place behind Honda rider Josh Gilbert, but carved through into the lead by the end of the first lap. He then ignored the discomfort from his wrist and pulled away on every lap to win by a staggering 43.9 seconds from Adam Sterry and Gilbert. Mewse set the fastest lap, two seconds quicker than nearest rival Sterry.

Carpenter didn’t get the best start and rounded the first lap in ninth place. He then consistently hounded down his rivals and made passes to get to sixth but then smacked his left hand into a fence post. He lost a place and took a lap to get used to riding in pain but then came back strong and snatched sixth back on the last lap.

Despite the track being much rougher for race two, Mewse was in no mood for backing off. He took the CRF450R to a clean holeshot and nobody got close to him. He led every lap, set the fastest lap of the race and won by 21.9 seconds from Sterry and Gilbert.

Carpenter used the power of the Crendon Tru7 Honda to get a much better start and held fifth place. By the end of the first lap he made a lunge to take fourth but lost control and went down. He got back on in ninth and despite the discomfort from his hand in jury, worked hard at moving forward. He got involved in a dramatic battle and came home a fine sixth, right behind fourth and fifth place riders. That gave him fourth overall once more, just as he finished at the opening round at Hawkstone.  

Mewse said: “I’m so happy with today’s result and that win meant a lot. It’s been tough few weeks. I arrived here not really knowing what to expect as I’ve only been able to ride once in four weeks after injuring my wrist, and that was at the Scottish championship which I’m leading. Not being able to ride at all in the week gets to you mentally.

“But it made me look for better lines where usually I go bombing through the bumps and just hit them. That helped me get the pass into the lead on lap one of the first race.

“I’m also pleased to get better starts as that is something I focused on after Hawkstone Park where I was a bit of inconsistent. We spend so much time doing motos and you can forget about the most important part of the race – the start. We’ve really knuckled down and I’ve definitely got the starts nailed now.”

Carpenter said: “I felt like I had more to give today after a great start to the day, qualifying third fastest. But I didn’t get such a good start in the first race and while coming through the pack, hit my hand on a post and broke a knuckle but still got back to sixth.

“In the second race I had a good start and while going for an overtake on fourth place on the first lap, I crashed going down a hill. I got up as quick as I could in ninth and got back to another sixth place. The next two riders were right in front but I just couldn’t make the pass.

“Nevertheless, a solid day for the championship with another fourth overall. My riding and speed was there to be with the top few so I’ll keep working hard and looking forward to the next round.”

In the MX2 class, Crendon Tru7 Honda CRF250R rider Jake Nicholls took fifth in his qualifying session and was looking forward to the racing on a track he rides well. But just as disaster stuck in the opening round when another rider took him down in the first corner, the same thing happened again at Canada Heights.

Nicholls picked himself up and made some quick passes as he chased hard, coming through to 16^th place by the end of the first lap then 12^th by the second lap. Then it was went wrong again as he clashed with pole-setter Oriol Oliver and both men went down.

Despite a bent bike and sore knee, Nicholls got back on and started to make passes but then the race was red-flagged. As it was deemed to be more than half distance, the result stood leaving Nicholls just inside the points in 19th.

Second time out and Nicholls scored a much better start, coming out of the first corner safely inside the top ten. As GP rider Oliver disappeared at the front, Nicholls made his way forward, making consistent passes to get to fourth by lap ten after overtaking red plate holder Bobby Bruce. He gave chase to second place Tommy Searle and third place Billy Askew, with all three men setting virtually identical lap time. But the Honda man couldn’t quite get by, and came home in fourth place.    

Nicholls said: “I had a pretty good day overall. Qualifying was good then in the first race I got a decent start and someone crashed right in front of me in the first turn which was frustrating. I had a really good few laps then had a coming together with Oriel Oliver. On video it looks like a 50/50 thing bit I felt like I just got nailed from behind. It put me down pretty hard, and I twisted my knee, bent the bike completely, and got dirt in my goggles which ruined the race. Then the race was cut short so my result was pretty poor.

“But race two I got a better start and got round the first corner unscathed. I rode good, found some good lines and ended up fourth so I was really pleased. Any result like that is great. And the bike was great, too. I really enjoyed it!”

Team principal Dave Thorpe said: “Once again it’s been another successful day for the team, despite some difficulties for all the riders.

“Of course, you have to be impressed by Conrad Mewse who really did everything perfectly to win both races and by such big margins. As he has not been able to do any riding in the run up to the event, it was always going to be a difficult day but he proved what a tremendous athlete and true professional he is.

“And for Jamie Carpenter to take fourth overall is also a fantastic result, especially after hurting his hand in the first race and having a big crash in the second. He definitely has the speed and talent to get on the podium this year.

“You’ve also got to hand it to Jake Nicholls who doesn’t get to race as much as lots of his rivals yet still has the speed to mix it up with them. MX2 winner Oliver was clearly very fast but Jake has the pace to race for podiums.” Photos @JHMX

MX1

MX2

125

It was an amazing day for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory teams as they took the victory in both classes!  However, if anyone had correctly predicted the victor in the MXGP category then they could be considered a clairvoyant, for it came from a rider who has only once before scored points in a Qualifying Race in the premiere class: Jago Geerts!

Withstanding pressure from effectively the top two riders in the Championship and staying upright when others didn’t, the Belgian showed the sort of form that earned him 24 GP victories in the MX2 division, in a confidence-boosting ride that few could have seen coming. 

New red plate holder Romain Febvre led briefly but had to settle for second place on his Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP machine, ahead of another Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP rider, Maxime Renaux. 

In MX2 it was a third Qualifying Race win of the season for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2’s top rider in the series, Thibault Benistant, and he also coped with race-long pressure from the red plate holder, as Kay de Wolf marginally increased his points lead for Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing with second place ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Simon Laengenfelder.

With weather likely to be a factor for tomorrow’s GP races as well, the shocks of Saturday could well be repeated on Sunday, with many riders out for redemption around the wooded slopes of Lugo!

With the red plate freshly attached to his factory Kawasaki, Romain Febvre was clearly feeling good with it as he topped both Free and Time Practice sessions, and brilliantly for Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP, Pauls Jonass made it a 1-2 for the green machines with a time just two-tenths away from the Frenchman’s! Home hero Ruben Fernandez gave the local fans some hope with the third best time for Honda HRC.

However, that was as good as it got for the Spaniard, as he fell in the first corner of the Qualifying Race and suffered lacerations to his right arm in the crash.  In a separate incident, both of the main Italian hopes hit the ground hard, as Fantic Factory Racing’s Andrea Bonacorsi was sent over the handlebars after hitting the rear wheel of Aruba.it Ducati Factory MX-Team rider Jeremy Seewer, and Mattia Guadagnini couldn’t avoid his countryman, putting the other Ducati onto the ground as other riders also came to a halt in the melee.

Firing into the lead from the 12th gate pick, however, was Geerts, his front wheel pawing the air for several metres and taking a clean Holeshot ahead of Seewer, Febvre, and Jonass!  In-form rookie Lucas Coenen was initially fifth for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.

Before the pack reached the finish line to start the first full lap of the track, Febvre had shot past Seewer for second, while Jonass lost out to both Coenen and Renaux, dropping the Latvian to sixth.

It was then Seewer’s turn to lose two positions as Coenen ran him wide along the start straight and Renaux took the chance to also dive past the Swiss rider. With the rain driving onto the circuit to make the surface all the more slippery than it already was, Febvre immediately attacked the rear wheel of Geerts, who was enjoying his first laps in the lead of a GP race since moving up to the premiere class.

TEM JP253 KTM Racing Team rider Jan Pancar was initially in the top seven, but got shuffled down the order in the first three laps by the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP machine of Calvin Vlaanderen, then Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings, and finally Glenn Coldenhoff, who would hold onto ninth for Fantic Factory Racing MXGP ahead of Pancar.

Vlaanderen moved up the field well, also passing Jonass on lap four, then Seewer on lap six. The Swiss veteran took sixth at the flag ahead of Jonass and Herlings, while Vlaanderen continued his good run of form by making it three blue bikes in the top five!

All eyes were on the fight for the lead, however, as Febvre was continually frustrated by Geerts, taking him until lap ten to work his way into a pass, done under braking on a downhill left-hander in the middle of the track! Coenen, who had been lurking since the early laps, then closed to the rear wheel of the Yamaha, and was looking at a move into the same corner when they both suddenly found Febvre on the ground in front of them.

Geerts held firm in the lead again, but the younger Belgian looked menacing at the start of the final lap until his front wheel slipped from under him at the end of the start straight! In his haste to remount he dropped the bike again, allowing both Febvre and Renaux through to take second and third.

Geerts was able to enjoy a fairly relaxed final lap with a ten-second cushion over Febvre, and punched the air in delighted relief that his long wait for success in MXGP had finally come to an end.

The result must surely encourage other riders that have been battling Jago down the field all year, that with a good start anything is possible in MXGP! Even though Febvre’s lead at the top has now stretched to 45 points over Coenen, tomorrow’s GP races should be massively entertaining for everyone watching!

Jago Geerts: “It was really crazy. I finally got a good start, took the holeshot and just led lap after lap. I felt really good. Febvre was pushing me, but I kept going. He passed me at one point but then had a small crash so I could take the lead again. Just super happy with this win after a tough time. I knew it was coming back, so it’s nice to see it now.”

Main Photo: Jago Geerts

Bottom Photos: 1. Romain Febvre ; 2. Maxime Renaux

MXGP – Qualifying Race Classification:  1. Jago Geerts (BEL, Yamaha), 23:54.358; 2. Romain Febvre (FRA, Kawasaki), +0:10.010; 3. Maxime Renaux (FRA, Yamaha), +0:13.864; 4. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:15.586; 5. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, Yamaha), +0:17.753; 6. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, Ducati), +0:18.690; 7. Pauls Jonass (LAT, Kawasaki), +0:20.040; 8. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), +0:21.013; 9. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, Fantic), +0:21.632; 10. Jan Pancar (SLO, KTM), +0:26.946

MXGP – World Championship Classification: 1. Romain Febvre (FRA, KAW), 339 points; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, HON), 305 p.; 3. Lucas Coenen (BEL, KTM), 294 p.; 4. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, FAN), 252 p.; 5. Maxime Renaux (FRA, YAM), 225 p.; 6. Ruben Fernandez (ESP, HON), 223 p.; 7. Andrea Bonacorsi (ITA, FAN), 194 p.; 8. Kevin Horgmo (NOR, HON), 177 p.; 9. Calvin Vlaanderen (NED, YAM), 168 p.; 10. Jeremy Seewer (SUI, DUC), 161 p

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Sacha Coenen looked on fire with fastest times in both Free and Time Practice sessions to give the Holeshot master the first gate pick, although De Wolf was up next in second ahead of a great performance by Ferruccio Zanchi, third for Honda HRC. Rick Elzinga was also fast in both sessions for Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2.

Held in dry conditions to begin with, the MX2 Qualifying Race saw the Holeshot taken by title hopeful Laengenfelder, while Coenen banged bars with Benistant for second.  The shorter rider came off worse in a collision which saw Coenen lose a hatful of positions in the third corner, so Benistant led Zanchi in their pursuit of the German out front.

It didn’t take the Frenchman long to find a line past Laengenfelder, pushing him wide at the end of the wave section, while De Wolf got to work from sixth place to pass the Kawasaki Racing Team MX2 machine of Mathis Valin, then Zanchi for fourth, before making a convincing pass on Laengenfelder, his biggest title rival.

The other big title threat to the reigning Champ, Andrea Adamo, was to have a shocking race by his standards, never able to advance from the mid-pack and finishing a frustrated thirteenth for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.  His gap to the top has now nearly doubled, to 19 points heading into tomorrow’s GP races.

Spanish hope Guillem Farres was up to sixth early on for Monster Energy Triumph Racing, but he dropped down the order at the end of the race, being passed for tenth on the last lap by Honda HRC’s Valerio Lata.  Elzinga also dropped from sixth to an eventual ninth behind Farres’ teammate Camden McLellan.  Van Venrooy KTM Racing teamster Cas Valk took another impressive result in seventh, following the charge of Coenen who eventually recovered to finish sixth.

While Laengenfelder endured a fairly solitary race in third, Liam Everts moved forward by leaping past Zanchi to take fourth on lap nine of 14.  His Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing teammate De Wolf pressured Benistant constantly for the lead, but finally made a mistake in one of the corners under the trees and had to settle for second. This result still extends his Championship lead over Laengenfelder to five points, but Benistant’s return to form made him the first rider this season, in either class, to win his third Qualifying Race of the year!

Be sure to join us tomorrow for what should be an enthralling day of racing in the lush forests of Lugo for the MXGP of Spain!

Thibault Benistant: “It’s quite nice to take a win again in qualifying. It hasn’t been so easy the last few races. I just needed to ride a bit freer. It wasn’t easy with the pressure from de Wolf because if you ride too defensive, you lose speed, and if you go too wide, it’s easy to get passed. So yeah, not an easy one, but nice to make it to the end.”

Top Photo: Thibault Benistant

Bottom Photos: 1. Kay de Wolf; 2. Simon Laengenfelder

MX2 – Qualifying Race Classification: 1. Thibault Benistant (FRA, Yamaha), 24:53.027; 2. Kay de Wolf (NED, Husqvarna), +0:05.521; 3. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), +0:11.178; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, Husqvarna), +0:12.206; 5. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, Honda), +0:24.211; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), +0:34.247; 7. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), +0:36.756; 8. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, Triumph), +0:39.248; 9. Rick Elzinga (NED, Yamaha), +0:47.254; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, Honda), +0:48.496

MX2 – World Championship Classification: 1. Kay de Wolf (NED, HUS), 337 points; 2. Simon Längenfelder (GER, KTM), 332 p.; 3. Andrea Adamo (ITA, KTM), 318 p.; 4. Liam Everts (BEL, HUS), 276 p.; 5. Thibault Benistant (FRA, YAM), 235 p.; 6. Sacha Coenen (BEL, KTM), 227 p.; 7. Camden Mc Lellan (RSA, TRI), 213 p.; 8. Cas Valk (NED, KTM), 193 p.; 9. Ferruccio Zanchi (ITA, HON), 174 p.; 10. Valerio Lata (ITA, HON), 161 p.

The date for your diary is Wednesday 28th May and the day will present a great opportunity for everyone who wants to support the team chance to and give the opportunity for riders to showcase themselves. If you’d like to join in, have fun, and get some amazing track time while, at the same time, supporting the UK team. Hit the link attached or in our boi

There’s a fee of £45 to take part but all profits from the day will go towards funding the Team for 2025 and hopefully beyond. Thanks #TeamGBJuniorWolrdOffIcial

https://www.goracemx.com/event.php?eid=9596

Guy will race at the 2025 event on a DocWob-prepared 2002 Yamaha YZ 250 to promote his upcoming attempt at the world land speed record.

He is bang up for the challenge, and anyone who watches his iconic TV shows would appreciate that he’s not scared of much and is already in training for the race at his own track, Thoresway. The DocWob team will meet Guy there to test the bike ahead of the event and provide an update on the preparations. Watch this space!

Guy will also be bringing the world land speed record attempt machine “The Spirit of GB” along with the crew after dyno testing at Api-com testing systems before he attempts the motorcycle rear-wheel-driven land speed record. The bike is powered by a 1200shp (shaft horsepower) Rolls-Royce Gem Lynx helicopter gas turbine engine and will try to beat the existing record of 376.363mph currently held by Rocky Robinson in the Ack Attack Streamliner

The land speed record attempt is scheduled to take place at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia in 2026, with slower test runs below 200mph due to take place in the UK first.

So, take advice from the man himself, and “if in doubt, go flat out” and book your tickets to Farleigh Castle Vets MX 2025, as we are sure he will do the same when the gate drops.

Apico’s Dylan Brown said: “Works Connection is a brand I’ve followed since the early days, seeing parts on AMA Factory Machinery over the decades proves the race-bred quality of the brand and its products. One of the standout products for me is the Pro Launch Device and how that one product revolutionised race starts in motocross racing. We’ll roll the whole Works Connection range out to our 600+ dealer network in the U.K. and riders will have a vast range of products to choose from”.

Eric Phipps: “We are incredibly pleased to add Apico Factory Racing as our latest Distributor for Works Connection products in the UK. After our initial meetings, we felt we were both on the same page and our business practices and ideas for the future lined up nicely. It’s always a pleasure to work with people who are as passionate about motocross as we are, and just as passionate about running a business. We are looking forward to working with Dylan and Anna and the Apico Factory Racing company while providing our WC products for the UK market.”

Tim Gajser: I am bitterly disappointed to have needed surgery, which effectively rules out any chance I have of the title this year. There isn’t a set recovery timetable for this, but I’ll be missing a number of rounds and even when I return, it’ll take some time to get back up to speed. My focus now though is to do everything I need to do to, to get fit and healthy and back to being 100% and we’ll just take it from there. I felt so good this season, and I think that showed with my results and how comfortably I was leading the championship, but this is motocross and anything can happen at any moment unfortunately. A big thanks to everyone in Honda HRC for all their work, and to all my fans around the world who support me. I hope to see everyone at the races later in the year