2023 Revo ACU British Motocross Championship Final Round Report - Monster Mountain

By Dick Law on 12th Sep 23

News Motocross British Motocross Championship

They say, "If you don't like the weather in Wales, wait 10 minutes, it will change." And it did at Monster Mountain last weekend for the final round of the 2023 Revo ACU Motocross Championship.

On Saturday, when most of the youth races were taking place, clear blue skies and hot temperatures sent people scurrying for the Factor 50 sunblock. But, come Sunday's main championship races, a massive downpour turned the excellent track into an ice-skating rink and made it hard to work out who was who as the mud-covered riders struggled with the conditions.

At the start of the first MX1 race, it looked like Harri Kullas (CAB Screens Crescent Yamaha) was going to get the holeshot as he swept around the outside of the first turn, but Josh Gilbert (Crendon Fastrack Honda) chose the tighter inside line and emerged from the turn with the lead of the race as his teammate Conrad Mewse slid into fourth behind Ivo Monticelli (ASA United GASGAS).

On lap two, as Mewse found a way past Monticelli for third, Martin Barr (Apico Husqvarna) slid off on the track's adverse camber while in sixth, which dropped him down to 12th place.

Brad Todd (DK Offroad Honda) had had a great start and was running in a solid fifth place until the heavens opened up and the rain poured down. With the deteriorating conditions not to his liking, first John Adamson (ASA United GASGAS) slipped by and he was followed by Tristan Purdon (Gabriel SS24 KTM) and Tom Grimshaw (Chambers GASGAS) on the very next lap.

With five laps left in the race, Kullas took advantage of a rare Gilbert mistake and snatched the lead of the race and eventually took the race win from Gilbert's young hands.

Mewse had to settle for third place with the championship one race away. Monticelli spent most of the race in fourth place, with Purdon passing Adamson for fifth. Todd, meanwhile, passed Grimshaw back and finished his race in seventh place.

With track conditions being very tricky and testing, race two became one liney without much overtaking.

Mewse got the holeshot from Kullas, Monticelli and Gilbert, and apart from Gilbert taking third place from Monticelli on the very last lap, the order stayed the same all race long.

Adamson and Grimshaw had gated fifth and sixth, but their positions swapped on lap four while Carpenter passed Purdon for seventh place with three laps to go.

Overall, it was Kullas who took the win by two points from Mewse, with Gilbert third, but in the final championship standings, it was Mewse who was crowned champion from teammate Gilbert with Kullas third, much as it had been throughout the year.

“Wow, 2023 MX1 British Champion. That’s so good, so good," said the delighted champion Mewse. “Two out of two this year. First, the MX Nationals and now the British and finished it all off with a race win.

“I give it 100 per cent whatever race I am in, and it goes to show in the last race. I am over the moon. I have to give a shout-out to Josh Gilbert and Harri Kullas, as they have been awesome competitors all year and have pushed me all the way. I want to thank my girlfriend, my mum and dad for their support all year and all the family that came to watch today. But, most of all, thanks to the Crendon Fastrack Honda team and my mechanic Rob.”

The overall winner of the last round and third in the championship, Kullas said, “I really enjoyed my racing today. The track was in good condition and they watered it well yesterday. The rain helped to keep the moisture in it today and it was good fun. I had a good pace in qualifying this morning. I was second fastest, the highest I have ever qualified this year. I had good starts, apart from going too wide in race one, which allowed Josh (Gilbert) to pass me. I knew he didn't have roll-offs, so when it started raining, I knew I could pass him. It was very heavy at one time.

“In the second race, Conrad managed to pass me on the first lap. I tried to go with him, which meant I had a good pace, which I was happy about as he has been very fast this year, so congratulations to him."

Third overall and second in the championship, Gilbert said, "The first race, I had a great start, and I was leading the race quite nicely till the heavens opened. Typical Wales, sunny and humid and then the next minute heavy rain. We have had it all.

“I had a good lead till then and I made a small mistake over the back of the circuit – then Harri Kullas was on my wheel and passed me. He did ride well when it became greasy and he came away with the win.

“I got a bad start in the second race and slipped off on the first lap as things went quickly from bad to worse. I got up quickly, reeled in Monticelli, and passed him on the last lap for third place. Second, in the championship is good as I think this year, I have made big positive steps in the right direction, and hopefully next year will be better again.”

Things didn’t go quite to plan for series leader Isak Gifting (426 Motorsports Stebbings GASGAS) at the start of the first MX2 championship race. As Tommy Searle (GTCI Revo Kawasaki), who had changed classes just for this event, went wide in the muddy, slippery conditions of turn one but still managed to keep the race lead, Gifting had to pull his bike out from under Louie Kessel and his machine, which put him at the back of the pack with a lot of work to do.

Elliott Banks-Browne (Geartec Husqvarna) and Dylan Walsh (KTM) had ended the first lap in second and third and both spent the rest of the race trying to catch Searle without success and they inished first, second and third.

Ben Mustoe (MGMX KTM) gated fourth but as Alfie Jones (Chambers GASGAS) crashed out of fifth place, Billy Askew (GTCI Revo Kawasaki), who had moved up to the adults from winning the 250 Youth class the day before, snatched his fourth place away from him on lap four.

Sam Nunn (CAB Screens Crescent Yamaha) started his race in seventh place but took full advantage of Jones crashing and passed Mustoe and Askew within the last three laps to claim fourth place. Askew hung onto fifth, with Mustoe sixth.

While all this was going on, Gifting was making steady progress, and by the halfway point, he was in 14th place, where he stayed till he was passed by Joel Rizzi on the last lap of the race. But the points from 15th place were enough to make him the 2023 MX2 British Champion.

With the championship pressure off, Gifting got the race two holeshot from Walsh, Searle, Joe Brookes (GRT Impact KTM), Askew, Jack Chambers (Big Van World Kawasaki) and Mustoe.

Gifting and Searle battled over the lead till lap six, when Searle managed to open up a bit of a lead and went on to win the second race. Gifting settled for second, with Chambers third.

Brookes crashed down to 12th place, then pulled out. Askew worked his way up to fourth before suffering a mechanical problem which forced him out on lap nine, with Mustoe crashing on the opening lap but finishing 13th.

Overall, it was Searle from Walsh and Banks-Browne, with Chambers just missing out on the podium. But in the championship, it was Gifting from Taylor Hammal (Gabriel SS24 KTM) and Banks-Browne.

"I definitely made the first race hard for myself," said the new MX2 British champion, Gifting, "I picked the outside at the start because I wanted to play it safe in the first turn but the start was so fast and was so slick with all the rain I just came together with everyone and we all had a big crash. Someone went over my head, and my bike was stuck under Louie Kessel’s. It was a nightmare, but I made it happen, though it was probably one of the worst races I have ever done, riding-wise. But now it’s done, and I am champion.”

Overall winner Searle said, "I had a lot of fun on the 250 today as I felt I could really race the bike. I have felt a bit uncomfortable on the 450 this year because, after my crash at the start of the year, I lost confidence and found myself in a place where I just couldn't push for the race wins. With that, I lost a bit of fitness when I got hurt from being unable to train, and you have to be in top shape to ride that 450. So, we thought, jump on a 250 for a change and a new challenge, and I enjoyed the day.”

From second overall, Walsh said, "It's been a funny day with the rain in the first race. I came around the first turn in what seemed like last place but worked my way up to third. In the second race, I got a good start, was in second place, and was challenging for the lead but I crashed into a big mud puddle somewhere out the back of the track. I tried to come back with mud-covered slippery gloves, so second overall is good".

Third place on the day and third in the championship, Banks-Browne said. "The day started well enough with me and Tommy Searle first and second in qualifying, and it was the same in the first race. Not bad, considering our combined age is 68 years old.

“The second race wasn't so good as I twisted my wrist on one of the jumps and the rest was just a strugglefest, really. It's a shame to end the year dropping from second in the championship to third after my DNF at Schoolhouse, but I can't complain as when I started this year, I didn't think I would be on the championship podium."

In the 250cc Youth class, Askew rode the first two races, won the championship and then moved up to MX2 for Sunday. On Saturday, he was pushed all the way in both races by Brazilian wildcard rider Bernardo Tiburcio, who won both of Sunday’s races to take the overall.

Mckenzie Marshall (DK Offroad, FXR KTM) and Jak Taylor (WM Tatchell, Husqvarna) finished the weekend level on points, with Marshall being awarded second place overall by virtue of his higher position last race finish.

In the championship, Askew was the winner from Marshall and Bennett.

It was very close at the top of the 125 Youth class with just five points separating the top four as Max Smith (Redline MC KTM) took the win by three points from Freddie Gardiner (Team Matt Gardiner KTM). In third was Lucy Barker (Team Matt Gardiner KTM), making her first appearance on a national podium. Ollie Bubb (3 Flo Blu Cru, Yamaha) just missed the podium by a single point.

SJP Moto’s Reece Jones was crowned champion from Wal Beaney and Wesley McGavin.

Charlie Richmond (JP KTM) with three wins and a third place, won the BW85s from Josh Vail (SJP Moto KTM) and Jamie Keith (MBRPX McGuigan KTM). But in the final championship standings, Vail was the big winner from Richmond and Keith.

With three wins and a second place, Joel Winstanley-Dawson (Castle Trucks KTM) continued his winning ways in the SW85 class. Arthur Moore (Flo Madison Crescent Yamaha) was second overall with Lucas Lee (Ken Rodney Construction Husqvarna) third.

In the championship, Winstanley-Dawson was the winner from Jenson Severn and Moore.

Four wins from four starts gave Casey Lister (TS Racing Gas Gas) a maximum, and the Junior 65 overall win from Jett Gardiner (Team Matt Gardiner KTM) and Harley Marczak (JMR Foundation GASGAS) but in the championship, it was Marczak from Lister and Jagielski.

2023 Revo ACU British Motocross Championship

MX1

Final championship positions

1 Mewse 303, 2 Gilbert 275, 3 Kullas 272, 4 Purdon 163, 5 Adamson 152

MX2

Final championship positions

1 Gifting 265, 2 Hammal 223, 3 Banks-Browns 221, 4 Bruce 171, 5 Wainwright 149

MXY2

Final championship positions

1 Askew 400, 2 Marshall 384, 3 Bennett 341, 4 Taylor 340, 5 Fisher 254

MXY125

Final championship positions

1 Jones 385, 2 Beaney 319, 3 McGavin 284, 4 Bubb 284, 5 Dando 224

BW85

Final championship positions

1 Vail 735, 2 Richmond 690, 3 Keith 671, 4 Stock 641, 5 Spratt 589

SW85

Final championship positions

1 Winstanley-Dawson 528, 2 Severn 485, 3 Moore 477, 4 Butterfield 437, 5 Panter 433

Junior 65

Final championship positions

1 Marczak 512, 2 Lister 509, 3 Jagielski 480, 4 King 419, 5 Merriman 398

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