2024 Hawkstone International report, results and pictures

By Dick Law on 27th Feb 24

News Motocross

Recently turned 33-year-old Dutchman Glenn Coldenhoff topped the podium of the Ashbrook Hawkstone International powered by Syntol for the second year in a row – this time on a Factory Racing Fantic and without winning a race.

The crowds turned out in their thousands for the event to watch a good portion of the world’s top motocross riders who made the journey to Shropshire for the annual early-season shakedown. And the racing was hard and fast. The weather was also kind to the hard-working Salop club as the rain that constantly fell throughout the build-up to race day moved away, leaving the weekend dry and not too cold considering the time of year.

Former MX2 world champion Pauls Jonass (Standing Construct Honda) was the fastest rider in MXGP qualifying ahead of Brent Van Doninck (JM Racing Honda) and last year's winner, Coldenhoff.

Jonass made full advantage of having the first gate pick by leading race one around the first turn at the start of the 25-minute plus one-lap race. He was followed by fancied Frenchman Romain Febvre (Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP), Coldenhoff and multiple world champion Jeffrey Herlings (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team).

Henry Jacobi (Sarholz KTM) had gated fifth, and although he was extremely fast seemed to spoil his day with too many crashes, although he was very entertaining to watch.

Our own Brad Todd (DK Off Road Honda) was sixth around turn one and was the first British rider, while Tom Grimshaw (Apico Factory Racing Honda) stalled on the start line – “A novice mistake,” he’d say later - was dead last. 

Halfway around the opening lap, Grimshaw’s teammate Martin Barr took a trip over the handlebars and lost his helmet peak, which put him to the back of the pack. Barr wasn’t alone with his problems – Jayden Ashwell (AJP Racing Team Suzuki) also crashed out. He re-mounted and circulated for another couple of laps before returning to the paddock.

Back at the front, the top four were all still running in the same order till the leader, Jonass, got cross-rutted and slipped off, which popped him back to third. Febvre took over at the front of the pack ahead of Coldenhoff, Jonass and Herlings in fourth place – and that’s the order they finished in as Febvre took the win by just under six seconds from Coldenhoff.

Jonass was almost twenty seconds behind in third while Herlings, who had spent all race in fourth place and was feeling his way back into racing, was 16 seconds further back.

Notable rides came from 450 rookie Isak Gifting (JK Racing Yamaha), who gated ninth but made his way up to fifth at the flag on a track that’s hard to pass on. Van Doninck (JM Racing Honda) was involved in a crash on the opening lap and came around in 29th place but ended his race in 12th – one of the last riders on the lead lap.

Grimshaw’s day went from bad to worse as after his mishap at the start he made a good number of passes only to throw it all away on the last lap when he cartwheeled down the hill with his legs wrapped around the handlebars of his machine. He reported after that he was a bit beat up but otherwise unhurt.

Herlings got the holeshot at the start of race two and was followed around the first turn by Coldenhoff and that’s how the pair spent the rest of the race and crossed the finish line separated by less than two seconds. But behind them, it was all action.

Gifting had gated third and had Adam Sterry (Schmicker Racing Team KTM), Jonass, Van Doninck and Febvre on his tail. Sterry dropped four places on the first lap as Jonass passed him and Gifting to move into third place. Van Doninck had a crash and dropped to 10th place while Febvre had moved up to fifth.

Late entry, Jeremy Seewer (Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP) had gated 10th but was making progress through the pack till, at about half race distance, he passed Gifting and a lap later, he passed teammate Febvre as his bike came to a stop from overheating. “I was chasing hard and always seemed to be in someone’s roost. It must have filled up my radiators, and the bike came to a stop,” said Febvre. “It was a long push back to the paddock.”

Seewer finished fourth, with Gifting fifth, while Van Doninck had a fun-filled ride to sixth.

Sam Nunn (John Banks Racing Honda) had been the first British rider at the start and ended his race in 12th place.

Overall, it was Coldenhoff from Herlings and Jonass with Sterry, the first UK rider in 10th place, Josh Gilbert (Gabriel SS24 KTM) was 11th after just missing out on a top 10 finish.

“The guys at Fantic have put a big effort to get to this level,” said Coldenhoff. “This is my second race this year and in the first event, we were still searching for a good setup, so we are pleased with our progress. It was hard out there, and I hope it was entertaining for the crowd. I think I have eaten some sand today with all the roost that was flying about.”

From second place on the podium, Herlings said, “I haven't ridden for quite a while now, and that track was pretty gnarly out there, what with all the rain we have had. But the track got better and better as the day went on, and I got a better start in race two, which made things easier. Glenn [Coldenhoff] was riding well and was putting me under a lot of pressure. But it was all good and I am feeling better with my riding.”

 “It was very physical out on track today,” said third-placed Jonass. “I have had a good off-season with the bike and my riding. It was a shame about my crash in the first moto as I was feeling good out there leading but it was fun out there riding and especially in front of this very large crowd.”

The start of this first MX2 race was marred by a turn two crash, which brought five or six riders down, but while they untangled themselves from a pile of expensive machinery, fastest qualifier Hakon Osterhagen (JM Racing Honda) had got the holeshot and was being chased by world champion Andrea Adamo (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team), Joe Brookes (426 Motorsport Team KTM) and Maximilian Werner (JM Racing Honda).

On lap three, Adamo slipped past Osterhagen in front of the commentary tower in the centre of the circuit to take over the lead and went on to win the race with Osterhagen hanging on to second.

Brookes was having a great ride until the new Gabriel SS24 KTM signing Cas Valk slipped by him on his way to third place. Werner relegated Brookes down another place a lap later, with Bradley Mesters (KTM Kosak Racing) snatching fifth from Brookes on the very last lap of the race as he struggled with his vision.

Jake Nicholls (TRU 7 Honda Racing Academy) proved he still has his GP riding skills by gating eighth and finishing in seventh place with Joel Rizzi (Dirt Store Kawasaki) chasing Nicholls over the finish line in eighth after an opening lap crash.

The ride of the race came from Scott Smulders (KMP Honda Team), and he was involved in the turn-two pileup. He finished his first lap in 33rd place but ended his race in ninth which he snatched out of the hands of Ollie Colmer (K-Tech Aristo KTM) on the last lap but one.

The second MX2 race was all about Adamo as he got the holeshot and led the whole race to finish almost 11 seconds clear of Valk, who had passed Werner on the opening lap.

The battle for third was all over the place with Werner, Rizzi and Osterhagen all holding that position at one time or another as the battle raged on although the position swaps were mainly dictated by Osterhagen’s crashes. He initially crashed back to seventh place on lap four, which handed third to Werner but only for a lap until Rizzi snatched it from him. It then took Osterhagen three laps to get back to fourth and from there, he slipped past Rizzi to re-take third. Rizzi was fourth from Mesters and Warner.

Nicholls had made a great comeback for an early crash as he ended his opening lap in 28th but had moved up to 12th at the finish.

Overall, it was Adamo with two wins from Valk and Osterhagen. Rizzi was the first UK rider in sixth place with Jones seventh.

“It’s my first time here and the track was amazing”, said winner Adamo. “We have had a lot of rain and the track was roughing up which is great for testing both bike and rider before the GPs. We only have one week left before we travel to the first Grand Prix in Argentina.”

In second place was a rider we’ll be seeing a lot of in 2024 – Cas Valk. “It’s going to be a good year for me as I am racing in the EMX250 series and the British Championship here in the UK. It’s been a great track here today and I have enjoyed it and look forward to racing it again in the British.”

“I think I crashed at least six times,” said third-placed Osterhagen. “They were just silly mistakes. I was staying with Adamo for most of the first race till we came across some backmarkers and then I came off.”

It ended up close at the top of the EMX125 standings as Finland’s Kasimir Hindersson just snatched the overall from the fastest qualifier, Britain’s Josh Vail. The pacesetter for most of the day in the races had been Ulsterman Cole McCullough on his Fantic – he won race one and led the other two but failed to make the finish either time.

As it turned out, Hindersson would win the second and Vail the final moto which made for some calculating who the overall winner would be. In the end, a 2-1-2 would secure it for the Finn while Vail’s 3-2-1 placed him second overall. Joining them on the podium was the Dutchman with the French-sounding name – Dean Gregoire – who Red Bull KTM are expecting great things from in the future. 

With the light fading over the Shropshire hills, the top 20 from both the MX1 and MX2 classes lined up for the SuperFinal, with the MX2 riders starting five seconds ahead just to make it more interesting.

The on-form Adamo led the MX2s around the first turn, followed by Valk and Mesters but by the time the pack came around to complete the first lap, Herlings, Febvre, and Coldenhoff were already in third, fourth and fifth.

The MX2 machines just didn’t have the power to match the bigger MX1 bikes when it came to dealing with the deep sand and famous Hawkstone Hill. The 450s just powered past at will.

Herlings was in the lead by lap four and went on to win although he was closely stalked by Coldenhoff, Febvre and Seewer. Jonass finished fifth and Adamo hung on for sixth place with Gilbert, having his best ride of the day, placed seventh, which earned him the honour of being the first UK rider home and the trophy that came with it.

2024 Ashbrook Hawkstone International powered by Syntol

MX1

MX2

EMX 125

Superfinal

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