Bridgestone British Masters Round Six Report & Photos - Foxhill
By Team TMX on 18th Sep 23
Rain stopped play at the last round of the Bridgestone Masters last weekend as with the second block of Sundays racing about to start, the skies opened up, turning the steep hills into a slippery mess and so the racing was halted on safety grounds.
Josh Gilbert turned up to race a 250cc Crendon Fastrack Honda in preparation for representing this country in this year's MXoN in France. He set the fastest qualifying time of all the Pro riders – including the 450s – with the MX1 series leader Steven Clarke (Store 114 Racing Honda) second fastest, only a quarter of a second slower than Gilbert.
Clarke's qualifying efforts were wasted at the start of the only Pro MX1 and MX2 combined moto. He span out on the face of the first of the big downhill jumps just after the start in front of the pack. This caused the other riders to take avoiding action by going either side of the jump on the slippery grass to not be involved in the crash and left Clarke to pick himself up at the very back of the pack with a lot of work to do.
All this action left three SC Sporthomes Husqvarna riders in the lead of the race as a surprised Charlie Putnam, who was in front of Clarke when he went down had a massive lead over John Adamson and their new rider from the US, Zack Williams, in third.
You could see that this would change very quickly as Gilbert was on a flyer and was up to second place by the end of the second lap and was in the lead just a lap later.
Tristan Purdon (Gabriel SS 24 KTM) had been third fastest in qualifying but had missed the start but was on a charge. By the end of the fifth lap, he had passed Putnam and was doing all he could to close the gap to the leader, Gilbert. But, with three laps to go and perhaps pushing a bit too hard, he lost the front wheel to the bottom of the valley and slipped off. The gap back to the third-place man, Putnam, was big enough that Purdon had time to remount his machine without losing a place, but the chance of the race win vanished at that point.
Apart from Gilbert, Josh Coleman (Holeshot KTM) and Carlton Husband (Phoenix Even Strokes Kawasaki) were the lead MX2 riders in fifth and sixth. Still, Husband switched that around at the end of lap two as he finished the race in fourth place, but second MX2 rider as Coleman slipped back to eighth place.
Gilbert's pace on the 250 was such that he crossed the finish line over a minute ahead of second-place man but first MX1 rider Purdon. Williams had moved up a place at the cost of Putnam's rear brake sticking on the last lap of the race.
Husband was fourth, with a changing Liam Garland (KTM) just behind him in fifth as the pair finished second and third in the Pro MX2 class. As for the unfortunate Clarke, he finished 15th but sixth MX1 rider home, which gave him the 2023 Bridgestone Masters MX1 championship from Richard McKeown (RM 22 Husqvarna) and Travis Steels (GASGAS).
Calum Mitchell didn’t compete in this last round but won the Pro MX2 championship from Daniel Hutchinson (Husqvarna) and Husband.
With three race wins from three starts, wildcard rider George Clarke (Yamaha) was the overall Amateur MX1 winner from Jamie Fort (Honda) and another wildcard rider Todd Ritchie (Yamaha), who both tied on points with Fort being awarded the second place by virtue of his higher place finish in the last race.
But, in the final championship positions, John Joe Wright was the champion by six points, from Simon Booth (KTM) and Jamie Fort (Honda) third after finishing second on the day.
Like Clarke in Amateur MX1, Rory Jones (KTM) had an unbeaten day in the Amateur MX2 class. Henry Siddiqui (KTM) chased Jones over the finish line on each occasion for second overall, which was enough to give him the Amateur MX2 championship, with Jones second and Patrick Jackson (Kawasaki) third on the day and third in the championship.
Only two points separated Mark Kinsley (Yamaha) and Lee Clarkson (Husqvarna) at the top of the ever-popular Clubman class, with Richard Roberts (Yamaha) third, just two more points behind Clarkson. But in the final championship position, Roberts was the champion by 18 points from Clarkson, with Kane Fisher third.
With a third place and two race wins, Freddie Gardiner (KTM) won the 125cc overall from race one winner Daniel Brough (Yamaha) and Charlie Richmond (KTM). Beau Brown (KTM) was fourth overall, but that was enough to snatch the championship win from Gardiner, with Chester Hyde (GASGAS) third.
Jak Taylor (Husqvarna), with two third places and a win, took the overall win in the MXY2 class from Mckenzie Marshall (KTM) and Liam Bennett (Husqvarna) as race one and two winners, Tyla Hooley (GASGAS) failed to score in the last race of the weekend. Bayliss Utting (Husqvarna) missed a podium position but did enough to win the MXY2 championship from Taylor and Kayde Rayns (Yamaha).
It's always close at the top of the BW85s, and this time, only 10 points separated the top four as wildcard rider Alfie Herron (Husqvarna) took the overall win but just three points from Ethan Jordon (KTM) with Maison Jones (KTM) third, just three behind Jordon.
Josh Vail, who was already champion, had decided to move up to a class to the 125s at this, the last round, which was a shame as he had won every BW85 race up to that point. Zane Stephens (GASGAS) was second in the championship, with Jones third.
After winning both SW85 races on Saturday, Joel Winstanley-Dawson (KTM) won the championship, so he thought he would try the BW85s on Sunday. This meant the overall on the day went to Arthur Moore (Husqvarna) with two-second places and a race win. Lucas Lee (Husqvarna) was second overall and second to Winstanley-Dawson in the championship. William Evens (GASGAS) was third on the day.
Harley Marczak (GASGAS) dominated the weekend with three race wins from three starts. Jett Gardiner (KTM) was second overall, with Arthur King (KTM) third. In the championship, Marczak was the champion by 30 points from Casey Lister and King.
Bridgestone British Masters Round Six Results
Pro MX1
| 1 | Tristan Purdon | Gabriel SS24 KTM | 45 |
| 2 | Zack Williams | SC Sporthomes Husqvarna | 43 |
| 3 | Travis Steels | GASGAS | 41 |
| 4 | Richard McKeown | RM 22 Husqvarna | 39 |
| 5 | Charlie Putnam | SC Sporthomes Husqvarna | 37 |
| 6 | Steven Clarke | Store 114 Racing Honda | 35 |
Final championship standings
1 Clarke 427, 2 McKeown 363, 3 Putnam 288, 4 Green 228, 5 Bradley 220
Pro MX2
| 1 | Josh Gilbert | Crendon Fastrack Honda | 45 |
| 2 | Carlton Husband | Phoenix Evenstrokes Kawasaki | 43 |
| 3 | Liam Garland | KTM | 41 |
| 4 | Howard Wainwright | Honda | 39 |
| 5 | John Adamson | SC Sporthomes Husqvarna | 37 |
| 6 | Josh Coleman | Holeshot KTM | 35 |
| 7 | Rory Jones | GASGAS | 34 |
| 8 | Cullen Scott | KTM | 33 |
| 9 | Daniel Hutchinson | Husqvarna | 32 |
| 10 | Dominic Newman | KTM | 31 |
Final championship standings
1 Mitchell 397, 2 Hutchinson 370, 3 Husband 199, 4 Jones 152, 5 Johnson 150
Amateur MX1
| 1 | George Clarke | Yamaha | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Jamie Fort | Honda | 41 + 39 + 39 = 199 |
| 3 | Todd Ritchie | Yamaha | 39 + 43 + 37 = 199 |
| 4 | Daniel Maule | Honda | 32 + 37 + 43 = 112 |
| 5 | Bradley Flagg | Honda | 34 + 34 + 41 = 109 |
| 6 | Simon Booth | KTM | 35 + 35 + 35 = 105 |
| 7 | Sean Williamson | Yamaha | 31 + 31 + 34 = 96 |
| 8 | John Joe Wright | Honda | 33 + 33 + 29 = 95 |
| 9 | Dale Brockhust | Yamaha | 29 + 32 + 32 = 93 |
| 10 | Frazer Gardiner | Yamaha | 27 + 30 + 31 = 88 |
Final championship standings
1 Wright 816, 2 Booth 752, 3 Fort 695, 4 Williamson 695, 5 Lewis 695
Amateur MX2
| 1 | Rory Jones | KTM | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Henry Siddiqui | KTM | 43 + 43 + 43 = 129 |
| 3 | Patrick Jackson | Kawasaki | 37 + 39 + 41 = 117 |
| 4 | Jesse Wren | Kawasaki | 41 + 33 + 31 = 113 |
| 5 | Mitchell Armour | Husqvarna | 39 + 41 + 29 = 109 |
| 6 | Kieran Gregory | Yamaha | 35 + 37 + 35 = 107 |
| 7 | Ryan Allison | KTM | 33 + 32 + 37 = 102 |
| 8 | Mitchell Warhurst | KTM | 32 + 35 + 33 = 100 |
| 9 | Bailey Betsworth | GASGAS | 34 + 34 + 32 = 100 |
| 10 | Syd Putnam | Husqvarna | 31 + 29 + 34 = 94 |
Final championship standings
1 Siddiqui 875, 2 Jones 807, 3 Jackson 711, 4 Armour 675, 5 Putnam 651
Clubman
| 1 | Mark Kinsley | Yamaha | 45 + 45 + 39 = 129 |
| 2 | Lee Clarkson | Husqvarna | 41 + 43 + 43 = 127 |
| 3 | Richard Roberts | Yamaha | 43 + 37 + 45 = 125 |
| 4 | Bradley Priest | Honda | 32 + 34 + 34 = 100 |
| 5 | Matthew Jones | KTM | 33 + 35 + 32 = 100 |
| 6 | Josh Young | KTM | 23 + 32 + 41 = 96 |
| 7 | Matthew Fuller | KTM | 31 + 29 + 33 = 93 |
| 8 | Nathan Heath | KTM | 22 + 33 + 37 = 92 |
| 9 | Colin McLuckie | Honda | 25 + 31 + 31 = 87 |
| 10 | Elliott Pugh | KTM | 28 + 30 + 29 = 87 |
Final championship standings
1 Roberts 872, 2 Clarkson 854, 3 Fisher 794, 4 McLuckie 782, 5 Kinsley 734
125cc
| 1 | Freddie Gardiner | KTM | 39 + 45 + 45 = 129 |
| 2 | Daniel Brough | Yamaha | 45 + 39 + 37 = 121 |
| 3 | Charlie Richmond | KTM | 34 + 41 + 43 = 118 |
| 4 | Beau Brown | KTM | 41 + 43 + 32 = 116 |
| 5 | Paul Neal | KTM | 43 + 34 + 35 = 112 |
| 6 | Chester Hyde | GASGAS | 37 + 35 + 34 = 106 |
| 7 | Drew Stock | KTM | 33 + 33 + 31 = 97 |
| 8 | Declan Wright | KTM | 32 + 30 + 33 = 95 |
| 9 | Levi Saunders | GASGAS | 31 + 29 + 29 = 89 |
| 10 | Troy Haywood | KTM | 30 + 27 + 30 = 87 |
Final championship standings
1 Brown 884, 2 Gardiner 877, 3 Hyde 848, 4 Brough 801, 5 Wright 701
MXY2
| 1 | Jak Taylor | Husqvarna | 41 + 41 + 45 = 127 |
| 2 | Mckenzie Marshall | Yamaha | 43 + 43 + 34 = 120 |
| 3 | Liam Bennett | Husqvarna | 37 + 35 + 41 = 113 |
| 4 | Bayliss Utting | Husqvarna | 35 + 37 + 39 = 111 |
| 5 | Kayde Rayns | Yamaha | 34 + 39 + 37 = 110 |
| 6 | Tye Jones | KTM | 30 + 34 + 35 = 99 |
| 7 | Kyron Carron | KTM | 32 + 32 + 33 = 97 |
| 8 | Jack Dando | KTM | 33 + 31 + 32 = 96 |
| 9 | Lewis Bethell | Husqvarna | 31 + 33 + 31 = 95 |
| 10 | Tyla Hooley | GASGAS | 45 + 45 + 0 = 90 |
Final championship standings
1 Utting 975, 2 Taylor 912, 3 Rayns 774, 4 Marshall 720, 5 Dando 702
Big Wheel 85
| 1 | Alfie Herron | Husqvarna | 43 + 33 + 45 = 121 |
| 2 | Ethan Jordan | KTM | 39 + 43 + 37 = 119 |
| 3 | Maison Jones | KTM | 41 + 34 + 41 = 116 |
| 4 | Zane Stephens | GASGAS | 37 + 35 + 39 = 111 |
| 5 | Zane Sibley-Deakin | Honda | 35 + 37 + 31 = 103 |
| 6 | Jorge Parkin | KTM | 33 + 41 + 29 = 103 |
| 7 | Kameron Greenhaigh | Husqvarna | 34 + 39 + 22 = 95 |
| 8 | Stanley Siebert | KTM | 32 + 27 + 34 = 93 |
| 9 | Archie Stapley | KTM | 30 + 29 + 33 = 92 |
| 10 | Andrew Piggford | GASGAS | 29 + 32 + 30 = 91 |
Final championship standings
1 Vail 990, 2 Stephens 858, 3 Jones 765, 4 Parkin 740, 5 Greenhaigh 738
Small Wheel 85
| 1 | Arthur Moore | Husqvarna | 45 + 43 + 45 = 131 |
| 2 | Lucas Lee | Husqvarna | 29 + 41 + 43 = 113 |
| 3 | William Evans | GASGAS | 41 + 39 + 33 = 113 |
| 4 | Robbie Scott | KTM | 39 + 34 + 39 = 112 |
| 5 | Leo Wilson | KTM | 37 + 37 + 37 = 103 |
| 6 | Jamie Thorpe | KTM | 33 + 29 + 41 = 97 |
| 7 | Chase Panter | KTM | 30 + 33 + 34 = 94 |
| 8 | Archie Butterfield | KTM | 34 + 28 + 32 = 94 |
| 9 | Harry Hall | KTM | 35 + 30 + 29 = 94 |
| 10 | Joel Winstanley-Dawson | KTM | 45 + 45 + 0 = 90 |
Final championship standings
1 Winstanley-Dawson 950, 2 Lee 842, 3 Moore 796, 4 Panter, 5 Butterfield 763
Junior 65
| 1 | Harley Marczak | GASGAS | 45 + 45 + 45 = 135 |
| 2 | Jett Gardiner | KTM | 41 + 39 + 43 = 123 |
| 3 | Arthur King | KTM | 43 + 41 + 34 = 118 |
| 4 | Jamie Currie | GASGAS | 39 + 37 + 33 = 109 |
| 5 | Teddy Merriman | KTM | 37 + 35 + 30 = 102 |
| 6 | Casey Lister | GASGAS | 15 + 43 + 41 = 99 |
| 7 | Ethan Gawley | KTM | 27 + 31 + 39 = 97 |
| 8 | Lyall Rutherford | KTM | 34 + 34 + 29 = 97 |
| 9 | Charley Wilcock | KTM | 32 + 28 + 35 = 95 |
| 10 | Dylan Standing | Yamaha | 35 + 30 + 28 = 93 |
Final championship standings
1 Marczak 964, 2 Lister 934, 3 King 868, 4 Gardiner 815, 5 Shawyer 709
More like this…
Apico 2-Stroke Festival set to return in 2024
Promoter announces plans for the Apico 2-Stroke Festival, featuring the Red Bull Pro-Stroke Nationals, to return to Sellindge in Kent in 2024 and to be the biggest yet
.jpg)
MX Nationals rebranded and rebooted for 2024
MX Nationals championship series has announced an all-new format for the 2024 season and, along with it, a new name - "Fastest 40 Championship" for the upcoming 2024 season
Honda announce MX Nationals and AMCA-backed CRF250R Cup for Amateur and Clubman riders
Two new championships exclusively for riders of Honda CRF250R machines in Britain next year, with four brand new bikes up for grabs to winners at the end of the season