Motul MXGB heats up Preston Docks
By Team TMX on 7th Apr 26
While Jeffrey Herlings stamped his authority all over MX1 at round two of the Motul ACU British Motocross Championship at Preston Docks, the real intrigue unfolded just behind him, as Conrad Mewse closed in on series leaders Ben Watson and Oriol Oliver, who remain locked on equal points.
Meanwhile, on a bright and breezy day in Lancashire, Charlie Heyman grabbed the MX2 spotlight with a breakthrough first British Championship moto win - helping him move to the top of the standings, despite overall victory going to defending champion Tommy Searle.
As ever, the story was far from straightforward.
Race one saw Heyman grab the early lead, but he had plenty of pressure from round one moto winner Jamie Keith and Searle.
As the clock ticked down, Keith moved into the lead, with Searle closing in and looking ready to strike. However, a heavy crash brought out the red flags, and with results taken from the last completed lap, it was Heyman - who had led at that point - who was awarded the win ahead of Keith and Searle.
Joe Brookes secured fourth, followed by Davy Pootjes, Billy Askew and series leader Gyan Doensen, who was left with work to do after being squeezed out at the start.
Race two saw Searle take the holeshot ahead of Askew and Brookes, with the three Triumph riders running line astern at the front. Searle controlled the race from there to take his first win of the season and secure the overall.
Brookes made a late move on Askew to grab second in the race and third overall, while Doensen fought through to fourth ahead of Heyman. Despite that, Heyman did enough to leave Preston with the championship lead and the red plate heading to Lyng.
Heyman also leads the Jude Morris 101 Under-21 standings, with Doensen, Ben Mustoe and Josh Vail in pursuit, while Brookes and Keith both made big impressions with strong results.
In the Apico MX1 class, Jeffrey Herlings proved untouchable.
Race one was opened up when early leader Josh Gilbert crashed out and dislocated his shoulder. Taylor Hammal briefly took over at the front before a mistake handed control to Herlings, who went on to claim a commanding win.
Herlings backed that up with a gate-to-flag victory in race two - despite his start device sticking briefly on the opening lap - to complete a dominant maximum score.
Behind him, Conrad Mewse delivered a solid 2-2 for second overall, while Ben Watson and Oriol Oliver traded third and fourth positions across the two motos. Hammal and Adam Sterry split fifth and sixth.
Herlings was joined on the podium by Mewse and Watson, with Watson retaining the red plate despite being tied on points with Oliver. Mewse has now closed to within three points of the lead, setting up an intriguing battle heading into round three.
In the RFX 125 class, Drew Stock continued his perfect start to the season with another dominant double win.
Olly Waters secured second overall with consistent 2-4 finishes, while rookie Harley Marczak impressed with 4-3 results to complete the podium.
A difficult opening race cost Hayden Statt, who recovered to fifth overall with 10-2 scores -just one point behind Joel Winstanley-Dawson, who continued his strong early-season form.
The championship now heads to the high-speed sand of Lyng on May 3, where the title battles across all classes are set to intensify.
For full results click HERE
