MXGB kicks off at Hawkstone Park with some surprise results
By Image: JP Acevedo/KTM Images on 16th Mar 26
The opening round of the Motul ACU British Motocross Championship delivered plenty of drama as the deep, dark sands of Hawkstone Park tested the series racers to their limits. Rain showers and cold temperatures added to the difficulty on a day that saw Ben Watson, Gyan Doensen and Drew Stock eventually prevail to take the respective class wins – but that’s only a small part of the story.
Stock was dominant in the RFX 125cc class, taking both wins on his JK Yamaha to secure a maximum 50 points and leave Shropshire with an eight-point advantage over Harley Marczak, who ran 3-2 to claim second overall. Favoured runners Alfie Geddes-Green and Hayden Statt both showed podium pace, but costly DNFs saw them end the day 10th and 11th overall – a long way behind Stock in the early points chase. Joel Winstanley-Dawson bagged the final podium spot with 8-4 finishes, such was the lack of consistency through the pack.
4-1 finishes delivered Gyan Doensen the MX2 victory as he topped the podium. Charlie Heyman ran 3-3 for second while Joel Rizzi bagged third with a pair of fifth-place finishes. The day had started with a win for MX2 rookie Jamie Keith, who holeshot and disappeared with a mature ride that belied his tender years. However, a turn-two crash in race two with defending champ Tommy Searle contributed to a DNF for the young Cumbrian – a fried clutch eventually ending his charge back through the pack.
Ollie Colmer had also impressed in race one, hanging tough for second after fending off Heyman. Colmer was another early retiree in race two, which hurt his overall score, and he eventually finished the weekend ranked 11th.
Searle fared little better and two difficult races netted 7-11 finishes for 24 points. Still, that’s 24 more than Dirt Store Triumph teammate Billy Askew, who failed to finish either moto. Expect them both to come out swinging at round two in Preston as they look to close the points gap on series leader Doensen.
On the flip side it was a great day for youngsters Ben Mustoe, Josh Vail and Charlie Richmond, who packed out the top six with sturdy displays of speed and resilience – great rides from these three future stars.
Ben Watson and Oriol Oliver shared race wins and seconds in the Apico MX1 class, with Watson winning the second moto to take the overall victory and claim the red plate ahead of round two on his return to the series. Likewise, defending champ Conrad Mewse and Taylor Hammal traded thirds and fourths to tie for third overall, the champion’s stronger second ride putting him on the podium.
Adam Sterry looked like he might run away with race one but eventually slipped back to fifth – a result that was repeated in race two after an early fall saw him lose several places. Tristan Purdon rounded out the top six with 7–6 finishes on the Lexa MX Honda.
With the season opener now in the history books, focus shifts to round two at Preston Docks on Easter Sunday. It’s sure to be an exciting day – especially with Jeffrey Herlings coming to mix things up in MX1.
Full results here
