Revo ACU British Motocross Championship Round Six - Schoolhouse MX

By Dick Law on 4th Jul 23

News Motocross British Motocross Championship

As winds of up to 35 miles per hour whipped across the Pennines, occasionally bringing short sharp showers of horizontal rain, round six on the Revo ACU British Motocross championship took place at the new, to the British championship, and exciting Schoolhouse circuit.

Conrad Mewse (Crendon Fastrack Honda) won both MX1 races and increased his winning streak to six in a row and has opened up a lead of 25 points over his teammate, Josh Gilbert, who finished second.

In the MX2 class, the on-form Taylor Hammal (Gabriel SS24 KTM) notched up his first championship race win, and his first championship overall win, as Elliott Banks-Browne (Geartec Husqvarna) came to a stop in race one with a derailed chain while leading. He came back to win the second race.

The biggest shock – and crash – of the weekend came from the impressive Billy Askew (GTCI Revo Kawasaki) in his third race. While in the lead, he lost control of his Kawasaki over the biggest jump on the course. The bike was too damaged for him to continue and Billy’s win streak was ended, his first DNF of the year, and his 100% racing winning streak ended.

Formally a practice venue, the track owners had put in a lot of work to bring it up to championship racing standard, including a start straight and a whole new section of jumps and turns to test the riders. Despite the conditions, a sizable crowd turned up to watch the exciting action, which would have been more suited to hand-gliding than motocross. With the strong wind drying out any water the organisers put on it, dust was a bit of a problem for all concerned. It was not a weekend to be a marshal.

Still recovering from his opening round crash, Ivo Monticelli (ASA United GASGAS) didn't let that worry him as he led the pack around the first turn of the re-started MX1 race one.

He was followed by Evgeny Bobryshev (SC Sporthomes Husqvarna), Gilbert, Tommy Searle (GTCI Revo Kawasaki), James Carpenter (CAB Screens Crescent Yamaha) and his teammate Harri Kullas then John Adamson (ASA United GASGAS). At the same time, Mewse had messed up his start and was down in 13th place and in the thick of the action.

By lap five, Mewse had already passed nine of the country's best riders and was in fourth place, having passed Searle, Kullas and Carpenter.

At the halfway point and as Gilbert slipped by Bobryshev for second, Mewse seemed to maintain his position for a couple of laps before pushing on again as within the next three laps, he was in the lead and heading for the first race win. Gilbert passed a slowing Monticelli for second with Kullas snatching fourth place from Bobryshev on the very last lap. Searle was sixth as he continues to rebuild after a round-one crash.

At the start of race two, Searle got the holeshot from Gilbert, Kullas, Bobryshev and Mewse as Tom Grimshaw (Chambers GASGAS), who was not having the best of days, and Monticelli were left in a heap of dust in the dirt of turn one.

By the end of the first lap, Gilbert had got the power down and was in the lead with Mewse following him into second place a lap later. Bobryshev relegated Searle down another place on lap three and into the clutches of Kullas.

It took Mewse seven laps to find a way past his teammate Gilbert for the lead and then he motored away to take the race, and overall, victory.

Bobryshev finished in a lonely third place, while Kullas spent most of the race trying to get past Searle. He tried around the outside, the inside, over jumps and up the straights, but despite all the effort, he couldn't find a way past as the pair of old rivals came home fourth and fifth.

As for the two that went down in turn one, Grimshaw worked his way up to 11th place while Monticelli, after a call into the work area to straighten his bike, ended up in 20th, a lap down on the leaders.

Overall, it was Mewse on a maximum from Gilbert and Bobryshev, with Kullas just missing out on the podium for the first time since 2021. Up until Sunday, he’d had 12 consecutive championship podiums, which says a lot about the rider and team.

“I messed up the start of the first race, and it was my own fault, really," said championship leader Mewse. "My starts have been great all year but we thought we would try something new to try and better them – to make it easier for me. But it didn't work – it went the opposite way. You live and learn, and we came back for the 1-1 even with the not-so-good starts. My riding was good today, and I felt fit and strong and could push every lap. So, I am in a good place at the minute, and I have extended my lead going into that last round”.

Second overall, a disappointed Gilbert said, "Overall, another second place today. I thought I rode really well today, especially in the second race, as I put the hammer down and charged when I got in the lead. Then Conrad was behind me and managed to slip past with five laps to go. I tried to put pressure on him, but he had a little gap on me, and I didn’t have enough to get back on his rear wheel. So, second overall again. It’s getting a bit annoying now”.

In third overall, Bobryshev said, "It's been a good day. I had a little arm pump in race one when I got second place behind Monticelli. I tried some different lines, but it wasn't good, and some of the guys came through, and I finished fifth, which was okay but not good.

“In the second, I felt better as we made some changes to the bike’s suspension, and it felt so much better so I could push from the beginning. From fifth, I went to third and was going my best, closing the gap on Josh Gilbert.

I was trying hard, but I could see them slipping away from me. So, I finished third for third overall, which I am happy with as it's my first championship podium since I don't know when. I must say a bit of thank you to the team as I haven't been racing for a year, and I need to build up to the old me.”

Fastest in MX2 qualifying, Banks-Browne got the holeshot from local lad Carlton Husband (Phoenix Evenstrokes Kawasaki), Jamie Wainwright (WHP KTM), Joe Brooks (GRT Impact KTM) and Hammal. But as Banks-Browns pulled away from the rest of the pack, Hammal was on the move and was in second place by the end of lap two.

As Wainwright and Brooks slipped down the running order, and while Husband was doing all he could to stay with Hammal, Mel Pocock (GTCI Revo Kawasaki), after a 12th-place start, was up to fourth place as the race was five laps old.

It looked good for Banks-Browne as he stretched out a bigger and bigger lead but it all went wrong on lap seven. "I went into a rut and there must have been a rock in it I didn't see,” he said after. “The bike pitched sideways and the rear wheel started to make strange noises. As I was about to leap off the next jump, the bike locked up and threw me to the side of the track and off. I saw the chain was off and put it back but when I let out the clutch again it came right off again.” His race was over.

All this left Hammal in a comfortable lead which he held until the race's end. Husband pleased the partisan crowd by finishing second but had Pocock right behind him. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku (SC Sporthomes Husqvarna) had a strange race as he seemed to be passed and then repass other riders for all of the race on his way to fourth with Joel Rizzi (DK Offroad GASGAS) fifth.

Ollie Colmer (Talk Templant KTM) got the holeshot at the start of race two but didn't complete a lap. This left Bank-Browne in a lead that would not be challenged for the whole race. Talviku gated in second but was quickly passed by Pocock and Hammal. In the next couple of laps, Talviku repassed them both for a solid second-place finish. Hammal pushed Pocock back into fourth place at the halfway point in the race as Husband, after a mid-pack start, came from 11th place to finish fifth.

As for championship leader Isak Gifting (426 Motorsport Stebbings GASGAS), he had, by his high standards, a poor day. He started the race one way down the order in 24th place and finished sixth. In race two, he gated sixth but dropped back to 18th place on the opening lap. He came back from there to finish the race in eleventh place for ninth overall. Rumour was that he was getting some grief from some of the other riders, or perhaps he was playing it safe for the championship as he only needs eight points from the last two races at the last round to be champion.

Overall, it was Hammal from Talviku and Pocock with local rider Husband just missing out on the podium even though he was on the same points as the third-place man.

On the youth side, with Askew crashing out of race three, Mckenzie Marshall (DK Offroad KTM), with four second-places was the winner of the 250cc class with Askew, despite the DNF but with three wins, second. Race three winner Liam Bennett (GMR Magic Mushroom Husqvarna) was third overall with Domonic Newbury (426 Motorsport KTM) fourth, just one point behind Bennett.

With three wins and a second place, Reece Jones (SJP Moto KTM) won the 125cc class from race one winner Wal Beaney (Store 114 KTM). Tyla Hooley (Fantic) didn't finish out of the top three all weekend was third, with Beau Brown (AGR Motorsport Yamaha, fourth.

Charlie Richmond (JP KTM), with three wins and a third place, won the hotly contested BW85s from race two winner and championship leader Josh Vail (SJP Moto KTM). Jamie Keith (MBRPX KTM) was third, with Drew Stock (Madison Motoverde GASGAS) fourth, just four points behind Keith.

Joel Winstanley-Dawson (Castle Trucks KTM) won three out of his four SW85 races and finished second in the other on his way to the overall win. Race three winner Jenson Severn (TS Racing GASGAS) was second, with Arthur Moore (Flo3, Madison Yamaha) third.

Harley Marczak (JMR Foundation GASGAS) was Mr 100% in the 65cc class as he won all of his four races, with Casey Lister (TS Racing GASGAS) a strong second and Cohen Jagielski (Fasteddy GASGAS) third.

The seventh and final round of the Revo ACU British Motocross Championship will be held at Oxford Moto Park on September 9/10 where all championships will be decided.         

Results Revo ACU British Motocross Championship Round Six – Schoolhouse MX

MX1

MX2

250cc Youth

125cc Youth

BW85

SW85

65cc

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