Red plate holder Conrad Mewse yet again dominated both gruelling motos to clinch the overall victory for the Crendon Tru7 Honda in Sunday’s British MX1 championship round at a rain-hit Preston Docks in Lancashire. As the series hit the half way point, Mewse once again started the day in perfect form by setting the fastest lap in qualifying and went on to win both races by almost half a minute as the sandy track continued to cut up and get rougher. He is unbeaten in the series this year.
But it was terrible news for MX1 team-mate Jamie Carpenter who crashed hard on the first jump of the opening race. He was unable to hit a downed rider who fell right in front of him and the race was red-flagged for him to receive medical attention.
He was helped off the track with a knee injury and will undergo scans on Monday. It was a real shame as he was bidding for his first podium of the season after coming so close in every round so far. He still holds fifth in the series.
Mewse said: “One-one results and a perfect day again. I’m super happy and it’s amazing to keep the winning run going. I had some solid starts, found my rhythm quickly and rode my own race to get to the front. The track was naughty today so it could catch you out. It cut up a lot and was very rutty and bumpy so it was tough – very challenging.
“We made some changes to suspension between the motos and thanks to the team, Ryan, Rob, Willie and Luke who worked their butts off today and without them, none of this would be possible. The wrist is good now so I’m just trying to improve, week in, week out.”
In the MX2 class, Crendon Tru7 Honda CRF250R rider Jake Nicholls admitted he wasn’t on top form as his full-time work as managing director of Tru7 means he has not had as much time on the bike as his rivals in recent weeks. But he set a commendable ninth in qualifying then took a gamble on picking a gate towards the inside of the first corner.
But he didn’t get a great start and was battling hard just inside the top ten, looking more comfortable as the race progressed. But as the race passed the half way point, a rider fell and the moto was red-flagged.
Then for the first time in British championship motocross history, a brand new rule was implemented where the riders had a staggered start in the order they were when the race was stopped. So leader De Wolf started first and Nicholls tenth. In a mad sprint where all the riders were bunched up, Nicholls held on for tenth, fending off an attack from Billy Askew right down to the line.
The 35-year-old Nicholls used his experience to go even better in the final race as the track hit its roughest. He came out of the start in 11th then worked hard to make progress right through the race. He worked his way through to seventh after lots of battles with current EMX aces Gyan Doensen and Max Werner. That gave him eighth overall and he a solid sixth in the championship – just 31 points behind the leader Tommy Searle.
Team manager Ryan Thorpe said: “It was an day of great highs with Conrad riding so well to win both motos with ease, to the terrible crash that Jamie had and now faces a knee injury. It’s such a shame as he has been working very hard and since joining the team has had his best ever start to a British championship season in MX1. It was only a matter of time before he got onto the podium. We obviously don’t know the extent of his injury yet but we wish him all the best in his recovery.
“Jake had some decent results against really tough competition. It’s not where he wanted to finish but he rode well on a tough and demanding track and is not far behind the lead of the championship. All credit to him, and of course Conrad who was just exceptional again today. He’s a true talent and had a perfect day once more.”
