All three riders in the Crendon Tru7 Honda team climbed up the British championship tables after gritty and determined rides in often tough circumstances at round three in Lyng on Sunday. Conrad Mewse pulled off a monumental start-to-finish win in the first MX1 moto as he moved up a place to second in the series, while Jamie Carpenter bounced back from a series of crashes to move up a spot to sixth.
And in MX2, rookie Charlie Richmond had the best moto finish of his professional adult career with a fourth as he leapfrogged from ninth to sixth in the championship. For the first time, all three riders are in the top six in their respective championships.
Mewse: “I started really well today – fastest in qualifying then a holeshot and a clear win the first race. The second race started with the opposite of a holeshot as I was pretty much last! I didn’t get the jump off the gate like I did in the first then got closed off by another rider off the gate. I had to come from the back which made it a very tough race. I gave it my all and did my very best on a track that’s very difficult to pass. I passed a lot of people right through the race. I’m proud of my effort but gutted about the overall result as I felt today could have been a great day for me – not just for the championship but after everything I’ve gone through. I was desperate for the overall win this weekend so I’m gutted I didn’t get it. I’ll take it on the chin and try again at the next round.”
Carpenter: “I had a pretty big off on the first lap of qualifying. But in the first race I got a good start and put on a good shift. I held on for sixth which I was happy with, and was looking to do the same again race two.
“But I had a slip off on the first lap after a little incident with another rider. I got through to 13th then crashed again. This track isn’t somewhere you want to crash once, so do it twice is one race is not ideal! After that, it was riding just to salvage as many points as I could. I’ve taken a few knocks a last couple of weeks so it’s time to regroup and come back fit and strong for the next round at Landrake.”
Richmond: “It felt so good to get a good start and run up front. The bike was great and it was a great feeling. But the second moto was tough after a not-so-good start. But sixth overall and moving up in the championship is a decent result. What’s especially good is I’m really happy with the progress made in the last few weeks. And am excited we’ll be moving to some hard pack tracks now for the next rounds of the series.”
Ryan Thorpe: “It’s been a difficult day at times but all three riders put on great performances which is a credit to them all. Conrad was clearly the fastest rider here, as he proved in qualifying and the first race where he was in a class of his own. In the second race he could have been taken down when a rival rider came right across him at the start. His ride through the pack was incredible, and you can see he was the fastest rider by far. His lap times were so much faster. He’s obviously disappointed not to win but he rode like a true professional and is now second in the series. Jamie had a tough day after his big qualifying crash, and rode with heart to get a great result in the first race and bring the bike home for points in race two. And a best ever fourth for Charlie in MX2 was just fantastic. A great start and he rode like an experienced pro to be up at the front. He was disappointed after the second race when he didn’t get a great start but it’s all about learning – and he’s learning very quickly.”
