Attentions turned to the first Motocross of the year in the UK with the iconic Hawkstone International. As usual the entry list was stacked full of Grand Prix and EMX talent. It was a cold day but the rain kept away and what an epic day of racing it was.
MX1
In the first MX1 race of the day, Glenn Coldenhoff who always excel at the Hawkstone International track was in fine form on his Factory Fantic machine. The Dutch talent had a great dual with Romain Febvre in the first moto. The Kawasaki rider was riding well and applying the pressure but Coldenhoff rode a superb race to take the win. Yamaha mounted; Maxime Renaux was strong finishing third after staying with the leaders for the first part of the race.
Jago Geerts who had a 2024 he’ll want to forget about reminded everyone of us talents and silky technique as he finished a strong fourth with KRT debutant Pauls Jonass rounding out the top five.
Josh Gilbert was the best placed Brit in ninth place edging out Adam Sterry.
In the second race, it was Maxime Renaux who grabbed the holeshot and led every single lap to get back to winning ways. Coldenhoff was strong and did apply some pressure before coming home in second but that was good enough for him to take the MX1 overall. Kawasaki duo, Febvre and Jonass finished third and fourth ahead of Calvin Vlaanderen who rounded out the top five.
Yet again it was Josh Gilbert who edged out Adam Sterry for the best placed Brit as the pair battled for ninth.
MX2
Last year Mathis Valin had a superb season winning the EMX250 championship and got snapped up by the Factory KRT team and he showed exactly why on his debut. The French talent has never raced the Hawkstone Park track before, but he was on fire in the deep sand.
In the first moto, the silky-smooth talent got the holeshot and opened up a huge lead. He ended up winning by over forty seconds over David Braceras. The Spaniard didn’t get the best of starts but was able to work his way up to second on his JM Honda in what was a solid ride.
Ben Mustoe was flying on his ASA United GasGas machine as he got a strong start and was sitting third before being passed by Bradley Mesters. Mustoe was able to come home a very impressive fourth though to beat some big names. Last year, Kasimir Hindersson won the 125cc class at the event but stepped up to the MX2 class this year and rounded out the top five in race one.
The second moto was much of the same for Valin as he got out at the front early and was never tested – he is looking very strong. Braceras again finished a solid second with Kosak KTM rider, Mesters again strong for third as he prepares for the upcoming EMX250 championship.
Billy Askew was improved in race two finishing the best placed Brit in fourth on what was his debut for the Dirt Store Triumph machine. Max Werner from Germany rounded out the top five on his Gabriel SS24 KTM machine.
125cc
Jamie Keith was on a class of his own in the 125cc class as he won all three races on his JK Yamaha as he prepares for the upcoming EMX125 championship. Charlie Richmond was very impressive as he finished second overall and looked strong all day. Drew Stock rounded off the podium over Hayden Statt who was looking strong in what was his first race on the 125cc machine.
Super final:
The Super final is always a fun race as the MX2 riders get a bit of a head start which sees the MX1 riders have to battle through the field. Mathis Valin grabbed the holeshot and started to stretch out a huge lead at the front.
Glenn Coldenhoff was the leading MX1 rider and was flying through the field – he did have Romain Febvre for company before the French rider suffered from two crashes. Valin was leading until around the halfway point when Coldenhoff was able to make a move stick which saw him win his second race of the day.
Valin ended up an impressive second, he did have both of his teammates for company with Pauls Jonass a strong third ahead of Febvre in what was an action-packed race.
