PLEWS TYRES BRITISH MASTERS powered by ROCK OIL – Event Report
Round 2: Hawkstone Park, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Report: Chris CZORA
Images: Action photos courtesy of REMINISCENT IMAGERY and ambient circuit photos by author
Round two of the Plews Tyres British Masters Motocross Championship powered by Rock Oil saw the riders and teams pay a visit to the famous old Grand Prix venue at Hawkstone Park, with the championship enjoying another bumper entry of riders and most classes fully subscribed.
The Shropshire circuit was in fine condition for the event, with the hosting Salop Motor Club providing an excellently prepared circuit for both days. Bright, spring weather greeted the event, however this provided an interesting dynamic to the circuit over the weekend. Some rain in the week leading to the event gave way to warm, sunny weather on Saturday, punctuated with occasional spring showers. This led to quite a bit of moisture being retained by the sand, with much of the circuit being quite tacky leading to a technical, slower surface strewn with sharp braking and acceleration bumps. With a dry day on Sunday however, the surface was a little more dry and loose, reflected in the lap times which in many classes were several seconds quicker on Sunday.
One thing that remained constant however were the high number of rider errors, as the demanding Hawkstone circuit punished many a mistake, the flag marshals kept busy with yellow flags as even the best riders encountered an unforced error!
After an incident filled opening round, the series initially sailed into somewhat calmer waters for round two. Saturday’s busy programme passed without any stoppages.
It is worth pausing to reflect here however, as although motocross carries an element of danger, serious incidents are thankfully rare. This makes it all the more shocking when they do happen however, and this was brought sharply into focus at the beginning of the opening Fix Auto UK Pro race, which saw the meeting’s only red flag.
As the pack raced out of the first corner, a nasty tangle left both Bobby Bruce and Callum Mitchell on the deck. Officials had the red flag out almost immediately.
Whilst Bobby Bruce was able to walk unaided back to the paddock after a few minutes, concerns remained with Callum Mitchell, who required further medical attention. Riders were sent back to the paddock, and there was a 90 minute delay as medics provided further help to Mitchell at the circuit medical building, before he was taken to hospital for further attention. Thankfully, news filtered through by late evening that Mitchell, although battered and bruised, had avoided serious injury.
Huge credit must be given to the championship’s medical staff and to the ambulance crews who attended, for their swift and conscientious actions to deal with the situation.
The incident and subsequent delay meant that some alterations were made to the final block of racing with race times shortened, however the remainder of the meeting passed without further incident, with all races completed.
Moving back to the Fix Auto UK Pro class, and Conrad Mewse topped an impressive line up of riders as he looked to preserve his unbeaten start to the season. For the early risers trackside for practice, he even turned on a bit of style, displaying impressive throttle and clutch control to wheelie Hakan Carlqvist style up the entirety of Hawkstone Hill. Quite some achievement!
He quickly got down to business however, and set an impressive 2.01.891 laptime to top the qualifying charts by almost four seconds from Charlie Heyman, Bobby Bruce and Jamie Carpenter, with Ben Mustoe, Lennox Dickinson and the enduro ace Jamie McCanney a little further behind.
After the aforementioned red flag incident in the first moto, the race restarted and Charlie Heyman on his SC Sportshomes Husqvarna led from the Phoenix Tools Fantic duo of Carlton Husband and John Adamson. Pole-sitter Mewse was down in tenth, but quickly recovered by the second lap to take the lead from Heyman and run his own race, simply untouchable as he pulled a gap of one minute at the flag.
Behind him, things were getting pretty close as the moto went on, Heyman seemingly dropping pace in the closing laps as he ended up in ninth. The rider on the charge was the ASA Gas Gas team’s Ben Mustoe, who was settling in very nicely and quickly got past Husband and Adamson to second where he was able to settle ahead of the chasing pack. On the charge was Jamie Carpenter, who like his Crendon Tru7 Honda team-mate Mewse had suffered a poor start but passed Husband with four laps to go, and whilst unable to catch Mustoe, settled in to a solid third place.
Carlton Husband headed an intra-team battle, as the Phoenis Tools Fantic riders occupied the next three posisions, MX2 chargers Josh Vail and John Adamson chasing the MX1 star Husband. Lennox Dickinson was a solid seventh from Glenn McCormick who advanced in the closing stages passing Charlie Heyman, whilst Jamie McCanney proved he was up for the cut and thrust of motocross, snatching tenth after close pressure from Brad Anderson. Making a guest appearance, Ando was on an excellently prepared 24 year old Super Evo Yamaha YZ250 as he gained some track time ahead of summer’s Vets Motocross des Nations event. The Steve Clitheroe machine certainly sounded crisp, and age was certainly no barrier as the bike held its own, despite being far older than some of the rival riders!
Race two was a little more clear cut as Mewse got past the fast starting Husband to again control the race from the front. It was almost an action replay of the first moto as Mewse reeled off some fast, consistent laps to gap the rest of the field to take the overall win and retain his unbeaten Masters season.
His team-mate Jamie Carpenter had a much better start in moto two and was able to pass Ben Mustoe and Josh Vail in the early laps to run a comfortable second and make a one-two for the Crendon Tru7 Honda team, both in the moto and in the overall. The final step of the podium was still up for grabs, and Ben Mustoe had to work hard and deal with some considerable pressure from Josh Vail to snatch third and with it the final podium spot. There was again a trio of Phoenx Tools Fantic riders, Josh Vail leading the intra-team charge to the line from Husband and Adamson. Dickinson brought it home in a solid seventh whilst Ben Edwards recovered from an incident on Hawkstone Hill in the first moto to snatch eighth in the finale, McCormick was again a solid finisher in ninth place whilst Tyla Hooley recovered from a tricky first moto, demonstrating his early season form as he took tenth.
The Pro action headlined an action-packed weekend of racing, with the amateur and youth riders completing four motos across the weekend. The deep sand of Hawkstone is always a good acoustic match for a screaming two stroke, and the 125s provided the perfect opening soundtrack as they got the weekend going.
Ryan Waggott entered the weekend with an unbeaten record, and looked to preserve that as he battled from the front and took three moto wins. He had close competition from last year’s Big Wheel 85 runner up Joel Winstanley-Dawson, who seems to have acquitted himself very well to the bigger 125. He didn’t quite get the starts or match Waggott for pace in the opening motos, but took second in each race and seized his opportunity in the final moto to grab the holeshot and control the race, punching the air as he took his inaugural 125 National win and fend off Waggott. The fight for third overall read like a British Champiosnhip moto from 15 years ago as Neville Bradshaw and Steven Clarke went head to head. Still enjoying their races as much as ever, the two old hands were able to mix it with the youth stars, and ran pretty close at times over the weekend, Bradshaw snatching the final podium spot as Clarke held off fastest qualifier Finley Pickering, who was ahead of Midlands star Jack Leese who continues to impress, and Robbie Daly, who looked super smooth as he picked off several riders to bag sixth overall.
The youth action started with the young guns of the 65cc Juniors, and with the demanding sand circuit always a tough challenge for the smaller machines, nothing could be guaranteed! Roy Townley started as the rider to beat from round one, but he endured a difficult Saturday, placing down in twelfth in moto one, before he battled through the field to snatch second in moto two. This handed the initiative to Mason Foreman who took the first two moto wins, and looked in good shape for Sunday. However, he would be another name to fall victim to the challenge of Hawkstone, as he slipped out of the leaderboard in moto three, Townley taking the win. The second for Townley in the closing stages of race two proved pivotal, as despite Foreman returning to take the chequered flag in the final moto, Townley would follow in second place and snatch the overall by just one point.
Behind those two, Kobe Roberts was consistently near the front all weekend, a best result of second in the third moto got him comfortably onto the podium, whilst both Ronnie Morgan and Leo Sayers were competitive, both gaining top three finishes although some dropped points in other motos meant they were placed fourth and fifth respectively. Mason Shields put in some consistent motos across the weekend to snatch sixth overall.
Small Wheel 85s saw a competitive level of racing near the front, with several riders vying for the overall. Ronan Watson looked the rider to beat initially as he took the moto one victory, but falls in the latter races hampered his progress, however he battled back to finish fifth overall.
The victor was Tommy Gaddes. Following a steady fourth in moto one, he took control of the next two motos, and was able to grab second in the final moto to secure the overall victory in a hotly disputed class. He lost out to Frankie Noll in the final moto, the Husqvarna rider backing up his undoubted speed over the weekend as he took the final moto to finish second overall. Harrison Chiddey stayed competitive over the weekend, managing a best position of second in moto two, he was a factor near the front across the weekend as he claimed the final podium spot, just ahead of Bradley Thompson who was ever consistent all weekend never dropping out of the top six. The aforementioned Watson finished just ahead of Forrest Roberts, the reigning 65cc champion showing good promise on the bigger bike in these early rounds with some consistent finishes, his best result a sixth in moto two.
The Big Wheel 85s rewarded consistent finishes, after late drama in the final moto shook up the leaderboard. John Slade had been the rider to beat, winning two motos on Saturday, whilst following Riley Ray Barrow in Sunday’s opener. However in the closing laps of the final moto, he went down whilst battling for the lead, hitting the ground hard. He was down for quite some time, and although he thankfully walked away, the non finish relegated him to seventh overall.
This meant that despite not winning a moto, Ethan Gawley emerged as the class winner. It was certainly a good reward for his speed and consistency, as he made no errors over the weekend, claiming a brace of second and third place finishes.
Barrow’s third moto win gave him a comfortable second overall, whilst Franky Donoghue looked a threat all weekend, and was rewarded with the final moto win as he took third overall. Remi Wigglesworth battled back from a poor start to the weekend to take fourth in the final moto, and with it fourth overall whilst Teddy Merriman also had mixed fortunes over the weekend but some good motos on Sunday gave him fifth. Jensen Branney had trouble in the second moto, but apart from that looked a constant threat amongst the leaders, as he pipped John Slade to sixth overall.
Moving to the big bikes, and a fully subscribed Clubman class roared into life, with so much interest in the class that reserve riders were held for Sunday and in total 48 riders competed in the class over the weekend!
Kyle Briggs had been the runaway winner in round one, and the first moto seemed to be following the formbook as he took another comfortable win. Moto two however was a different story, an awful start miring him in the midpack in a class where passing can be difficult. However Briggs was made of stern stuff as he fought through the pack, eventually snatching second on the final lap, although unable to catch Ryan Christian who followed his third in moto one with the win.
Briggs powered on to take two more wins on Sunday to guarantee the overall, as second became a battle between Christian, and Liam Deegan who had taken second in the opening moto, and added to this on Sunday’s opener. However the final moto saw another Hawkstone twist as Deegan made a mistake and dropped back, Christian staying consistent on Sunday with a best result of fourth enough for him to grab second overall, ahead of the unfortunate Deegan who nonetheless had done more than enough to get onto the podium, a brace of second place finishes giving him second overall.
A best result of second in the final moto gave Stephen Watson fourth overall, whilst in a very closely fought battle amongst the top ten, Hayden Stevens, Daniel Chapman, Richard Roberts and Jack Batchelor filled out the next four overall positions after some close battles.
Amateur MX1 saw a very close battle between red plate holder Mackenzie Marshall and main challenger Raife Broadley, as Broadley, back on his familiar Fantic two stroke dealt with the sand conditions well to snatch the opening moto, and was able to beat Marshall again in the second moto to seize the advantage going into Sunday. However Marshall, who looked super smooth in the rough sand aboard his Triumph 450, was ble to regroup and fight back in the remaining motos as he took both wins on Sunday, tying with Broadley on points but snatching the overall by virtue of the better final moto score.
Harvey Cashmore had his moments near the front as well, and he was certainly the best of the rest as he took third overall with a brace of third place finishes, sharing the bronze places with Charley Irwin, although some dropped points earlier in the weekend meant Irwin finished fourth. David Plank continued his good start to the year as he took a best result of fourth in moto two to grab fifth overall whilst Aaron Patsone battled back well after a fall in the second moto to take a comfortable sixth overall.
Amateur MX2 was rather closely contested at times, as Bailey Johnstone took the opening two moto wins, before a third in moto three, unfortunately a final moto DNF took him out of the race for the overall.
Johnstone had enjoyed some good battles with red plate holder George Hopkins and fellow Yamaha two stroke rider Harrison Greenough, the latter always looking a threat for victory which he backed up on Sunday, taking the final two motos to snatch the overall win, just ahead of Hopkins, who took second in the final moto, a result which leaves the two riders level on points in the championship!
Taking a comfortable third spot was former MXY2 champion Beau Brown, the Manxman enjoying a great start to 2026 as he hustled just behind the lead group, and even took second in the penultimate moto. Another former Masters champion, Harry Bradley seems to be getting to grips with his MX2 machine, and improved over the weekend as he took third in the final moto, giving him fourth overall, from Logan Wilcox who narrowly missed out on victory in moto two. Local star Zac Stealey was ever consistent, the reigning MX2 champion just behind the lead group of riders as he took sixth overall.
The very last race of the weekend was the MXY2 class, and once again the North Wales star Jayden Jones was the rider to beat as he took the overall victory with three moto wins aboard his Wulfsport Suzuki, some lightning starts giving him the advantage from the front. However, his main rival Malachi Allen kept him honest. Despite Jones running away with the motos, Allen was able to turn similar pace to the leader and remained a few seconds behind the leader in moto two, his perseverance paying off as a Jones mistake meant Allen was able to seize the advantage and snatch the second moto win, en route to a comfortable second overall. This one certainly has the potential to remain a close title battle as neither rider has looked like dropping points after the first two rounds!
Dayton Thompson battled with Marley Alder for the final podium spot, and as Alder hit trouble in the final moto, Thompson was able to take a best result of third to grab the final spot on the podium with Alder fourth, Jacob Wilson, Jack Brearey and Joe Grainger just a little further back.
So ended a superb weekend of racing, full credit must go to the Off Road Motorsport UK team, marshal crews, medics and the track staff at Salop Motor Club for all their hard work. The 2026 championship remains very close in many of the race classes, and for those who like the going a little firmer, the series goes back to Wroxton, Oxfordshire for round number three on May 23/24. After the deep sand of the opening rounds, Wroxton represents something entirely different, the sweeping hardpack hills and jumps being something reminiscent of a French international venue. It’s a real rider and spectator favourite that made a great comeback last year and looks set not to be missed!
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING AFTER TWO ROUNDS (Top Ten)
FIX AUTO UK PRO OPEN
1: Conrad Mewse 180pts
2: Jamie Carpenter 162pts
3: Josh Vail 154pts
4: Carlton Husband 148pts
5: John Adamson 135pts
6: Charlie Putnam 110pts
7: Luca Pegg 102pts
8: Tyla Hooley 99pts
9: Jonny Roderick 89pts
10: Ben Edwards 87pts
AMATEUR MX1
1: McKenzie Marshall 309pts
2: Raife Broadley 303pts
3: David Plank 258pts
4: Aaron Patstone 241pts
5: Harvey Cashmore 239pts
6: Liam Smith 231pts
7: Ed Briscoe 226pts
8: Charlie Hamlet 223pts
9= Patrick Jackson / Callum Murfitt 221pts
AMATEUR MX2
1= Harrison Greenough / George Hopkins 293 pts
3: Beau Brown 277pts
4: Will Haddock 243pts
5: Harry Bradley 242pts
6: Logan Wilcox 235pts
7: Zac Stealey 234pts
8: Mitch Armour 223pts
9: Aaron Ongley 192pts
10: Josh Buchanan 191pts
CLUBMAN
1: Kyle Briggs 311pts
2: Ryan Christian 283pts
3: Liam Deegan 242pts
4: Daniel Chapman 218pts
5: Richard Roberts 217pts
6: Hayden Stephens 216pts
7: Frank Elwell 214pts
8: Elliott Pugh 212pts
9: Tom Higgins 203pts
10: Jamie Collins 188pts
125
1: Ryan Waggott 311pts
2= Jack Leese / Robbie Daly 236pts
4: Harry Hall 209pts
5: Jordan Batchelor 207pts
6: Jaxson Haswell 192pts
7: Max Fletcher 178pts
8: Joel Winstanley-Dawson 174pts
9: Dexter Hind 173pts
10: Ollie Jewitt 172pts
MXY2 YOUTH
1: Jayden Jones 311pts
2: Malachi Allen 305pts
3: Marley Alder 267pts
4: Dayton Thompson 263pts
5: Jacob Wilson 230pts
6: Jack Brearey 225pts
7: Ryan Clift 224pts
8: Braedon McGinn 215pts
9: Joe Grainger 201pts
10: Aston Phillips 199pts
BIG WHEEL 85
1: Franky Donoghue 279pts
2: Riley-Ray Barrow 271pts
3: Teddy Merriman 250pts
4: Ethan Gawley 241pts
5: Jamie Thorpe 235pts
6: Jensen Branney 220pts
7: Ryan Taylor 212pts
8= Remi Wigglesworth / Tommy Hutchison 205pts
10: Dexter Prowse 200pts
SMALL WHEEL 85
1: Frankie Noll 297pts
2: Tommy Gaddes 281pts
3: Ronan Watson 268pts
4: Forest Roberts 264pts
5: Harrison Chiddey 260pts
6: Bradley Thompson 234pts
7: Hunter Groves 220pts
8: Liam Hannah 207pts
9: Caleb Duffy 203pts
10: Raife Symons 191pts
JUNIOR 65
1: Roy Townley 295pts
2: Mason Foreman 272pts
3: Kobe Roberts 270pts
4: Ronnie Morgan 252pts
5: Jake Sayers 247pts
6: Olly McLean 229pts
7: Mason Shields 204pts
8: Archie Pearce 204pts
9: Cohen Llewellyn 199pts
10: Hugo Jackson 198pts.
Chris Czora 