If you’re looking to get your moto fix this weekend then the Michelin MX Nationals in Nottinghamshire will fill your boots.
Round 4 is a new venue on the calendar with the newly constructed motocross circuit of Sherwood MX Park, located northeast of Mansfield, ready for its action-packed debut.
With 26 adrenaline-fuelled races, it’s a festival of motocross that will yet again see riders travelling from all corners of Great Britain and beyond.
MX1 and MX2 – Official ACU British Expert Championship
In the British Championship MX2 Expert class, sponsored by Bell Racing, Jake Sheridan still heads the way after Round 3 at Hawkstone but with only a slender three point lead over compatriot Glen McCormick.
Glen was unstoppable at Hawkstone taking all four race wins with Jake taking all four second-places. Out to try and stop their dominance will be Josh Coleman and the returning 2016 champion of Henry Williams back from a long injury layoff.
In the British Championship MX1 Expert class, sponsored by Fly Racing, Luke Parker heads the standings with a 19 point lead on second placed Declan Whittle. These two couldn’t be separated at the previous round, both adding 83 points to their series tallies. Third in the standings sits Jamie Jackson, hot on his tail pipe stands Shaun Southgate after a great round at Hawkstone. And look out for young Jed Etchells who is currently only a further three points adrift of Shaun in fifth place in the standings.
MX1 and MX2 Elite Clubman Classes
In the Elite Clubman MX2 class, sponsored by RFX, Tony Cadman still holds the red plate and the championship lead. Tony takes a 24 point lead to Sherwood over Ryan King but Brad Thornhill will be out to spoil their party after taking second overall in the last round as well as a brace of second place finishes.
The Elite Clubman MX1 class, sponsored by Moto Connection, sees Sean Barnsdale still leading the way after three events. Two race wins on day one at the previous round still wasn’t enough to stop Danny Townsend claiming the overall and reducing the championship lead to a 17 point deficit. Aiden Christie continues to sit in third in the series standings after claiming the last podium place at round three.
MXY1 and MXY2 (combined)
Youth action comes in the form of our combined MXY1 and MXY2 races, supported by Talon. Lewis Hall continues to dominate the MXY2 250cc class taking the maximum 300 points on his way to an impressive 12 out of 12 wins. That was enough to catch the eye of Dirt Bike Rider editor, Anthony Sutton, who made Hall the August issue (out now, by the way) cover star.
Trying to stop Lewis will be Keenan Hird after claiming three second-places on his way to second overall at the last round and second in the standings. Ben Clark fills the last space in the championship top three but with Aaron Lee Hanson just seven points adrift of Ben there’s still plenty to play for.
After three rounds in the MXY1 125cc class, Rossi Beard still leads the way after taking another three race wins and further extending his points advantage in the series. Sam Nunn took his first race win of the 2017 championship at Hawkstone and moved up to second in the standings but sits 32 points adrift of Rossi. Joel Rizzi maintains a top three championship position and will be out to close the gap on Rossi and Sam following a final Moto mechanical DNF.
85cc Small Wheel and Big Wheel (combined)
The Gaerne 85cc class sees the UK’s leading young guns take to the track just like their pro idols. The combined small wheel and big wheel races always produce some great action.
Championship leader in the small wheels is Alfie Jones, he took another three race wins at the previous event – extending his championship lead over Oliver Barr to 55 points. Oliver will be looking to claim another podium position and maintain second in the championship standings but will have Harvey Cashmore trying to reduce the points gap.
In the Big Wheels Dominic Lancett still leads the way but only by a slender four points from Kyle McNicol. These two shared the race wins at Hawkstone, but won’t have it all their own way as Lewis Wood and Bobby Bruce will be looking to stop them. These two sit third and fourth in the series standings but are only separated by a two point margin heading to Sherwood.
MX1 and MX2 – Fastest 40 Pro Races
On Sunday the series adds their Fastest 40 races to the mix, these two Pro races take place at 12.30 and 3.30 pm (subject to delays). Each race lasts 30 minutes plus two laps just like a Grand Prix race. The Fastest 40 features many of the best UK MX1 and MX2 pro riders, racing together in the Prox Racing Parts supported class.
In the Pro MX1 class, 2016 Pro MX1 Champion Graeme Irwin (Buildbase Honda) heads the field after claiming an impressive double race win at Round 3.
Although he didn’t have it all his own way with Elliott Banks-Browne and Martin Barr giving chase. Martin (Buildbase Honda) is still the only rider to have defeated Irwin and will be looking to close the 24 points gap as we head into the second half of the season. Elliott Banks-Browne (Geartec Husqvarna) will be looking to maintain his third place in the standings but will definitely have Gert Krestinov (Phoenix Tools Honda) looking to gain that spot. Gert pushed through the pain barrier in the first moto at Hawkstone taking a second-place even with a dislocated shoulder. Gert will also be looking to reward his team boss, Barry Moore, as he has recently re-signed to ride for Phoenix tools in 2018.
In the Pro MX2 class, Mel Pocock (Revo Husqvarna) still heads the championship standings after three rounds. A double race win has helped to extend his championship lead over the now second-placed Josh Gilbert (Thorpe Off-Road Centre Honda). Josh will certainly be looking for another race win after his first Pro win at the season’s opener at Preston Docks.
Out to stop this pair will be Lewis Tombs after climbing to third in the standings. Liam Knight, Brad Todd and Jake Millward will also be looking for two good rides to try and close the gap on the championships top three.
The ever enthusiastic Barry Dring and his team, along with the MX Nationals crew have put in a massive amount of work to transform Sherwood MX into a National level circuit that riders will really enjoy racing on. It should be a great weekend.
Timing
Practice starts at 9am on Saturday and the first race action gets underway on Saturday at 11am. Sunday’s race action starts at 9.30am, straight after the Pro qualification. 26 races over 2 days for all to enjoy.
The Pro ‘Fastest 40’ races are scheduled for Sunday at 12.30 and 3.30 pm.
Spectator Facilities
- On-site parking
- Live commentary
- Refreshments (hot and cold food and drink, ice cream and sweets)
- Motorcycle trade stands
- Bar all Weekend
Tickets
Weekend tickets are priced at £15 at the gate (children under 12 are free), advanced tickets are available online at a discount from: www.mxnationals.co.uk
Directions:
The Sherwood venue will be signposted from both the B6035 and A6075, the postcode for those wishing to use Satnav is NG21 9HL.
