It might be pretty darn cold outside but there’s one thing guaranteed to warm you up this weekend and that’s Hawkstone Park’s perennial pre-season international that goes off with a boom!
It’s never good to prematurely speculate but it’s looking like the 2013 edition of this classic shakedown event could well be the best yet. Topping the entry list is MX2 world champion Jeffrey Herlings who’s coming back to Hawkstone to make amends for not winning a moto the last time he visited the sandy Shropshire circuit that’s infamous for its horsepower hungry hill. Soundly beaten by Christophe Charlier back then the Dutch destroyer won’t have his hands full beating off that French charger this time around but he’s not going to have it easy either.
Herlings’ factory KTM team-mate Jordi Tixier will definitely be at the sharp end of the MX2 pack but it’s probably Team CLS Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit’s Arnaud Tonus who’ll push Jeffrey the hardest. The Swiss star has proved he knows his way around Hawkstone really well and could pull it off if given the opportunity. Arnaud’s team-mate Alessandro Lupino will make his green team debut and with more international and British stars being signed all the time the 250F division should surely be a cracker!
The MX1 entry list is currently headed by home country hero Tommy Searle who’ll be using Hawkstone in preparation for his attack on the world championship that kicks off in Qatar in just a few weeks on March 2. Joining Tommy in Shropshire will be Rockstar Energy Suzuki’s Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos who are no strangers to the Hawkstone podium.
As always there’ll be two motos each for the MX1 and MX2 pro classes as well as the Superfinal that mixes the top 20 from each and offers the MX2 guys a small head start which makes for a fascinating finale. Entry to this year’s event is a meagre £25 for adults with accompanied under-14s getting in for free. The first race kicks off at 11:45 and the action then follows thick and fast all day.
MX1 entry list
No |
Name |
Team |
Machine |
CC |
Home Town |
3 |
Tony Craig |
Carnegie Fuels/MOM |
Honda |
450 |
Gourdon |
6 |
Carlton Husband |
JLP Racing |
KTM |
450 |
Houghton le Spring |
7 |
Jonathan Barragan |
STR |
KTM |
450 |
Spain |
10 |
Ryan Staveley |
Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Barnoldswick |
14 |
Marc de Reuver |
Stabilo Pro Grip |
KTM |
450 |
Holland |
20 |
Ross Keyworth |
Revo Talon |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Chilcompton |
21 |
Gautier Paulin |
Kawasaki Racing Team |
Kawasaki |
450 |
France |
22 |
Kevin Strijbos |
Rockstar Suzuki World MX1 |
Suzuki |
450 |
Belgium |
24 |
Jilani Cambre |
JDS Racing Team |
KTM |
450 |
Belgium |
25 |
Clement Desalle |
Rockstar Suzuki World MX1 |
Suzuki |
450 |
Belgium |
31 |
Alex Snow |
Oakleaf Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Tiverton |
33 |
Wayne Garrett |
JAR Honda by IFS |
Honda |
450 |
Comber |
34 |
Jamie Collins |
TVR Racing |
KTM |
250 |
Swindon |
38 |
Jake Gowan |
D3 |
KTM |
450 |
Bootle |
40 |
Tanel Leok |
Route 77 Energy Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Estonia |
42 |
Nathan Parker |
Revo Talon Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Leyland |
51 |
Jens Getteman |
LS Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Belgium |
60 |
Brad Anderson |
Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Penrith |
68 |
Shane Carless |
Oakleaf Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Merthyr Tydfil |
70 |
Dorren Coutts |
Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Horsham |
73 |
Adam Cook |
Concept Catering |
KTM |
250 |
Cwmbran |
74 |
Patrick Major |
MJW Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Chesterfield |
80 |
Connor Walkley |
Maxxis Kawasaki by LPE |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Caerphilly |
85 |
Jason Dougan |
Route 77 Energy Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Portsmouth |
89 |
Jeremy Van Horebeek |
Kawasaki Racing Team |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Belgium |
91 |
Matiss Karro |
STR KTM |
KTM |
450 |
Latvia |
100 |
Tommy Searle |
CLS Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Derby |
101 |
John Meara |
TMC Moto X Racing Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Bambridge |
102 |
Jake Boyes |
Wulf/Grid MX/Wearside Rewinds Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Newcastle |
111 |
Greg Fisher |
Jack Horseman Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Ulverston |
113 |
Michael Mahon |
VMX |
KTM |
450 |
Brittas |
121 |
Xavier Boog |
Ice1Racing |
KTM |
450 |
France |
125 |
Jamie Law |
Dyer & Butler |
KTM |
450 |
Cockermouth |
127 |
Oliver Sandiford Smith |
MJW |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Southport |
138 |
Daniel Hutchinson |
Bikesport |
KTM |
450 |
Crook |
140 |
Luke Burton |
Heads & All Threads |
Suzuki |
450 |
n/a |
160 |
Scott Elderfield |
CMP Racewear/Goldentyre Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Guildford |
176 |
Jamie Ellis |
RSS/Spiral Graphics/RFX |
KTM |
350 |
Colne |
191 |
Scott Ardren |
NC Groundworks Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Taunton |
232 |
James Lassu |
MJW Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Barnsley |
271 |
Tom Kelly |
Malin KTM Racing |
KTM |
350 |
Manchester |
301 |
Ben Hunt |
Green Lane Recycling |
Honda |
450 |
Stroud |
319 |
Christy Harnett |
TMC Moto X Racing Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Co Kildare |
393 |
Jarad Goodwin |
Suzuki |
Suzuki |
450 |
Barnsley |
681 |
Tommy Alba |
Dirtbikexpress/HPR Honda |
Honda |
450 |
Taunton |
700 |
Sam Simmons |
Motoward Yamaha |
Yamaha |
450 |
Rudgwick |
704 |
Ashley Wilde |
Sandbach Scrap Metal |
Kawasaki |
450 |
Manchester |
741 |
Gareth Padgett |
Yamaha |
Yamaha |
450 |
Southampton |
999 |
Rui Goncalves |
Ice1Racing |
KTM |
450 |
Portugal |
MX2 entry list
No |
Name |
Team |
Machine |
CC |
Home Town |
4 |
Liam Garland |
Dyer & Butler |
KTM |
250 |
Funtley |
5 |
Graeme Irwin |
Heads & All Threads |
Suzuki |
250 |
Carrickfergus |
12 |
Bradley Wheeler |
GL12 Racing KTM |
KTM |
250 |
Wotton under Edge |
14 |
Charlie Hamlet |
Feehily/Morris/Fox/RFX |
Suzuki |
125 |
Shrewsbury |
20 |
James Dunn |
HM Plant KTM UK |
KTM |
250 |
Swindon |
23 |
Luke Newman |
International Plywood/Ride Direct Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
250 |
Tewkesbury |
33 |
Julien Lieber |
Rockstar Suzuki MX2 |
Suzuki |
250 |
Belgium |
44 |
Elliott Banks-Browne |
HM Plant KTM UK |
KTM |
250 |
Ilkeston |
55 |
Mike Kras |
Team Beursfoon Suzuki |
Suzuki |
250 |
Holland |
63 |
Ceriel Klein Kromhof |
HFS Logistics MX Team KTM |
KTM |
250 |
Holland |
66 |
Lewis Tombs |
JAR Honda by IFS |
Honda |
250 |
Bury St Edmunds |
73 |
Luke Norris |
Oct X MNE Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
250 |
Bicester |
76 |
Pascal Rauchenecker |
Standing Construct KTM |
KTM |
250 |
Austria |
77 |
Arminas Jasikonis |
Route 77 Energy Honda |
Honda |
250 |
Lithuania |
84 |
Jeffrey Herlings |
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing |
KTM |
250 |
Holland |
95 |
Dan Thornhill |
Revo Talon Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
250 |
Stonehouse |
99 |
Ben Watson |
HM Plant KTM UK |
KTM |
250 |
Nottingham |
100 |
Sam Winterburn |
D3 Racing KTM |
KTM |
250 |
Skipton |
110 |
Adam Darbyshire |
Underdog Racing Honda |
Honda |
250 |
Ashton in Makerfield |
114 |
Rob Davidson |
MJW Kawasaki |
Kawasaki |
250 |
Sheffield |
116 |
David Blackburn |
Blackburn Motorbodies Honda |
Honda |
250 |
Chorley |
124 |
Glenn Fletcher |
CM Engineering/Regent MX/ JWR Honda |
Honda |
250 |
Brigg |
131 |
Jack Cox |
JL Cox Cranes/MotoMark Yamaha |
Yamaha |
250 |
Wolverhampton |