A brand new track in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, was the host for Round 2 of the Michelin MX Nationals series. ‘Monster Mountain’ is a hugely welcomed addition to the British Motocross calendar. It provides spectacular views of the South of Wales, as well as hosting one of the most interesting sites on the calendar for British riders, with its American-style Motocross Track characteristics.
Once again, for the GRT Impact KTM team Joe Brookes (Pro MX2) and Blake Ward-Clarke (85BW) lined up once again this year, with the 65cc riders patiently waiting for their time to race, and Finley Evans (MXY2) nursing an injury.
For Blake, this weekend like many others so far this year, was about building. In his rookie year on the Big Wheel 85, he is continuously adapting to the bigger bike, as well as racing faster riders. Qualifying 5th gave Blake a good gate pick for the races, however his starts on Saturday forced him to work hard, coming through the pack. In Moto 1 & 2, Blake found himself outside the top 20, fighting for position to claw back some points. He rode very well, passing a large amount of riders, and crossing the line in 8th and 7th in his respective Moto’s.
On Sunday, Ward-Clarke sorted his starts out, giving himself a better opportunity to race at the front of the pack. In Moto 3 & 4, Blake managed a 5th and a 7th, giving him 7th overall for the weekend. He’s showing great speed this year, and we are happy with the progress Blake is making.
Racing in the Pro Fastest 40 class on Sunday, Joe Brookes made an incredible start, by setting the fastest lap time in the MX2 class by 1.5s on the rest of the field. Joe has been lacking some confidence in his rookie year in the Pro class, with it being a huge jump up from the youth class he graduated from in 2022, so this gave him some much needed confidence to attack the races.
In Moto 1, Joe set out to a great start running in 2nd position for half of the race. Whilst battling, Joe collided with another rider, which unfortunately pushed him down the order. With not a lot of time left, Joe pushed on to finish a respectable 8th. In Moto 2, once again he got out of the gate well, running at the sharp end of the pack. An early tip over set him back a little, but Brookes pushed on, passing multiple riders, crossing the line in 4th place. A great result for Joe, all things considered, and we are very happy with his speed and determination this weekend.
Joe Brookes will now head to Germany this weekend, to try his hand in the EMX250 class against the fastest riders in Europe. Another big step up for Joe, which we will use as a stepping stone for gaining experience. Following on from that, we head back to Hawkstone Park for the ACU Revo British MX, where we will be joined by our 65cc riders for the first time this year.
