The gate has finally been dropped for the full Dirt Store Triumph Racing squad of riders in 2025!
Last weekend was a busy one for the whole team. Tommy Searle travelled to Aberdeen for Round 5 of Arenacross, whereas Joel Rizzi and Billy Askew took their Triumph machines outdoors for the Hawkstone International in Shropshire. It was a challenging weekend for each of the trio, but the early signs of a strong 2025 season were all there.
Tommy, joined by Lee and Oliver in the pits, had another promising start in Scotland. The larger floorspace of the P&J Live Arena in Aberdeen made for a fast-paced track with more chance to explore rhythms than previous rounds. Searle settled in quickly and came away from the morning qualifying in P4, narrowly missing out on a podium m behind Brunell.
To kick off the night show, Tommy grabbed a 2nd place in his first Heat. A good jump out of the gate put him into P4, chasing Steven Clarke and Matt Bayliss. Clarke and Bayliss then collided in front of Tommy before the whoops, allowing Searle to capitalise and sneak into P2 after just 2 laps. He held his position to close out 2nd place.
READ MORE: ARENACROSS NEWS
In Heat 2, Searle was again in P4 through turn 1. Despite consistent 32s lap times, he was unable to chase down and pass Chafield and Bayliss in front. Tommy would eventually cross the line in 4th.
2-4 race scores were more than enough for a straight run into the Main Event.
Tommy looked in contention heading into the last race of the night. Immediately out of the gate, Searle and Chatfield were bar to bar. Searle had a good initial jump, but lost out on positions through turn 2.
The Triumph rider had to battle hard, deep in the top 10, on the opening laps. Searle, Chatfield and Mewse were three-wide going through the whoops, but then a sharp under-cut in the final corner from Tommy saw himself and Chatfield make contact. Tommy kept his bike up on two-wheels and made his forward through to P6. However, with just a lap remaining, Searle and Chatfield again managed to find each other on the track. This time both riders went down, costing Searle valuable time, resulting in a P9 finish.
After a smooth and relatively eventless run through the heat races, Tommy was at the heart of the action in the Main Event. A 9th place finish was far from our early predictions. Racing incidents are very much a part of our sport, but thankfully, Tommy came away unscathed, and it can just be regarded as a tough and unlucky night.
At Hawkstone Park, Joel Rizzi and Billy Askew were set for their debut races in 2025. Both were onboard the TF 250-X in the MX2 class for this event.
Qualifying looked strong for the pair. Despite a wet and muddy track, Billy was looking comfortable inside the Top 10 and Joel was the fastest British rider, in P3.
Lining up for Race 1, Joel Rizzi opted for a central gate pick alongside French rider Mathis Valin. Joel had a solid jump out of the gate, but was squeezed heading into the famous first turn. He was in mid pack on the opening lap, however, as he approached the final turn, Rizzi ran into a fallen rider’s bike. This sent him over the bars and into the dirt. Despite an awkward landing on his hand, he rejoined the race in 15th place. Over the next 6 laps he worked his way up to P10 behind Glenn McCormick. The pair would then pass Gavin Stevenson, pushing Joel up into his final position – P9.
Billy Askew opted for a wider gate pick in Race 1, aiming to sweep around the outside. Sadly, after the first lap Billy was back in 21st. Despite the poor start, Askew quickly picked off several riders and was up into P15 by the end of lap 2. In the next couple of laps, he kept moving forward and worked up to P10. Unfortunately, while chasing McCormick for P9 he made a mistake. This allowed teammate Rizzi and Max Harris to pass. Billy did well closing in all the time he’d lost to Harris, but wasn’t able to make his way back through. The 12s deficit was down to just 1s as they came over the line. P12 in Race 1 for Askew.
READ MORE: BRITISH MOTOCROSS NEWS
For Race 2, both Triumph riders selected a similar gate pick to the previous race. Again, Joel was pinched coming through Turn 1 and was unfortunate to have another first lap crash. Damage during the crash forced the young Welshman into the pits on lap 4, leaving him a lap down and in 25th position. Joel showed huge resilience to continue pushing to the end of the race. In the remaining laps, he did manage to claw back 6 positions and finish in 19th.
In contrast, Billy’s second race was a strong one. His wide sweeping line paid off and he was battling for 5th on the opening laps. He was pushing hard to catch Max Werner, with both riders passing Ben Mustoe on lap 3. On lap 5, Askew posted his fastest lap of the race, again closing in on Werner. But just a lap later, a mistake cost Askew vital seconds and a position to Calum Mitchell. Askew managed to immediately return to his quick lap times and was back into 5th place on lap 8. As the clock ticked down, a crash from Werner allowed Billy to finally make a pass and step up to P4. The young-gun was able to keep it smooth for the closing laps and bring home a great result to end the day.
Billy’s combined race scores gave him P6 overall in the MX2 Class, with teammate Joel back in P15. After a day of mixed results, the team did not participate in the combined class Super Final. Instead the riders have turned their focus back to training before their EMX250 and MXGB seasons.
The overall results for Tommy, Joel and Billy did not reflect the performances they had shown in training, but their speed and talent on the bike were clearly visible at several points throughout the weekend. There are still two opportunities to regain points for Searle in the Arenacross series, and Hawkstone was a perfect opportunity for Billy and Joel to gain invaluable race time.
The team continue to be impressed with the Triumph bikes and is thrilled with the sponsor support they have this year. Thank you to all those onboard for 2025. We will keep you updated on the team’s latest news following the Manchester Arenacross in two weeks’ time.
Words by Dirt Store Triumph Racing – Images by Cult Moto
