Here’s your weekly update on the British Motocross scene for 2024, after a few announcements made this week of both withdrawals and changes of brand for some major British players!
Words: Ben Rumbold, Images: Scottish Motocross Championships
Further announcements this week have seen major changes in how the British paddock will look in 2024, with the biggest bombshell coming in the much-feared withdrawal of the Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha team. It seems that Yamaha couldn’t come up with the budget necessary to continue, and this is reflected on the MXGP stage with several teams also losing support from the big blue. It’s a massively sad loss for the British scene as Cab Screens were a very fan-friendly outfit, and speaking on a personal level, team boss Lee Webber and his brother-who-I-always-call-Lee-but-is-actually-Ian have always had time to talk to a nervous media/commentator guy when I passed the truck in the pits, even at Oakhanger when the team were frantically repairing Harri’s smoking YZF! Lee is apparently still going to be in the paddock and working with another rider so hopefully his grin will still be a part of the scene.
This leaves a big question mark as to whether or not Harri Kullas will continue to race in the UK, and so far he has been silent on the matter, with not even a rumour behind the scenes that anybody can leak to the public!
It’s now obvious that this was the “uncertainty” of which Jamie Carpenter spoke when he announced his separation from the team, and he won the Weymouth Beach Race on a white Austrian bike with his own “JC184” branding on it. We know that Jamie himself is handy with the spanners so it might even be a solo effort from him next season. We will watch with interest!
Elsewhere, in a bit of welcome good news, the Revo squad have been chased up by GasGas as an official satellite team, running Brian Bogers in both the World and British Championships on the mighty MC450F, as well as acquiring teenage prodigy Billy Askew to race in MX2 at home, EMX250 abroad. New signing, young Brit Ethan Lane comes back from his American adventure to race MX2 Grands Prix and British Championship.
Where this leaves ASA United GASGAS we do not know, an end of September post thanked their riders and backers for 2023 and said they would post about next year “in due course”. We do know that John Adamson, who has moved onto a PW Racing KTM to finish his season and hopefully, for him, wrap up the Scottish Championship title, will not be with ASA next year but cannot say where he is going instead.
Many thanks to Jason Meara, who confirmed on last week’s post will be lining up again for the Moto-Cycle GASGAS squad next year, although not in Arenacross where he raced a Yamaha last year. He told us at Ernee that he was kind of over it when it came to the indoor racing.
Rumours are still circulating about the Dirt Store Kawasaki effort and who will be there in 2024. Nothing confirmed yet but those who rode in green this year, apart from Askew, are highly likely to be doing so again!
Otherwise there is nothing official from SC Sporthomes Husqvarna, Gabriel SS24 KTM, or Chambers Racing about their vacant positions, so we can only imagine the haggling that is going on behind closed doors! Dan Thornhill will reportedly still be with Chambers for his second year with them, after undergoing wrist surgery he is now back on the bike.
STOP PRESS! Just hours after this was posted, Gabriel SS24 KTM announced their new line-up for 2024 of Josh Gilbert in MX1 and former EMX125 Champion Cas Valk from the Netherlands in MX2! Shaun Simpson steps down from racing to be Team Manager as the team goes international!
Below is the current state of play for last year’s top riders, plus some new additions. We will keep you posted when anything official gets out there – keep it pointed at Dirt Hub for all things British Motocross from here on in!
MX1:
1. Conrad Mewse – Confirmed as staying with Crendon Fastrack Honda.
2. Josh Gilbert – Confirmed as racing for Gabriel SS24 KTM
3. Harri Kullas – Unannounced, Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha closing down
4. Tristan Purdon – Unannounced, left Gabriel SS24 KTM.
5. John Adamson – left ASA United GASGAS, destination unannounced. Finishing 2023 with PW Racing KTM.
6. Evgeny Bobryshev – Unannounced, possibly staying with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna?
7. Jamie Carpenter – left Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha, destination unannounced, will be an Austrian bike.
8. Brad Todd – From private Honda, likely to be full-time with Ultimate Wheels, who supported him in 2023.
9. Tom Grimshaw – left Chambers Racing, destination unannounced.
10. Tommy Searle – left Revo, destination unannounced.
11. Liam Knight – Unannounced, left Gabriel KTM.
12. Ashton Dickinson – Unannounced, possibly staying with TALK Templant KTM?
13. Ivo Monticelli – Unannounced, probably leaving the UK.
14. Martin Barr – Apico Husqvarna squad has announced that it will be rebooted, unsure if Marty will still be onboard.
15. Shaun Simpson – Confirmed as retired, now Team Manager of Gabriel SS24 KTM
16. Stuart Edmonds – Unannounced, possibly staying on a private Honda with S Briggs Commercials?
17. Jason Meara – Confirmed as staying with Moto-Cycle GASGAS.
18. Dan Thornhill – Confirmed as staying with Chambers Racing.
19. Miro Sihvonen – Unannounced, possibly staying with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna?
20. Callum Green – Confirmed as moving from TRU7 Honda to Crendon Fastrack Honda.
NEW ARRIVAL – Brian Bogers – Confirmed with Revo GASGAS Racing Team
MX2:
1. Isak Gifting – Moving to a 450 for MXGP, uncertain if staying in the UK.
2. Taylor Hammal – Confirmed as moving to TRU7 Honda Racing Academy in MX2
3. Elliott Banks-Browne – Confirmed as staying in MX2 with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna.
4. Bobby Bruce – Unannounced, possibly staying with ASA United GASGAS?
5. Jamie Wainwright – Unannounced, possibly staying with his own family-backed KTM team?
6. Carlton Husband – Confirmed as staying in MX2 with Phoenix Tools Even Strokes Kawasaki.
7. Charlie Heyman – left TRU7 Honda, destination unannounced.
8. Sam Nunn – Confirmed as having left Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha for Chambers Racing.
9. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku – Confirmed as leaving SC Sporthomes Husqvarna for AMA racing.
10. Charlie Cole – Confirmed as staying in MX2, moving from Blades Bikes to Phoenix Tools Even Strokes Kawasaki.
11. Ben Mustoe – Unannounced, possibly staying with ASA United GASGAS?
12. Joel Rizzi – Unannounced, possibly moving to a Kawasaki as raced at the Coupe de l’Avenir?
13. Jack Chambers – Unannounced, possibly staying with Big Van World MTX Kawasaki, maybe full-time in British Champs?
14. Mel Pocock – Unannounced, likely to be on the same team as Tommy Searle?
15. Glenn McCormick – Unannounced, possibly staying with Chambers Racing?
16. Jake Millward – Unannounced, possibly staying with Verde Shiloh KTM?
17. Ben Franklin – Unannounced, possibly staying with Chambers Racing?
18. Bailey Johnston – Unannounced, possibly staying with Verde Shiloh KTM?
19. Joe Brookes – Unannounced, was with GRT Impact KTM but uncertain if joining them on Kawasaki.
20. Tommy Searle – see MX1!
21. James Barker – Unannounced, same situation as Joe Brookes.
22. Alfie Jones – Unannounced, possibly staying with Chambers Racing?
23. Dylan Walsh – Unannounced, possibly going full-time AMA?
NEW ARRIVAL – Ethan Lane – Confirmed with Revo GASGAS Racing Team
NEW ARRIVAL – Billy Askew – Confirmed with Revo GASGAS Racing Team
NEW ARRIVAL – Cas Valk – Confirmed with Gabriel SS24 KTM
BACK FROM INJURY – Ollie Colmer – Confirmed with K-Tech Aristocars KTM
