Champ Conrad Mewse took a decisive double win in the opening Fastest 40 round with his Crendon Tru7 Honda team-mate Taylor Hammal on the podium in third in his first major championship race on a 450.
Mewse, who missed virtually all the pre-season races after getting injured while leading the UK Arenacross series in January, was in stunning form on the hard-packed track at Foxhill but right from the off was under pressure from rookie Hammal.
Celebrating his 24th birthday at the event on Saturday, Hammal topped the free practice and qualifying sessions from Mewse who was to celebrate turning 25 the very next day!
But in the new-look championship races – previously called the MX Nationals – Mewse proved he’s still the man to beat right from the off.
He got a great start then quickly moved his Honda CRF450R into the lead on the first lap, pulling away from the pack to stretch out a huge win from Tristan Purdon and Jason Meara.
For Hammal, it was a nightmare first lap as he gated third but went down twice and remounted, lucky there was no damage to his CRF450R. By the end of the opening lap he was up to 15th then has a gritty ride through the field to take fifth at the flag. His fastest lap was second quickest, behind Mewse, showing he had a rapid pace.
In the second race Purdon led and it only took Mewse a couple of laps to get by. He then rode his own race and pulled away for an unchallenged win.
This time Hammal made a better start, starting fourth then completing the first lap unscathed in third place. Once his team-mate Mewse moved into the lead, Hammal reeled in Purdon then made the decisive move on lap six to take second. That dropped Purdon to third from Honda team-mates Martin Barr and Tom Grimshaw, giving the potent CRF450R four of the top five places.
With a double win and first overall, it means Mewse remains unbeaten in any motocross event this season. Purdon took second overall on the day from Hammal.
It was disappointment for Crendon Tru7 Honda rider Callum Green who took 16th then 15th place finishes for 15th overall. Despite some solid results in the run up to the event, he never looked at home on the hard-pack, super-fast track which knocked his confidence. He was hindered by a mass crash in the first turn of the opener which he narrowly avoided, then fell on the second lap.
Mewse said: “It was a really good day and I made my life a lot easier with incredible starts. I felt good on the bike – fit and strong, and I was pushing every single lap. It’s nice to have another race under my belt before the British championship that starts next week.
“So nice to start the season where I left off by finishing 1-1 and having the red plate. And I must give a big thanks to the whole Crendon Tru7 Honda team, 4Power Racing and my mechanic Rob. I appreciate all their hard work.”
Hammal said: “It was a good day. I was surprised right from the start as I’ve never been really good at fast laps but I was fastest in practice and qualifying. In the first race, I crashed twice on first lap and was miles back. It was wide open and slick so it’s hard to pass. I ate stones the whole race but got back up to fifth which was pretty disappointing as I knew I could be higher up.
“In the second race I was third and has a few close laps with Tristan Purdon and I had to be a bit aggressive to make the pass. I snuck up the inside and he didn’t come back at me. It was a good, close battle. By then Conrad was away at the front so I brough it home second. I was loving it, really.”
Green said: “Not the best day. I had a bad qualifying session, a bad start in first race then crashed and it snowballed from there. I didn’t really get going all day. The second was a bit better but I made silly mistakes all day. But I’m not hurt so will regroup and get going again at the next race.”
The whole team races the opening British championship on April 28 at Lyng in Norfolk. In this series, Mewse and Green race the CRF450R in the MX1 class while Hammal will race the Honda CRF250R alongside Jake Nicholls in the MX2 class.
Fastest 40 MX1 round one overall and championship positions
1 Conrad Mewse Crendon Tru7 Honda 50
2 Tristan Purdon 42
3 Taylor Hammal Crendon Tru7 Honda 38
4 Martin Barr 36
5 Jason Meara 35
6 Tom Grimshaw 316
7 Brad Todd 26
8 Dan Thornhill 26
9 Jamie Carpenter 25
10 Sam Nunn 21
15 Callum Green Crendon Tru7 Honda 11
Words and images by Crendon Tru7 Honda
