The first day is finished here in Sardinia at the Crossodromo Comunale “Le Dune” circuit, and it was an eventful day for the British competitors, to say the least! Let’s take a look at how they fared in their respective classes at the fourth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
Words by Edward Heather – Feature Image courtesy of Chambers Racing – Cult Moto
Starting off in the MXGP class, Ben Watson began the day steadily with a 15th place finish in Timed Practice. However, Watson showcased his true potential in the qualification heat with a 10th place finish. The MRT Racing Team Beta rider was slow out of the gate, which has been typical for him thus far in 2025. Despite the slow start the #919 rider moved forward throughout the race and managed to secure a championship point for his valiant effort. It was great to see Watson amongst the top ten once again, as his results to begin 2025 do not reflect the Brits potential.
The surprise ride of the day comes from the Chambers Racing camp. Early in the day, Adam Sterry showcased his speed by finishing 9th in Free Practice, but he struggled to match this pace in Timed Practice. When the gate dropped for the MXGP qualification heat, Sterry started well inside the top 10 but was shuffled back to 11th. The #811 battled fellow Brit Ben Watson during the latter stages of the race, ultimately finishing in a solid 11th place, just one position shy of a championship point. Sterry’s pace was certainly worthy of top-10 contention, with his fastest lap of the race being a 1:50.998, which reaffirms his ability to be in the mix. Impressive stuff from Sterry, finishing ahead of numerous factory-supported machines!
Josh Gilbert struggled to find his pace in both practice sessions early in the day but stepped it up for the qualification race. Aboard his Lexa MX machine, Gilbert battled hard throughout the race, coming home in a strong 17th place. His teammate for the Lexa MX squad, John Adamson, finished the qualification race in 25th place. The Scotsman is managing a knee injury sustained in Cozar and sore ribs from a big practice crash leading up to the first round of the British Championship. All things considered, it was a strong ride for Adamson, but without a doubt, he has more to offer once he is back to 100% fitness.
In the WMX class, Lucy Barker showed her resilience after crashing twice in Moto 1. She first fell in the opening corner and then crashed again a couple of laps later. Despite the setbacks, Barker fought through the pack to finish in 18th place. She was bumped up to 17th post race, as another rider was disqualified for receiving outside assistance. Although the result may not jump off the page, Barker was 8th quickest in Timed Practice and certainly has the pace to be pushing toward the top five. Keep an eye out for the #310 tomorrow in WMX Moto 2, as she is the sole representative in the class flying the flag high.
Jamie Keith’s debut for the JK Racing Yamaha squad came to a premature end during the first EMX125cc moto. The #184 started just inside the top twenty and made solid passes to work his way into 12th position. However, the demanding Riola Sardo circuit took its toll on Keith’s injured collarbone, and with nine minutes remaining on the clock, the young Brit pulled in due to lacking the strength to continue. The Crossodrom0 Comunale “Le Dune” track is not forgiving for any rider, especially if you are coming back from an injury. Hopefully we see the #184 line up tomorrow for Moto 2.
