The 2026 Motul ACU British Motocross Championship has reached its halfway point with this Sunday’s (14th June) round 5 tipping us over this pivotal marker when we embark on a trip to the ever-growing Monster Mountain MX facility in South Wales close to Merthyr Tydfil.
Feature Image courtesy of MXGB – Insight Media
The GP-style track has thrown up many strange results in recent years, with the circuit catching out many of the World’s best, with the Bullet Jeffrey Herlings being one of those in last year’s Monster Masters Series. Herlings is back to tame the Welsh beast again on Sunday, though, where he will be looking to match his feat from Round 2 at Preston Docks, where he went 1-1.
To the three riders in the title fight, the addition of Herlings is a bit of an inconvenience, but in a championship where every point is vital, if any one of our three title protagonists, aka Conrad Mewse, Ben Watson and Oriol Oliver, can put Herlings between themselves and one of their rivals, it will be a huge boost to their fight for the Championship.
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As it stands after an epic double win at Landrake, Conrad Mewse has the red plate, which he holds for the first time this year, with the Crendon Tru7 Honda rider having a single point lead over Round 1 and 3 victor Watson of the Dirt Store Trumph team. Oliver had a tough weekend in Landrake, but the fact that two early moto falls saw him only lose 12 points to the series leader shows he has immense speed when coming through the pack, and we have seen from GPs that he can get his Gabriel SS24 KTM out of the traps, and if this is the case at the Mountain he will be difficult to beat.
Mewse and Herlings have experience of the track, with Mewse even taking in a club meeting with South Wales MXC at the weekend to dial in for this weekend, so will this stand them in good stead on Sunday when they go up against Watson and Oliver who haven’t raced the circuit yet?
How about the dark horse then, Taylor Hammal? The DRT Kawasaki racer was a lap away from notching up his first-ever MXGB MX1 podium at Landrake, where he showed fantastic speed, but a costly fall when the box was in sight cast shadows over what should have been and was up until that point a brilliant weekend for the Hampshire-based rider. Hammal too has good pedigree at the Mountain, beating Herlings there last year. So could he be a real spoiler and finally nail his first MX1 podium?
Other riders heading to Wales in hot form are Apico Honda’s Tom Grimshaw, who was a superb fifth at Landrake last time out, SevenSeven2 Ride Kawasaki’s Tristan Purdon, who notched up two race wins in the Scottish Champs on Sunday, Ben Edwards on his Absolute MX KTM, who won the overall in Scotland and Bobby Bruce, who also bagged a moto victory in Elgin.
Local hero Adam Sterry on his Chambers Racing KTM is returning from injury too and will be looking to come back with a bang and get on the box in front of his home fans. South African Cameron Durow is also on the Chambers machine and the hard pack conditions of Monster Mountain could well suit him. Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Jamie Carpenter will be looking to put his injury woes of the early season behind him too, as a top five position is still well within his grasp. Other riders to watch out for will be Phoenix Tools Fantic Racing’s Carlton Husband, Motocycle Racing’s Jason Meara, SevenSeven2 Ride Kawasaki’s Charlie Cole and SC Sporthomes Husqvarna’s Charlie Putnam.
With every point going to be vital for the title race, these MX1 races are not to be missed.
SC Sporthomes Husqvarna racer Charlie Heyman has had an impeccable 2026 season so far, and has racked up a sizable 37-point lead with second overall at Landrake, with a Race 1 moto win. Heyman is used to defending a lead and bringing home titles after his hugely successful youth career, but with the series only halfway through, his MXGB MX2 rivals will have other ideas, especially ASA United GasGas’s Ben Mustoe, who took his first-ever Pro Overall at Landrake last time out and has his eyes firmly set on overhauling Heyman at the top of the standings. Mustoe sits second in the standings, is fairly local to the circuit and scored his first World Championship points in France a couple of weeks back, so expect him to have good speed on the Mountain.
Veteran Tommy Searle on his Dirt Store Triumph openly admitted that this is looking like his last Pro season, but although things haven’t gone to plan for the former World no2, he still has plenty of speed and experience to draw on, and he will want to go out with a bang and he has already shown a liking to the Welsh circuit so could this be the start of his resurgence?
Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Gyan Doensen has seen his title fight diminish after winning Round 1, but in Europe he has been in sensational form, getting on the EMX250 podium 2 weeks in a row. Will this spark a newfound confidence in him as he heads to the hard pack of Wales?
Other riders who have been pitching their wares in Europe, although with mixed results, have been Dirt Store Triumph’s Billy Askew and Joe Brookes, both of whom look unlikely to be title contenders, being 66 and 68 points down on Heyman, but stranger things have happened, especially in MX2. Both riders will feel like they have a point to prove in the British, though, and both riders will have seen Mustoe enjoying the fruits of his first MXGB overall and wanting the same before the year is out.
Other riders who could put themselves at the sharp end will be Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Pro Rookie Charlie Richmond, local rider Joel Rizzi on the SevenSeven2 Ride Kawasaki, Moto One winner from Hawkstone Park Jamie Keith, Josh Vail on the Phoenix Tools Fantic, Ollie Colmer & Glenn McCormick on the Chambers Racing KTM and Freddie Bartlett on the Absolute MX KTM.
This is going to be an intriguing contest, that’s for sure!
Drew Stock has certainly levelled up in the 125cc class this year, and other than a last-bend blip at Lyng, his record has been unblemished at the top of the standings, from which he is perched with a 35-point lead over S Briggs, Commercials rider Harley Marczak. Marczak, at just 13 years of age, has shown immense speed and maturity this year and will be doing everything he can, like he has done at every round, to put one over on Stock. Will Wales be where he gets his first win? Joel Winstaley-Dawson is third in the standings and could have been closer to the front two if it wasn’t for a bike issue at Landrake, and now he has the hard-charging Olly Waters breathing down his neck. Waters too has shown Stock that he could be a threat for race victories, and you get a feeling this could be his round.
Returning from injury are Chambers Racing’s Hayden Statt and TM UK’s Arthur Moore, who will both be looking to make up for lost time and make their mark in Wales.
Other riders in the talent-stacked class to watch out for are Archie Stapely, Alfie Herron, Lucas Moncreiff, Christopher Brindley, Alfie Geddes Green, Fabian Morrison and Finlay Jay.
The Venue
Monster Mountain MX Track
Merthyr Tydfil
Wales
CF48 4AQ
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased Online >>HERE<< or on the gate
Prices on the gate are below but are discounted on the above link for advance sales.
Adults £25
Children 5-15 £5
Family ticket (2 adults & 2 Children) £60
Spectator Camping £25
Entry Lists
Check out the Entry Lists >>HERE<<
Live Streaming
The event is to be streamed via the MXGB TV channel on YouTube and on FIM TV. Watch >>HERE<<
Timetable
The Full timetable hasn’t been released yet, but as soon as it is, we will add it here.
Standings
Check out the current championship standings >>HERE<<
