Motocross
Now Reading
British Championship Rider Movements Announced – who will switch next?!
Next
Prev

British Championship Rider Movements Announced – who will switch next?!

The British Championship silly season is in full swing with several rider departures being announced, but very few “new arrivals” being officially confirmed as of yet.Β  Here’s your state-of-play on “Future’s Friday” for the line-up of next year’s Dirt Store British Championship and Fastest 40 series.

Words: Ben Rumbold, Featured Image: Chambers Racing

Yesterday, Thursday 12th of October, saw Chambers Racing confirm what their long-time rider Tom Grimshaw had already hinted at online, with this statement:

“𝐀𝐋𝐋 π†πŽπŽπƒ π“π‡πš°ππ†π’ π‚πŽπŒπ„ π“πŽ 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐍𝐃.
Some of you may have already heard through the grapevine or paddock gossip, that Tom will officially be leaving the team and onto something new for 2024.
We’ve had many brilliant years with Tom through from the British to MXGP and it’s been a pleasure to watch him grow into the rider he is today. We cannot thank him enough for the efforts he put into the team.
We wish him absolutely nothing but the best for his future and we will still support him every step of the way, just from another camp.
Tom will release details of his 2024 plans soon!
PS you’re safe from any more jumping photos.
All the best TG, Team Chambers”

This comes hot on the heels of Jamie Carpenter’s statement on Wednesday that he was parting ways with the Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha team after just a single season with them.Β  Thursday then saw Jamie post a Reel of himself practising at Valkenswaard in the Netherlands on a distinctly white machine with his own JC184 graphics down the side.

Screen-shot from Jamie Carpenter’s reel on a mystery white bike, thrashing around the sands of Valkenswaard.

Last week also saw a shock statement to many that Josh Gilbert, 2nd to Crendon Fastrack Honda teammate Conrad Mewse in both major domestic series in 2023, was leaving Dave Thorpe’s squad for pastures new.Β  The team statement said it was “due to the plans for the team not aligning with what Josh wants to do.”Β  That would imply that Josh himself wants to tackle the MXGP stage or even take a trip back to the AMA Nationals as he did in 2022 with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna. British teams that do this are few in number, so we may see Josh on an Austrian bike of some description if he is to race both in the UK and at MXGPs.

So far, the only official 2024 announcements for British MX1 riders are for the reigning champ Mewse, and his new teammate Callum Green who moves from the black TRU7 Hondas to the red Crendon Fastrack ones.

Tommy Searle has stated in his vlog that he will be in a new team next year, departing the Revo squad, but all other teams have stayed quiet on the MX1 front so far.Β  New MX2 Champion Isak Gifting is moving up to the 450 in MXGP and has stated his wish to still race in the UK.Β  RHL have stated that there will be another foreign import joining the series as well, whilst Ivo Monticelli has mentioned that he would like to return to MXGP full-time, possibly not to British shores inbetween, however.

Tommy Searle has declared his intent to continue racing in 2024, but with which team? (Image: Arenacross UK)

The MX2 class has also seen the Honda team state its intentions, with Jake Nicholls returning full-time to join 2023 series runner-up Taylor Hammal in TRU7 colours. This leaves former Youth Champion Charlie Heyman out of the squad so we shall see where he lands in 2024.

Phoenix Tools Even Strokes Kawasaki have also got in early with Charlie Cole joining Carlton Husband, who will defend his MX Nationals 250 title in the newly-branded Fastest 40 series.Β  He might even run the #1 plate!

Beyond those guys, Sam Nunn has been confirmed as switching from Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha to Chambers, and staying in MX2, whilst Elliott Banks-Browne has told Dirt Hub that he will still be with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna outdoors on a 250, albeit riding a 450 for FUS Marsh Husky in Arenacross.Β  It is likely that we will see Mel Pocock join his old sparring partners Nicholls and EBB in MX2, as his name got mentioned in Searle’s Podcast show as being his new teammate.

The Revo team have also announced Ethan Lane and runaway 250 Youth Champion Billy Askew as racing MX2 in the UK, with Lane returning from his American adventure to also race MX2 GPs while Billy races EMX250. Billy has been filmed riding something non-green in America so there may be a change of brand coming up there, although Billy was joined by Joel Rizzi on Kawasaki for the Coupe de l’Avenir. Was that a one-off for Joel we wonder?!

The only other solid statements for 2024 in the UK have come from the new Dirt Store Kawasaki team, as the new venture backs up its title sponsorship of the series with a green team all of their own, but without rider announcements yet, plus the new all-teenage K-Tech Aristocars KTM squad in fetching black and yellow. They field sophomore flyer Ollie Colmer in MX2 and Reece Jones in Youth 250, both campaigning EMX250 overseas.

So watch this space as Dirt Hub keeps its nose to the ground on all rider movements for 2024, so that we can put together the jigsaw pieces for the British scene. No other website will cover the UK as thoroughly as us next season, and it begins right here.

Here are the top riders from last year’s British Championship, and their fates as we know them right now!

MX1:

  1. Conrad Mewse – Confirmed as staying with Crendon Fastrack Honda.
  2. Josh Gilbert – leaving Crendon Fastrack Honda, destination unannounced
  3. Harri Kullas – Unannounced, possibly staying with Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha?
  4. Tristan Purdon – Unannounced, possibly staying with Gabriel SS24 KTM?
  5. John Adamson – Unannounced, possibly staying with ASA United GASGAS?
  6. Evgeny Bobryshev – Unannounced, possibly staying with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna?
  7. Jamie Carpenter – leaving Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha, destination unannounced.
  8. Brad Todd – From private Honda, likely to be full-time with Ultimate Wheels, who supported him in 2023.
  9. Tom Grimshaw – leaving Chambers Racing, destination unannounced.
  10. Tommy Searle – leaving Revo, destination unannounced.
  11. Liam Knight – Unannounced, possibly staying with 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 – Unannounced, possibly staying with Gabriel SS24 KTM but maybe as Team Manager only?
  16. Stuart Edmonds – Unannounced, possibly staying on a private Honda with S Briggs Commercials?
  17. Jason Meara – Unannounced, possibly staying with Moto-Cycle GASGAS?
  18. Dan Thornhill – Unannounced, possibly 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.

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 – 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 – leaving TRU7 Honda, destination unannounced.
  8. Sam Nunn –Β ConfirmedΒ asΒ  leaving Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha for Chambers Racing.
  9. Jorgen-Matthias Talviku –Β ConfirmedΒ as leaving SC Sporthomes Husqvarna for AMA racing.
  10. Charlie Cole –Β 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?

Posted In
British Motocross
Tags
dirt store british championship, fastest 40
,