With the first round of the 2025 Motul ACU British Motocross Championship commencing at the end of this month at Hawkstone, many riders and teams are making their final adjustments to their machines after a long preseason of training and testing.
Words by Edward Heather – Images courtesy of Dave Rich
Scotsman John Adamson is gearing up for his second season with the Lexa MX team; however, his 2025 season will look a little bit different. We caught up with John to discuss his preparation for the upcoming season, how he has found the transition to the Honda, and his racing plans for 2025.
DH: John, with your first MXGP of the season coming up next weekend in Spain, how has preparation with the Lexa MX team looking heading into the season?
John Adamson: “We have done a mixture of both (Sand & Hard pack training), obviously I am based up in Scotland and Josh [Gilbert] is based down in Cornwall, so we was away with the team in January and then headed up to Scotland to ride some sand and then I was treated in Cornwall; I did a bit of surfing, riding, pasties and everything in between!”
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DH: How has it been riding in Cornwall and training with Josh?
John: “You know, the soil is much different. Josh has access to a lot of private tracks, which are like farmers’ fields, and they’ve been fun. It’s good to train with Josh; he is one of the top riders in Britain, so it is nice to do race simulations with him. He is very fit as well, so it is great training with him.
“I’m more of a sand rider, growing up in the sand, and he is more of a hard-packed rider growing up in Cornwall. Obviously, I can’t ride much hard packed at home, and he can’t ride any sand in Cornwall, so we can play to each other’s strengths and help each other.”
DH: What has the transition been like from the Husqvarna to the Honda?
John: “Everyone likes their new bike until they go race, and then if it doesn’t go well it’s the bikes fault! [Laughs]
“But no, for sure, we have been working with Mark Eastwood, who has been a Honda man for years, so we have a nice base setup. Things can change when you go racing, you may need to do a little bit of adjustment, but Marks local to the team. With Lexa MX and Mark on board, I think we can do a good job. Obviously, we want to hit the ground running to begin the season, but we have Mark there to help if we need him.”
DH: Cozar is next on your schedule, and then the British Championship starts at the end of the month. Are you planning on racing any more GP’s later in the year?
John: “Yeah, all the European [MXGP] ones and the British Championship. I have been asking Chris to do some extra ones, but he said we have signed up for enough [Laughs] which I totally agree with. We are looking ahead and focused on the races!”
DH: Obviously, the bar is set higher for the British, but how do expectations vary when switching between the British and MXGP?
John: “There’s such a variety in the GP’s; sometimes there are 25 riders, and they’re all very fast, and other times there’s a deeper field with a variety of riders. I am focusing on myself and just seeing what I come away with.
“It’s nice to be able to do a run of GP’s, as there isn’t as much pressure at the start as we can get through it and keep building.”
