2025 was a fantastic year in the Motul ACU British Motocross Championship for DRT Kawasaki’s Taylor Hammal, where he fought back from his winter Arenacross injury to finish fourth overall in the MX1 class on his debut season on a 450 despite missing the opening round.
Feature Image courtesy of Dave Rich
On top of that, he also took the scalp of Jeffrey Herlings by beating him in a moto of the Monster Mountain Cup.
We had a quick catch-up with Taylor to get his thoughts on the season just gone and his plans for 2026…
DH: Hey Taylor, how do you feel your first season in MX1 went for you?
Taylor: Yeah, good. To be honest, it didn’t feel like it was my first year in MX1; it just felt like any other. It was strange, though, as I got hurt and had to have surgery on my ankle in February, so I barely did any riding before the season. I rode pretty quickly after surgery, which made my ankles sore for the rest of the year. I shattered the edge of my talus bone into pieces, so it wasn’t the greatest in my boots when I was riding, but having a lot of time off this off-season, it feels good again. I missed round 1 and went to round 2 with maybe 5 days of riding motocross all winter. Turned out to be a good year, very consistent.
DH: Do you feel the 450 suits you more as a rider?
Taylor: Yeah, definitely, I wouldn’t go back down again. I’m too heavy. I actually like riding the 250 more weirdly. I’ve really enjoyed riding the 450 KXF this year; it’s been a great bike. I didn’t have one mechanical fault all year, so it’s good to feel confident in the equipment. It’s been standard all year, apart from a bit of mapping done halfway through the season. It’s good going into next year on the same bike, which I haven’t done in a while.
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DH: What team will you be riding for in 2026, and in what championships will you be racing?
Taylor: I’m staying with Dixon Racing Kawasaki again. Doing another year in the same environment, I feel, is beneficial. I have a good relationship with all of them there. My main focus is the British championship, and we do have plans to do a couple of Grand Prix, but not 100% at the moment on those plans
DH: What are your targets for the year?
Taylor: I want to be consistently challenging for podiums in the British at each round. Make a full year without injury, too. I don’t try to take it too seriously so as not to put a lot of pressure on myself. Just take it as it comes
DH: Will you be racing Arenacross? If so, with whom, and what are your expectations for the series?
Taylor: No, unfortunately not, I really enjoyed it last year. I hope to be doing it the following year. I think it’s great, there’s a lot more money in it for us riders than motocross here. Especially for myself, as I work during the week, extra money through riding my bike is great. It also sharpens your skills. I took a lot of sharpness from the intensity of the short races into the motocross, which I felt made a difference.
