Conrad Mewse wins the 2025 Rhayader Evening Motocross – Race Report & Results

The 30th anniversary edition of the Rhayader Evening Motocross was another fantastic night in the Mid Wales hills, with close racing, a few spills, plenty of music and packed entry lists.

Race Report by Chris Czora – Images by Rhayader Motorcycle Club

The spectators responded too, with over 4,500 eventually turning up, the favoured spectator areas rapidly filling up as the races started, although Cwmythig Hill’s open layout meant everyone could get a good view.

The crowd represented a mixture of motocross fans, parents, family, friends and even curious locals drawn in by the low ticket prices and nearby publicity.

There was quite a laidback post-race vibe, and whilst many spectators turned to head home once the racing drew to a close, quite a number opted to stay behind and frequent the trackside bar and catering vans, enjoying a post-race beer with friends as the night drew in.

With the support of headline event sponsors PAR Homes, Bodenham Enterprise Park and Steve Rowlands & Sons, the organising Rhayader Motor Club again were able to attract a strong line-up of Pro riders to the event.

Riders were treated to improvements both on and off the track, the now completed paddock buildings and hardstanding parking area would be the envy of many venues, whilst out on the track Shape ‘N’ Scape had worked their magic to build up and prepare many of the spectacular jumps.

A decidedly mixed weather forecast turned out good, some heavy overnight rain put some moisture in the soil, with the event itself taking place in hazy evening sunshine.

READ MORE: BRITISH MOTOCROSS NEWS

As the Pros went out for their qualifying, Conrad Mewse set the early pace, but Adam Sterry was able to put in a fantastic lap to go two seconds clear at the front. So he lined up ahead of Mewse as the riders took to the line, resident DJ Francis Brad playing that old AC/DC start-line classic ‘Hells Bells’ across the hillside to signify the start of the 2025 edition!

As the gate dropped, Sterry was able to establish a narrow lead over Mewse, with the fast-starting Taylor Hammal establishing himself in third ahead of Jamie Carpenter and Martin Barr, whilst the Zimbabwean arena-cross star Jayden Ashwell looked at home on the big jumps as he sat nicely in the top ten. Further back, local star Henry Williams had the crowd urging him on, as he stayed ahead of Brad Todd, Dan Thornhill and even Tommy Searle, who was recovering after a bad start. This battle ended with heartbreak for Williams as he lost out on seventh during the final lap, although he took the lead MX2 honours, finishing just ahead of Steven Clarke.

There was a change at the front too, as Conrad Mewse got to grips with the circuit, picking some good lines as he fought his way through to lead in the closing laps, Sterry giving chase for second over the line while Hammal established his third to the line.

In a sprint format on a circuit that can be difficult for overtaking, the start is vitally important. And Mewse perfected it in Moto Two, edging out Sterry in the opening corners to control the race from the front.

Sterry kept the pressure on, and there was a brief nervy moment as Mewse appeared to catch a neutral out of one of the slow corners, allowing Sterry to close slightly as Mewse hit the following jump slowly.

But Mewse was able to recover quickly to maintain his lead to the flag. Tommy Searle had a much better start, but couldn’t quite get with the two leaders, he brought it home in a solid third from Brad Todd, who was enjoying his Rhayader debut, with Hammal, Barr and Carpenter enjoying a close battle. Steven Clarke got ahead of Henry Williams during the moto, taking the MX2 honours.

In race three, Sterry blitzed the start whilst Mewse got crowded out slightly into fourth, as Sterry made it a Chambers KTM 1-2 with Dan Thornhill just behind.

Mewse quickly got through into second, but on a tough course in the final moto, Sterry was able to maintain a good pace to take the win, and second overall on the night, denying Mewse his clean sweep. Brad Todd took a solid third in the final moto, taking the final podium spot from Taylor Hammal by virtue of the better final moto.

MX2 glory went to Stephen Clarke from Henry Williams, whilst Luke Dean flew the two-stroke flag, taking third overall.

The Expert class saw Dan Mae put in some consistent finishes to take the overall win, narrowly from Jonathan Roderick-Evans, whilst local enduro star Sam Davies showed he had decent motocross pace, taking his enduro bike to third overall.

The Clubman / Veteran class saw Maison Jones blitz the field on his YZ125 in moto one, but some difficult starts in the following races meant he narrowly missed out on the podium. Lincoln Hasted took the following two motos on his Husqvarna, the zippy 125s, therefore taking all the wins, but a poor first moto meant he only took second overall.

The winning honours went to local star Oliver Bebb, who took second in all three motos, the consistency paying off for the Llanidloes star.

Another front runner was Alfie Lewis, another consistent finisher, he snatched the final spot on the podium from the Moto One winner Jones.

There was no doubt about the Veteran class winner, as another local star, Jamie Powell, took victory. He demonstrated his great experience, staying smooth to take three wins and the overall, despite consistent pressure from second overall Darren Banwell. Timothy Warner was a little further behind but brought home a solid third overall

The Novice / Ladies group was very closely fought, with Luke Price, Thomas Mumford and Harley Jones all fighting at the front.

Mumford took the first into, but the three had a very close tussle into the final corner of moto two, Harley Jones finishing narrowly ahead of Price, as Mumford came off worse, tumbling on the final corner as he took third.

A heavy fall in the final stages of Moto3 meant that Mumford narrowly missed out on the podium, with the consistent Nathan Smith able to snatch third overall.

The overall was up for grabs right up to the line. Luke Price took the final moto, but Harley Jones’ second place was enough to give him the overall win.

Ria Truman was up near the front in all three races as she took the Ladies’ overall, with Gemma Holtham enjoying some good midfield battles as she took second in class. Jasmine Watson was a little further behind but stayed consistent out on the track to take third.

Rounding off the action was the Digga Rentals’ ‘Dash for Cash’ – and with some heavy clouds making the visibility poor, it really was a dash!

Five laps were run, and with the start being vitally important, Conrad Mewse was able to get ahead of Sterry as the two pulled away from the pack.

One or two established names failed to get away so well, Brad Todd and Jayden Ashwell both retired early, whilst Tommy Searle struggled on the opening lap, but opted to ride at a safe speed in the midfield to entertain his many supporters!

Mewse was able to maintain a four-second gap at the flag, with both riders keen to show off some spectacular whips over the finish table-top at the race end!

Taylor Hammal took a strong third, just ahead of a very entertaining scrap between Martin Barr, Jamie Carpenter, Dan Thornhill and Ollie Colmer, the EMX 250 star enduring mixed evening on his Rhayader debut, but able to take the lead MX2 award in seventh.

So as the night drew in, another fantastic chapter in the story of this much-loved event was written.

Full credit has to go to the Rhayader Motor Club for turning out such a well-presented venue, along with a slickly run meeting.

The 2026 edition of the Evening Motocross has been pencilled in for its now traditional half-term Wednesday evening slot, and will be confirmed soon.

In the meantime though, the club’s attention turns to Enduro and the hotly anticipated ‘forsiteservices Enduro GP of Wales’ on the 1st – 3rd August, based from Cwmythig Hill, with the mega course also incorporating the nearby Saintswell off-road centre and the tough but beautiful Welsh countryside.

Results

Dash For Cash

Pro/Expert Race 1

Pro/Expert Race 2

Pro/Expert Race 3

Pro Overall

Expert Overall

Clubman – Overall

Vets – Overall

Ladies – Overall

Novice – Overall