Easter Bank Holiday was the date for Apico Honda’s home round of the Motul British Motocross Championship at Preston Docks in the Northwest of the country. Both Josh Gilbert & Tom Grimshaw were prepped and ready for an exciting weekend’s racing and looked forward to lining up alongside HRC’s latest signing, Jeffrey Herlings, also aboard the 2026 Honda CRF450R.
Sunday had the tail end of storm Dave, where winds up to 70 mph on Saturday night battered the track and paddock, which was a consideration for qualifying and the racing. Josh Gilbert was one of the first riders to cross the line into timed qualifying and posted his quickest time on the first lap for 7th gate pick, with Tom Grimshaw not far behind, posting his fastest time on his opening lap for 11th in the Apico MX1 qualifying session.
After securing the awning for the strong winds to come in the afternoon, final preparations were made to the bikes before going to the line in race 1. Josh chose the left of the gatehouse, and Tom lined up on the right next to Herlings. As the gate dropped, Josh darted down the start straight and into the first corner in the lead, with Tom having a mid-pack start. Josh was the first rider across the tabletop. It was a great moment for the team to see him out front leading the charge ahead of Herlings, Watson and Mewse. Halfway through the first lap, Taylor Hammal passed Josh with Ben Watson hot on his back wheel. Ben made a mistake and went down as Josh went around the back of the track. It was on the official first lap that Josh’s race sadly came to an end.
At the bottom of the long rhythm section, Josh got out of shape, and the bike bucked him into the air unexpectedly, causing him to crash and dislocate his shoulder in the process. It was hard to watch the 30-plus riders pass him whilst he managed to get his shoulder back in place and ride to the team set up and out of the race.
READ MORE: BRITISH MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS
Tom managed to get inside the top 20 and push past 8 riders by the midpoint of the race, though the rest of the field had got away, so it was a lonely race for him to bring his Honda CRF450R home in 12th place. Tom decided to change his suspension settings for the second race because he didn’t feel he could push as hard as usual.
Tom made the changes he wanted and lined up on the right side of the gatehouse, feeling confident and ready to go. As the gate dropped, Tom had a better jump and went straight up the middle on the edge of the top 10. Tom found his flow; the arm pump obviously was not bothering him as much as it had in the first race, and he was able to get the hammer down early.
By the end of the first lap, he was in 10th and looking more comfortable than in the first race. After losing a couple of places and then making them back, Tom managed to finish the second race of the Apico MX1 Championship in 9th place.
Dylan: “After Hawkstone, we were hoping for a less problematic round at Preston Docks, sadly for Josh, that wasn’t the case.
After a fantastic start to the first race, he was very unlucky to make a mistake in the rhythm section that resulted in a dislocated shoulder. Josh wanted to race, though I was concerned there may have been more to the injury without seeking medical advice, so we decided to err on the side of caution and sit out the last race. Josh will have a scan and, all being well, be back for the third round of the Motul British Motocross Championship at Lyng.
Tom has been suffering a little with arm pump and has not been able to push on as he would want in the races. We decided to use a different suspension setup, which he was ultimately more comfortable with in the second race, and this showed in his improved result. I have no doubt that should Tom get the start, he’ll be running well within the current top 10 at the Motul British Motocross Championship.
Thanks to all the sponsors and team members for their continued support of Apico Honda”.
Words by Apico Honda – Images courtesy of Insight Media
