Run to the hills was the order for the weekend, but which one? For the 2026 AMCA British Motocross Championship riders it meant that they faced a very big dilemma and had to answer the question, should they go to the mega MXGP at Foxhills or instead get on their bikes and race at Seven Hills!
Race Report and Images by Mike Wood
With a maximum 100 Championship points potentially obtainable by racing in what was the penultimate round of the AMCA series, a rider could significantly improve their position in the standings and maybe even fire themselves right back into title contention! And, indeed, by choosing Seven Hills over Foxhills there was, come Sunday night, to be some notable movers and shakers to report in the battle for 2026 AMCA honours!
In the great Foxhills v Seven Hills debate, both Caitlin Newman (Women’s) and Simon Lane (Vet’s Over 50’s) took full advantage to both move to the top of their respective AMCA Championship classes. Caitlin and Simon compete in the combined Vet’s Over 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and Women’s battle and what super action that one was to produce across the weekend! It started in moto one as the Over 40’s top two of Jamie Dobson and James Lane disputed the lead in style.
The best clash though was probably the last as fast-starting Dain Traylor, who had also claimed the moto three holeshot, Simon Lane, Dobson and finally James Lane all took turns to lead. Throughout proceedings, Sam Callow and Matt Ryder were also always right in the front-end mix and went on to eventually bag podium placings. With James Lane eventually scoring three out of four moto wins, he’s reduced Dobson’s lead at the top of the Championship chase down to just 12 points, and this season-long head-to-head certainly looks like it’s going right down to a last moto of the series decider!
In the Vet’s Over 50’s, Simon Lane is back to his very best and by bagging the maximum 100 points available has also leapfrogged season-long pacesetter Phil Mercer, who was absent at Foxhills. Indeed, Mercer has also been overhauled by Matt Ryder, but just 18 points separates the top three so it’s certainly all still to play for! In the Vet’s Over 60’s, Brian Staples stormed to another maximum points haul, and that confirms that he will be the 2026 champion. This will be Brian’s sixth AMCA crown; what a superb achievement that is and many congratulations to him!
So, what about the Women’s class, as both leader Hannah Jones and third-placed Amber McGregor were away racing in the WMX at Foxhills. Well, Caitlin, who’s been ultra-consistent all season and is just 34 points behind Hannah, took full advantage. Despite a fall on the second turn of moto three, which relegated her to last place, Caitlin stormed back to 9th and then superbly held off Stephen Clarke in a great last moto battle. Although Erin Howes was the first lady home in two of the four motos, Caitlin still took the overall win. Third place on the Women’s podium went to Jaymee Garrood who has also moved up into 3rd spot in the standings. At the top following the Seven Hills round, Caitlin now leads Hannah by 60 points.
Another significant change in Championship standings came in the SW85cc class at Seven Hills as Oliver Moore has now leapfrogged season-long series leader Aaron Mercer. Moore now holds a 64-point advantage at the top. Over in the BW85cc contest, Mason Brown scored another maximum-points win, but he was certainly made to work very hard by a fast Will Kremer who led both motos one and three in style. In moto one, Brown had stalked Kremer before cleverly making his move when a backmarker stalled his motor and thus forced the leading duo to make a sudden change of course before then unleashing a spectacular midair pass on Kremer in moto three! This Youth contest also included the 65cc class, and in that one, many congratulations to Harvey Wood who wrapped up the 2026 AMCA title with another maximum score. So, at Seven Hills on the Youth podiums, it was a BW85cc top three of Mason Brown, Will Kremer and Tyler Oliver, a SW85cc podium comprising Oliver Moore, Scott Neesam and Alfie Williams and a 65cc top two of new champion Harvey Wood and Levi-Blu Taylor.
Whilst some of the changes in the AMCA standings were definitely the result of the Foxhills v Seven Hills clash, that’s certainly not the case in what has become an exciting and extremely intriguing AMCA 125cc class! Thanks to a simply stunning performance in reeling off four massive moto wins, Ashley Harland now enters the last round at Warmingham Lane level on points with season-long series leader Lee Sealey. Throughout the meeting, Bradley Tranter was the only rider to briefly get ahead of Harland.
However, once the GasGas rider hit the front, he was simply on fire, his winning margin in moto three being an incredible 25 seconds! For series leader Sealey, well, he was certainly made to work very hard for his points, going 3/3/5/5. In four very frantic and fast motos, Jordan Wright proved to be Harland’s closest challenger with Tranter, Patrick Gilligan, Sean Smout, Bobby Watson and Luke Newman always right in the mix and scoring big points. Although Sealey did eventually make the podium in 3rd behind title rivals Harland and Wright, he will certainly be concerned to see at such a late stage in the series his 24-point advantage at the top of proceedings be erased by a rider currently in stunning form!
For most of the campaign, Oakley Skinner has also topped the 125cc Youth class, but going into Seven Hills he had been relegated down into 2nd place by only a single point behind Bobby Watson. However, the expected head-to-head tussle for the title between Watson and Skinner now looks to be off as the latter rider was another non-starter at the weekend. So, with his rival missing, Watson marched on, adding another 91 points to his championship tally and requires just a further 21 to secure the 125cc Youth title. Taking the class win at Seven Hills was Sean Smout as Finn Fitzgerald bagged 3rd.
Adopting a split start system in the combined Open/MX2 class, on day one the Open class went off first, followed thirty seconds later by the MX2 lads. In the first clash of the weekend, it produced arguably the best battle of the meeting as young Yorkshire star Hooley just took the win despite heavy pressure from Dodd, which raged all the way to the chequered flag. Meanwhile MX2 ace Evans came storming through in style to finish a brilliant 3rd despite the time deficit as Will Hughes, Jacob Bowden, Henry Williams and Jayden Jones were next up. In the remaining moto on day one, Hooley was again the first rider home whilst Jones topped the MX2 chart in 5th.
On Sunday, roles were reversed, and in the split start it was MX2 going off first with the Open class in pursuit. Showing their incredible pace, Williams and Jones both scored wins as Hooley was the top Open class rider on both occasions. Williams day did finish, though, a little painfully with a crash and injured shoulder after being blocked off by a backmarker in moto four, but he’s still 52 points clear at the top of the MX2 standings and moving ever closer to the retention of his title. In the Open class it’s still Hooley on top and now holding a 36-point lead with defending champion Dodd in 2nd and Hughes 3rd. At Seven Hills, the super-fast Evans scored the MX2 overall from Jones and Williams whilst Hooley, Dodd and Hughes filled the Open class podium.
Maintaining his incredible form in the Clubman Seniors, George Clarke started with a smooth opening moto win at Seven Hills ahead of Charlie Ludwell, Mackenzie Tranter, Josh Ithell, Matthew Law and Jack Taylor. For title-chasing Max Monk, though, moto one was not good news! Falling and restarting in last place, he had to settle for a final 13th place. Then, going 4/5/3, Seven Hills did dramatically improve for Monk as the immaculate Clarke strolled to a hat-trick of comfortable wins. So, it was Clarke, Ludwell and Tranter on the Clubman Seniors podium and in the race for the title, Clarke holds a 71-point lead at the top and just requires to score points in moto one at Warmingham Lane to get the job done.
What a weekend Clubman Juniors series leader Charlie Osborne was to endure! Limping home in moto one with a broken rear wheel, he then landed heavily when overjumping during Sunday morning practice, injuring his wrist in the process! Back to moto one though and Charlie was going along nicely and holding 2nd when his wheel hub started to break up. He did, though, still manage to get home in 5th behind Bobby Turner, Archie Humphrey, Joel Kremer and Ryan Tilley. In the remaining motos, Osborne went 3/8/5 as Kremer superbly scored the overall win aboard his 125cc mount.
After chasing Humphrey in moto two, Kremer then led both of Sunday’s clashes in style for just about all the way from gate to flag. Throughout the weekend Turner had been a serious podium contender only to crash out on the penultimate lap of moto four when disputing 2nd spot with Lewis Day and Humphrey. That meant an eventual Clubman Juniors podium of Kremer, Humphrey and Day. Although his meeting did not quite go to plan, Osborne did still manage to just finish above his title rivals Lewis Perks and John Cox in the overall standings at Seven Hills. So, with just Warmingham Lane to come, it’s Osborne leading the Championship on 417 points ahead of Perks 388 and Cox 374.
Massive well done to Dale Moreton and the Burntwood Barracudas MXC on their super presentation and track preparation of this penultimate AMCA Championship round. In what has been an extraordinary spell of recent very hot and dry weather, they worked miracles to keep dust levels to an absolute minimum. The series now moves onto Warmingham Lane on August 8th/9th for its finale, and with several classes looking likely to go right down to a nail-biting last moto decider, it’s going to be exciting!
Results
Open
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 101 | Tyla Hooley | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 292 | James Dodd | 88 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 205 | Will Hughes | 80 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | 12 | Jacob Bowden | 72 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 5 | 7 | Tyron Cleaver | 63 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 6 | 130 | Aaron Collins | 57 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| 7 | 23 | Joshua Fletcher-Williams | 55 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 15 |
| 8 | 35 | Tom Neesam | 54 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| 9 | 60 | Mitchell Ingley | 47 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| 10 | 366 | Lewis Ward | 45 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| 11 | 407 | Lewis Thompson | 43 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
MX2
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 12 | Finley Evans | 91 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 2 | 199 | Jayden Jones | 90 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 25 |
| 3 | 15 | Henry Williams | 85 | 22 | 20 | 25 | 18 |
| 4 | 85 | Tim Burrows | 72 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 |
| 5 | 17 | Luke Meredith | 34 | 18 | 16 | – | – |
125cc
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 292 | Ashley Harland | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 33 | Jordan Wright | 86 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 |
| 3 | 10 | Lee Sealey | 76 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
| 4 | 58 | Patrick Gilligan | 68 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 20 |
| 5 | 23 | Luke Newman | 62 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| 6 | 47 | Luke Phillips | 56 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 |
| 7 | 41 | bradley tranter | 56 | 18 | 16 | 22 | – |
| 8 | 27 | Phil Burton | 53 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
| 9 | 127 | Scott Corfield | 46 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| 10 | 999 | Conner Challinor | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | – |
Womens
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 3 | Caitlin Newman | 94 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 25 |
| 2 | 39 | Erin Howes | 92 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 20 |
| 3 | 888 | Jaymee Garrood | 82 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
Clubman Senior
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 17 | George Clarke | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 401 | Charlie Ludwell | 86 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 119 | Mackenzie Tranter | 71 | 20 | 22 | 15 | 14 |
| 4 | 26 | Mathew Law | 65 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 16 |
| 5 | 27 | Jack Hollis | 63 | 12 | 13 | 20 | 18 |
| 6 | 212 | Max Monk | 62 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 20 |
| 7 | 1 | Josh Ithell | 55 | 18 | 16 | 6 | 15 |
| 8 | 14 | Jack Taylor | 52 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 9 |
| 9 | 24 | Ryan Murphy | 50 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 10 | 31 | William Burd | 43 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 11 |
| 11 | 121 | Billy MCgillivray | 38 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 10 |
| 12 | 90 | Frazer Turner | 35 | – | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 111 | Matthew Hall | 27 | 10 | 9 | 8 | – |
| 14 | 727 | Stanley Pool | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | – |
| 15 | 114 | Louis Smith | 20 | – | 10 | 10 | – |
| 16 | 4 | Josh Murphy | 7 | – | 7 | – | – |
Clubman Junior
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 202 | Joel Kremer | 92 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 17 | Archie Humphrey | 89 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
| 3 | 25 | Lewis Day | 68 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 22 |
| 4 | 131 | Ryan Tilley | 67 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 18 |
| 5 | 4 | Bobby Turner | 66 | 25 | 18 | 20 | 3 |
| 6 | 100 | Charlie Osborne | 65 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 16 |
| 7 | 13 | Lewis Perks | 58 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
| 8 | 194 | John Cox | 52 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 15 |
| 9 | 137 | Tyler Lane | 49 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| 10 | 613 | Daniel Lewis | 37 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| 11 | 58 | jonny statham | 35 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 12 | 230 | William Lindsey | 35 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| 13 | 212 | Thomas Berry | 32 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
| 14 | 911 | Ollie Powell | 31 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| 15 | 315 | Matthew Limer | 26 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| 16 | 15 | Oliver woodhouse | 25 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 4 |
| 17 | 8 | Hayden Butler | 22 | 5 | 8 | – | 9 |
| 18 | 221 | Colin Berry | 19 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 19 | 22 | Milo Humphrey | 5 | 1 | – | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | 719 | Henry Kroner | 3 | – | 3 | – | – |
| 21 | 52 | Daniel Lomas | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| 22 | 712 | Dez Parkes | 2 | – | – | – | 2 |
| 23 | 19 | Mason Cook | 2 | – | – | 2 | – |
| 24 | 37 | Lewis Cook | 1 | – | – | 1 | – |
Vets Over 40
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 781 | James Lane | 97 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 929 | Jamie Dobson | 91 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 934 | Sam Callow | 76 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 20 |
| 4 | 107 | Dain traylor | 76 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 18 |
| 5 | 142 | Brian Petty | 48 | – | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Vets Over 50
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 73 | Simon Lane | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 91 | Matt Ryder | 88 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 2 | Stephen Clarke | 80 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | 104 | Martin Buckley | 52 | 18 | 18 | 16 | – |
| 5 | 34 | Julian Freeberne | 18 | – | – | 18 | – |
Vets Over 60
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 22 | Brian Staples | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 21 | mark bowden | 88 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 104 | Andrew Prosser | 78 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | 19 | Mark Tilzey | 52 | 16 | 18 | 18 | – |
| 5 | 23 | Paul Blick | 47 | 15 | 16 | 16 | – |
| 6 | 818 | Daran Williams | 20 | 20 | – | – | – |
Youth 125cc
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 93 | Sean Smout | 97 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 |
| 2 | 227 | Bobby Watson | 91 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 22 |
| 3 | 85 | Finn Fitzgerald | 74 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | 48 | Franky Worrall | 70 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
| 5 | 455 | Ted Bullen | 40 | 20 | 20 | – | – |
Youth Big Wheel 85cc
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 615 | Mason Brown | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 303 | Will Kremer | 88 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 166 | Tyler Oliver | 80 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | 17 | Jimmy Whiston | 70 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| 5 | 814 | Byron Wheldon | 63 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 |
| 6 | 23 | George Milnes | 63 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
| 7 | 175 | harrison hennan | 42 | 14 | – | 14 | 14 |
Youth Small Wheel 85cc
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 100 | Oliver Moore | 100 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 35 | Scott Neesam | 88 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | 23 | Alfie Williams | 60 | 20 | 20 | – | 20 |
Youth 65cc
| Pos | No | Competitor | Total | r 1 | r 2 | r 3 | r 4 |
| 1 | 103 | Harvey Wood | 97 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | 6 | Levi-blu Taylor | 91 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
