Incredibly, it seems, we’ve already reached the halfway point of the 2026 Plews Tyres British Masters season. Following a sweltering race meeting at the spectacular Wroxton circuit, the series now moves north, with a visit to the impressive Schoolhouse track, near Newcastle.
Words by Chris Czora – Images courtesy of Reminiscent Imagery
The north-east track is a relatively new addition to the Masters calendar, but has proved a firm hit with the riders. A well-prepared track, fast-flowing in nature with plenty of spectacular jumps, leaves a track layout that incorporates both natural challenges and the man-made element. For the spectators, a network of tunnels under the track provides plenty of good vantage points. Located in the rolling hillsides on the County Durham / Northumberland border, it’s certainly a scenic location for a track, with Hamsterley Forest and Derwent Water only a short drive away.
Whilst the Fix Auto UK class has already been concluded, with Conrad Mewse taking the title at the Wroxton finale, there’s still a long way to go in the amateur and youth classes, with all titles still wide open heading towards the Culham finale in September.
The Amateur MX1 class sees Mackenzie Marshall defending a 36-point lead against Raife Broadley. Marshall won here last year as an MX2 wildcard, so will be hoping to repeat this form, although Broadley will certainly be relishing the chance to turn the points gap back. Harvey Cashmore has been ever consistent throughout the season and sits just behind the title contenders in third, whilst Charlie Hamlet enjoyed his best result of the year at Wroxton, grabbing a podium, and travels to Schoolhouse as a title outsider.
The Amateur MX2 class saw George Hopkins take a huge leap forward at Wroxton as title rival Harrison Greenough had a tough weekend. The ever-impressive Hopkins leads the title race by 28 points, like MX1 counterpart Mackenzie Marshall, also piloting a Triumph machine. Hopkins can’t afford to rest on his laurels; however, jumping to second in the title race is the Manxman Beau Brown, whose consistent start to the season places him firmly in the title race.
Meanwhile Greenough will be keen to bounce back from his Wroxton troubles; with three rounds left, there’s still every opportunity to turn the title race back in his favour.
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Clubman is looking a little more clear-cut at this stage, as Kyle Briggs leads the title race by 48 points. A good result at Schoolhouse could see him pull a clear gap over his rivals; however, it’s never a foregone conclusion in the Clubman, with plenty of strong riders who could grab a result. Frank Elwell impressed at Wroxton and now sits second in the title race, whilst Ryan Christian, Elliott Pugh and Hayden Stephens could all yet mount a late title challenge.
MXY2 has been all about Jayden Jones this year; the Welshman has won most of the races and holds a 24-point lead in the championship. That lead is perhaps not as big as you’d expect, and that’s largely been down to Malachi Allen. The Scotsman has been able to keep the pressure on Jones and grab the occasional win, and at his ‘local’ round will be looking to keep the pressure on Jones in the second half of the championship.
Marley Alder grabbed a podium at Wroxton and now sits third in the title race; on 429 points, he’s a little further back from the title contenders, but a good result at Schoolhouse could well keep him in contention.
The 125 class has been all about Ryan Waggott this season, and although he could only manage a fourth overall at Wroxton, he still holds a points gap of over 100 points from Joel Winstanley-Dawson, who missed the FatCat opener. A strong result from Waggott at Schoolhouse could see him very well placed in the title race, whilst third-placed Jack Leese continues to impress at the sharp end, as he remains ahead of former champion Jordan Bachelor and Wroxton winner Steven Clarke.
Both of the 85cc classes remain pretty close going up to Schoolhouse. No-one has truly taken a hold of the Big Wheel class this year, as race wins and the red plate ebb and flow between riders, into the fourth round it’s Riley-Ray Barrow who leads the way, but only by a mere nine points from Franky Donoghue. Jamie Thorpe and Ethan Gawley have both shown race-winning speed this year and are not too far behind the title leaders, whilst Teddy Merriman will be hoping to get himself back in the title race.
The Small Wheel 85 class sees Frankie Noll defending a narrow 21 point lead going to Schoolhouse, and a good result at the fourth round could really see him emerge as the rider to beat over the final two rounds. However, that’s by no means an easy prospect as Tommy Gaddes, Ronan Watson, Harrison Chiddey and Forest Roberts are all handily placed, with less than 50 points still covering the top five. Still all to play for!
Despite a heavy crash in the final moto at Wroxton, Roy Townley still holds a narrow four-point lead from Mason Foreman in the Junior 65cc class, a testament to Townley’s strong form in the early rounds. Both riders are certainly looking to stake their claim on the title going into the third round, although there is a curveball here, as both Townley and Foreman have been selected to represent Team GB in the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship at Jinín in the Czech Republic, along with sixth-placed Blake Marks-Bracey. The event clashes with the fifth Masters round at Little Silver, so with the two championship frontrunners soon to be absent, it throws an opportunity for Kobe Roberts and Ronnie Morgan to get involved in the title race, but they’ll need a good result at Schoolhouse to ensure they are in contention; there’s certainly plenty to play for!
Action starts at 9am on both days with Saturday qualifying followed by two blocks of racing, with the final two blocks of racing taking place on Sunday. Schoolhouse is located near the A68, west of Consett; postcode is DH8 9SB. Weekend admission is available at the entrance gate; prices are £10 for adults and £5 for children. Cash only due to limited internet signal on the site.
Wildcard entries are still available for the event; any interested late entries should call the championship office on 07747 808366 to enquire.
