Scotland’s winter training mecca, Tain Motocross track, was the scene for the first round of the 2026 Scottish Motocross Championship. The legendary sand track is the place to be when it comes to winter training, but that was all done and dusted with the commencement of the 2026 season. The traditional two-day format had been modified slightly, which saw the 65 and 85 classes race within Sunday’s first block.
Race Report and Images by Raymond Thomson – Madmaxmedia
This gave the chance for the youngsters to shine in front of the big crowd that turned out to see all the action. Tain is the perfect location for a first round as the weather is usually favourable, and that was true on Saturday and Sunday. The sun shone for the duration and the track was immaculately prepped and maintained both days.
READ MORE: 2026 SCOTTISH MX CHAMPS ROUND 1 @ TAIN – RESULTS
Saturday 6th March
Auto’s (Sponsored by FXR)
As tradition has it, the track was shortened and tailored to suit the Auto bikes, the riders would still have their work cut out to get around as the deep powdery sand gave them the ultimate test. With last year’s leading riders moving up a class, the championship is wide open. Jack Jamieson sent a solid message to his fellow riders that he will be the one to beat this year. Making steady progress in the past 2 years, all his hard work has paid off as he went 1,1,1 for the overall. Alex Wilson’s consistent riding got him a runner-up place as he finished ahead of the next three riders, as they all had a second place, but swapped them around in all three races. Corey McAleer was the best of the rest as he secured the final podium place with a great second place in the final race.
65’s (Sponsored by FXR)
The 65 class was bolstered this year with a good number of riders moving up a class, but it was seasoned rider Josh Alexander who dominated the event. Katie Beecroft pushed Josh all day, but the hard pack specialist couldn’t tame the sand. Haiden Milne’s solid ride kept Ellik Miller at bay but it’s going to be a hard-fought class.
85’s Small & Big Wheel (Sponsored by Rinaldi)
Small Wheel
It looked like Lyall Rutherford was going to run away with the overall as he blasted out the gate and disappeared in race 1 but machine issues dogged him in two races, so he slipped down the order even with 2 wins. It was Liam Hannah who benefited as he kept the chasing pack at bay with a 2,1,1,2. Jack Heath and Thor Simson rounded off the podium, swapping positions throughout the weekend.
Big Wheel
Another class with an influx of riders, the 85BW class has historically seen some frantic racing. John Slade dominated both days with faultless performance. Ricky Barrack got the best of Alfie Lawrie as the pair served up some exiting racing as the next five riders were separated by a handful of points.
Youth 125/250 (Sponsored by Stirlings Powersports)
There was a mouthwatering lineup in the joint class as the country’s young talent battled it out for bragging rights.
The 125-class pitted Jaden Anderson and Robbie Scott against each other for another year, but a race win each wasn’t enough for either of them to overcome Harley Marczak.
In the 250f class, Malachi Allan continued his winning streak, moving up from the 85BW, beating Lewis Spratt into second. The young Irishman couldn’t match Allan’s outright speed. Reid Simpson did enough to grab the final podium slot.
2 Stroke 125 (Sponsored by Ross Quarry Products) / 2 Stroke Open (Sponsored by Slavin Pant Hire)
There is always a buzz watching the 2 Stroke class as it brings out a wide spectrum of riders and bikes, from the latest trickery to old school EVO bikes.
The 150 class gave Hayden Statt the opportunity to remind everyone what he is all about. Louis Perrin-Brown just edged out Andrew Pohlen as they look like they’ll do their best to push Statt all the way for the championship.
In the Open class, with 2025 champion Ryan Thomson choosing to ride a 450 in 2026 and no sign of last year’s Irish contingent, Ryan Waggott looked like he would breeze the three wins, but a poor last race meant Dylan Kerr would sneak the win by winning the last race. Gavin Scott’s solid riding eased him onto the podium.
Adult Support
Traditionally, the Adult Support race gives some of the Pro MX1 and Pro MX2 riders a chance to check out the track in preparation for Sunday’s races but at the same time, it’s a showcase for some of the other riders in their respective classes to see where they can finish. Bobby Bruce and Aiden Bruce had a great run out in race 1 with a few select riders choosing not to run transponders but Lucy Barker had two solid results in both races which showed she can mix it with the best of them. John Adamson gave his new 2 stoke a run out in race 2 but Charley Irwin recorded the official win ahead of Lucy Barker. The mix of Experts, Amateurs and Vets proved how popular the class always is even though it is not a championship race.
Sunday 8th March
Vets 40,50 and 60 (Sponsored by Drysdales Motorcycles)
Just prior to the Vets’ first race, there was a very fitting minute’s silence in memory of one of Scotland’s finest motocross legends, Alastair Henderson, who recently passed away. He was very well known in the industry for absolutely everything to do with the promotion of motocross in Scotland and further afield.
George Stewart and Paul Johnson swapped race wins, with the latter getting the overall. Kevin McBride’s welcome return paid dividends after missing out in 2025 due to a serious hand injury as he bagged the final podium.
In the O50’s, Richard Miller returned to winning ways but could have made it easier for himself. After grabbing a holeshot in Race 2, he crashed out whilst running in 1st place at the end of lap 1 but recovered to win and take the overall with a 1,1,1. Barry Gray has moved up to the O50’s and will look to push Miller all the way. Morton Hannah was the best of the rest, but the chasing pack will be there all season.
Ian Wilson had a heavy tumble in practice and battled on through two races to secure some points, but he could only finish third overall. Stephen Pollock couldn’t match sand specialist Les Winthrope as his Le Toquet experiences gave him the edge and the overall.
Amateur (Sponsored by Drysdales Motorcycles)
After a run out in the support class on Saturday, it looked like seasoned Amateur Rory Cultra would make the most of his Sunday but a poor third race limited his chances. Douglas Goodwill’s 3,1,1 meant he was the clear winner in the class as Cultra secured second after his 1,2 in the first two races. Less than 10 points separated the next 6 places as Myles Elliot pipped fourth spot by a single point.
Expert (Sponsored by Drysdales Motorcycles)
Another rider who had a solid Saturday in the Support race was Robbie McCullough. He looked like he benefited from riding on the Saturday as he came out of the gate flying on Sunday. Decked out in his bright orange kit, the KTM rider stood out from the pack. It wasn’t all plain sailing as he did falter in the third race, as Owen MacDonald secured an overall second with the final race win. Ryan Ingram managed to outscore Dylan Kerr as his day was spoilt with a heavy highside in race 2 as his bike dug into a berm when he was running in second. That crash bumped him off the podium.
Pro MX2 (Sponsored by Safe Access Highland Ltd)
New Teams and new riders are joining in the race for the Pro MX2 Championship, but the same old challenges remain. After a hard winter’s training, the MX2 boys lined up to see who would reap the rewards. Moving from MX1 to MX2 for 2026, John Adamson made a strong challenge for the hole shot, but after a coming together of bikes in the first corner, he went tumbling, and Carlton Husband also took a detour off track but re-mounted to at least finish the race on his 450. No such luck for John as his bars suffered the brunt of the crash forcing him to DNF. None of this phased Charlie Heyman as he showed some great pace in race 1.
Race 2 was a total contrast for Heyman, but he did enough for the overall by winning the last race. It could have been a very different outcome if Josh Vail had a better final race but his race win in the second race showed he can push for the championship in 2026. Joel Rizzi’s return to racing saw him making progress in each race and he is another that will feature strongly. Glen McCormack quietly went about his business and will no doubt feature in 2026 as will John Adamson who would have been a challenge for the overall if he had not DNF in race 1.
Pro MX1 (Sponsored by Safe Access Highland Ltd)
Ben Edwards set the pace during qualifying and followed it up with a race win as he got his season off to a blistering start. After a poor start, Tristan Purdon made steady progress throughout the race gaining a position every lap. Purdon would dominate the next two races with Edwards running a close second. Bobby Bruce’s 3,3,3 closed out the podium as he ran his own race with Ryan Thomson making a solid debut on the Yamaha 450 after winning the 2 Stroke open championship last year. Carlton Husband and Jason Meara looked solid and will be hoping to get in the mix at the next round.
With the dual licence being applied on Sunday, there was a great number of younger riders showing they could run with the best. Jaden Anderson, Charley Irwin, and Lucy Barker all gave a good account of themselves as Ryan Waggot and Malachi Allan proved that age is no limitation once the gate drops.
The Scottish Motocross Championship has an impressive lineup of sponsorship this year with Main Sponsors Dyce Carriers Ltd, Site Group Holdings Ltd, Drysdale’s Motorcycles and YESS announced as well as retaining most of last year’s sponsors which includes Safe Access Highland Ltd, FXR, Ross Quarry Products, Slavin Plant Hire, Stirlings Powersports and Rinaldi as race sponsors.
The next round of The Scottish Championship will be at Duns Motocross (nr Berwick) 13th and 14th April.
See the >>FULL RESULTS<<
