Conrad Mewse strengthened his grip on the 2026 Motul ACU British MX1 Championship with a pair of superb second-place finishes at Monster Mountain on what was an emotional weekend for the Crendon Tru7 Honda team.
The reigning British Champion finished second overall behind five-time World Champion Jeffrey Herlings, who competed as a wildcard rider at the Welsh venue. More importantly for Mewse, he outscored all of his championship rivals to extend his lead at the top of the MX1 standings.
The event came just days after the passing of Keith Thorpe, the legendary mechanic who helped son Dave to three World 500 Championship titles and remained involved with the team until recently. In tribute, all three Crendon Tru7 Honda riders carried a special logo in Keith’s honour throughout the weekend.
Holding onto the championship red plate after another successful day, Mewse dedicated the result to the Thorpe family.
“This weekend is dedicated to Keith and Dave so was a very important one,” said Mewse.
“This goes out for them and I hope that it made Dave proud for the whole team effort. It would have been nice to get the win for them, but unfortunately, it was a bit of a tough ask today.”
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Mewse arrived at Monster Mountain with a slender championship advantage and knew he would face one of the toughest challenges possible against factory Honda rider Herlings.
The Dutchman topped qualifying ahead of Mewse before the pair delivered a masterclass in MX1 racing across both motos.
In race one, Mewse grabbed the holeshot and led the field away before Herlings made his move at the end of the opening lap. The duo quickly broke away from the chasing pack, lapping around two seconds faster than the riders behind.
Despite pushing hard throughout the race, Mewse was unable to match the relentless pace of the five-time world champion and crossed the line in second place, an impressive 37 seconds ahead of third-placed Ben Watson.
The second moto followed a similar script.
Mewse once again fired his Honda CRF450R into the lead from the gate, only for Herlings to apply immediate pressure. Although the Brit battled hard, Herlings eventually moved through and set the fastest lap of the race on his way to victory.
Mewse secured another strong second place, comfortably ahead of the British championship regulars and ensuring maximum points against his title rivals.
“It was a really good day for the championship for me with 2-2 rides,” said Mewse.
“But of course it was challenging as Jeffrey was, as usual, unbelievable. It was a tough ask to stay with him, but I did the best I could, and it was two comfortable second places.
“So overall, fantastic day for me, the team and the championship. And I had two holeshots, too.
“And the bike was completely to blame for that as it’s a rocket – just unbelievable. Thanks to Ryan, Rob and Willie who put in so much effort behind the scenes.
“And also big congratulations to Charlie Richmond for getting on the podium in his rookie MX2 season. Good job to him. So to have both of us on the podium was a great day for sure.”
While Herlings may have taken the overall victory, Mewse left Monster Mountain with the prize that matters most – an extended championship lead and further momentum in his bid to retain the British MX1 crown.
On an emotional weekend for Crendon Tru7 Honda, the team honoured Keith Thorpe in the best possible way, with Mewse maintaining control of the MX1 championship and Charlie Richmond celebrating his first-ever British MX2 podium.
Images courtesy of Crendon Tru7 Honda
