The penultimate round of the 2026 Motul ACU British Motocross Championship is upon us as Round 7 of the series takes to the road, and heads up north to the Borders region and the spectacular Duns circuit in Scotland where two champions look odds-on to be crowned and where the destiny of the third could well be decided.
Images courtesy of MXGB – Insight Media
In MX1, Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Conrad Mewse has managed to eke out a 16-point lead over Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Spanish racer Oriol Oliver, with Dirt Store Triumphs Ben Watson now 33 points down on the Red Plate holder after suffering a costly DNF at the last round in Canada Heights. Oliver took the victory at the Heights but has been off the bike due to an injury he picked up at the British GP, and there were question marks as to whether he would make Duns or not, so it remains to be seen if he will be fit enough to mount a challenge on the super-fast Mewse and close the gap. Watson comes into this round off the back of his best MXGP result since 2022, a superb 7th overall in the deep sands of Lommel, which we know is a far cry from the hard-pack terrain of Duns, but it’s going to give his confidence a huge boost, and he will want to stake his claim as the best British rider in Scotland.
Mewse also has Scottish pedigree, having previously won the Scottish MX Champs, and last year he was only beaten over the four motos by Jeffrey Herlings. There is a chance Mewse could seal the deal on Sunday, but if not, he will be looking to extend the lead to make sure his job is a lot easier for the Blaxhall finale.
Unfortunately, DRT Kawasaki’s Taylor Hammal, who sits fourth in the standings, won’t be at Duns due to an injury he picked up at the British GP, but he will be back for the Blaxhall finale, where he will continue to try and keep hold of the fourth spot. SevenSeven2 Ride Kawasaki’s Tristan Purdon was on the box at Canada Heights and is a Scottish Champs regular, and after being picked for the South African MXON team, he will come into this round buzzing with confidence and looking to make it two podiums in a row.
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Apico Honda’s Tom Grimshaw has had an impressive season and will be looking to edge closer to the podium, and is joined by his teammate Josh Gilbert, who has been out injured since round 2. Gilbert will be keen to hit the ground running, as he will have eyes on 2027 and staking a claim to a Team GB MXON team place, as will Chambers Racing KTM’s Adam Sterry, who is moving back up the points standings after missing rounds 3 & 4.
Also in the fight for the top five are Crendon Tru7 Honda’s Jamie Carpenter and Scottish hero Ben Edwards on his Absolute MX KTM. Edwards will be hoping to spur on the local crowd and get up towards the sharp end in what has been a great season for the rider who leads the Scottish MX1 Championship.
Bobby Bruce also has experience this year of racing in this neck of the woods and has made good progress on the 450 in recent rounds. Also watch out for Phoenix Tools Fantic Racing’s Carlton Husband, Motocycle Racing’s Jason Meara and Eddie Jay Wade, who returns to the fold and showed last year that he knows how to ride this place.
In MX2 SC Sporthomes Husqvarna’s Charlie Heyman has the chance to bring home the title this weekend. A win and a third will do that for him, and as a triple Scottish Champion, having won 2 rounds and being second in three, the odds are on that he will be crowned a British Champ on Sunday. The last round and the British GP didn’t go well for Charlie, though, with the heat and illness hampering his results, and the question is, will he go all out for the win, or will he play it safe to claim the title with consistent motos?
Heyman’s closest rival is Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Gyan Doensen, who, although sitting second in the standings, has had an up-and-down British Championship, certainly compared to his EMX250 & MX2 World Champs exploits where he has had some stunning results. Can he keep the title alive until the final round?
The biggest battle is for the third spot on the box with ASA United GasGas’s Ben Mustoe holding onto that position at the moment, just two points ahead of the evergreen Tommy Searle on his Dirt Store Triumph. Just behind this duo is the Crendon Tru7 Honda rider Charlie Richmond, who is growing in stature with every race and could be a dark horse for a top three this weekend.
Talking of stunning form, Dirt Store Triumphs’ Billy Askew managed to take his first-ever EMX250 race win in Lommel last weekend and an overall podium, and he looked fast at the MXGP of Great Britain. Askew is sixth in the standings but is 11 down on Mustoe, so the box must be in his sights, as will his maiden overall MXGB victory.
SevenSeven2 Ride Kawasaki’s Joel Rizzi has been under the radar a little, but his speed is clear to see, and his confidence is building, and he could be a threat for the overall podium if he can make a couple of starts. Joe Brookes’s MXGB season hasn’t gone to plan, but we all know his potential and second overall at Canada Heights and an EMX250 podium in Portugal prove this. He will be looking to round out 2026 with some big results in the British ahead of what is set to be a big 2027 for the rider.
Jamie Keith has shown blistering speed at times this year, but has been a little frustrated with his overall results so far. Can he put in two of those rides at Duns and get on the podium for the first time? I wouldn’t bet against it.
Other riders set to be in the mix will be Phoenix Tools Fantic Racings Josh Vail, Chambers Racing KTM’s Glenn McCormick and Absolute MX KTM’s Freddie Bartlett.
MXON spots are also part of the equation with Mark Chamberlain watching with a keen eye on all of these young protagonists.
It is looking likely that Drew Stock will be crowned the 125cc champion in Duns. The JK Racing Yamaha rider has had a phenomenal year and with a 77-point advantage over S Briggs Commercials rider Harley Marczak, he just needs two ninth-place finishes to get the job done, and based on the fact he has hardly been out of the top 2 positions all year long, it should be a memorable weekend for the young racer. Marczak is coming back from injury and will be keen to hold onto second in the standings and also take his maiden race win, having finished 2nd on four occasions. He certainly has the speed and grit to do so.
Chasing Marczak down in third is Joel Winstanley Dawson who looks at home and fast on a 125 in his debut season in the class but he will have to keep his eyes on the likes of Archie Stapely, Lucas Moncrieff, Hayden Statt (who is on a stunning run of form), Alfie Herron, Christoper Brindley and Alfie Geddes Green who all have ambitions of podium glory both in the standings and in Scotland.
The Venue
Duns
Scottish Borders
TD11 3NS
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased Online >>HERE<< or on the gate
Prices are below:
Adults £25
Children 5-15 £5
Family ticket (2 adults & 2 Children) £60
Spectator Camping £25
Entry Lists
Check out the Entry Lists >>HERE<<
Live Streaming
The event is to be streamed via the MXGB TV channel on YouTube and on FIM TV. Watch >>HERE<<
Timetable
The timetable will appear here once it has been released by MXGB
