The first round of the Junior e-Motocross Series took place this past weekend in Ernée, featuring 10 young British riders competing on a 40-rider gate. The 2025 season marks the fifth year of the series running alongside the FIM Motocross World Championship in Ernée, Teutschenthal, Matterley Basin and then Loket. The schedule closely mirrors that of the MXGP competitors each weekend, with one timed practice session followed by two points-paying races.
Words by Edward Heather – Feature Image courtesy of Infront Moto Racing
Austin Senior, Blake Benson, Elii Pole, George Forrest, Charlie Needs, Oliver Webb, Louie Bryant, Kolbe Sole, Leo Golding, and Lennox Turvey all made their way to compete in France. Notably, Bryant, Sole, and Benson began their young racing careers in Revvi Cup competitions, illustrating how the Revvi Cup provides a safe and supportive environment for kids to experience the competitive nature of racing while developing key riding skills. At the same time, it maintains a light-hearted and fun atmosphere, just as youth motocross should be!
Austin Senior became the first Brit to win on the Grand Prix circuit since Ben Watson in 2020! After finishing second in the opening moto on Saturday, Senior led the field from start to finish on Sunday to claim the top step of the podium, celebrated by his extremely proud parents and sister. The family headed home with the number one trophy, the red plate, and is now preparing for round two in Germany this coming weekend.
Kolbe Sole finished third in the opening moto on Saturday and secured a 10th-place finish in moto two on Sunday, after starting just inside the top 20. He placed fourth overall for the weekend, finishing just five points short of making it a double Brit podium!
George Forrest was also close to claiming a podium spot after an impressive third-place finish in moto two. He finished 13th in moto one, battling through the pack after a tough start around 20th position. Forrest ended the weekend sixth overall—another strong showing for the young Brits!
Oliver Webb made some cracking starts, finishing 11th in Moto one before he cranked it up a notch in the second race, where he finished a superb fifth for ninth overall, just five points off of fourth.
Elii Pole picked up five points with a 16th-place finish in moto one. He was running as high as 13th before a mistake dropped him back. In the final moto on Sunday, he was inside the top 15 before a tip-over pushed him out of the points. He fought back well to finish 21st, securing 20th overall for the weekend!
Charlie Needs, Blake Benson, Lennox Turvey, and Louie Bryant didn’t quite manage to score points over the weekend, but they did a great job navigating the track—those ruts and braking bumps were no joke! They completed every lap, persevered through challenging conditions, and no doubt had an amazing experience racing alongside competitors from across Europe and in front of a huge French crowd.
It is really cool to see young racers get the chance to get an opportunity to race on the same weekend and schedule as the MXGP racers. Be sure to keep an eye out this weekend to see how they all stack up!
