After an exciting campaign in 2024, the Eastern Centre Motocross Championship was back with a bang for 2025. This year’s championship sponsors were Stebbings Car Superstore, alongside Templant Hire LTD, and lastly Lings.com Powersports, who made it all possible to go racing. With seven spectacular rounds of action spread across 4 pristine race tracks in East Anglia, and packed entry lists with nearly 200 riders per round, the championship was all to play for…..But who were the contenders?
Last year’s Expert Champion, Sam Nunn, came into the new season firing on all cylinders and was sure to be the favourite to regain his title. Looking to give him a run for his money, however, were some very handy experts with the likes of Max Broadbelt, Tom Murphy and Josh Peters alongside former champions Shaun Southgate and Luke Benstead. Up-and-coming youngster Bayliss Utting was one to look out for, as well as seasoned riders like Calum Mitchell and Dec Whittle. There would be some heavy-hitting wildcards too, such as Tom Grimshaw, who missed the first half of the season due to injury.
In the Junior Championship, the title was up for grabs, and there would be plenty of takers; however, an impressive teenager on his 125 would have different plans.
One thing was for sure: this season wasn’t to be missed in both expert and Junior classes!
The 2025 season started in early April,with the opening round once again being hosted by the Halstead DMCC at Wakes Colne. The expert overall went to reigning champion Sam Nunn, who had to battle through the pack after some less-than-ideal starts. Behind Nunn in the overall was Josh Peters in second and Max Broadbelt in third. The junior championship overall went to youngster Alfie Geddes Green, who looked the real deal as he stole the top step of the podium ahead of Travis Bixby in second and Alex Christopher in third.
READ MORE: BRITISH MOTOCROSS NEWS
The second round of the season headed to Blaxhall on Easter Monday, just 2 weeks later, with the Woodbridge DMCC. Being one of the country’s finest and most technical tracks, there were some top British championship wildcards racing with the likes of Chris Mills, Joel Rizzi and Ben Mustoe, to name but a few. And it was Chris Mills who would dominate the day in the expert class with a hat-trick of race wins, taking the overall, ahead of Calum Mitchell in second, and youngster Ben Mustoe completing the podium in front of a bumper crowd. The junior overall was once again claimed by Alfie Geddes Green, who took two race wins on the day. The other race win would go to James Wadsworth who had to settle for second place on the podium ahead of James Rowsell in third.
Round three for 2025 would see us head to the ever-popular Wattisfield hall circuit hosted by Diss MCC. This tight and quirky track is a real hit amongst riders and spectators alike, and brings out some very intense races. With three different race winners across the day, there were some tremendous battles to keep eyes on. The expert overall honours were taken by Luke Benstead, who showed a real consistent pace all afternoon long to take top spot. Second was Shaun Southgate around one of his favourite tracks, ahead of Max Broadbelt in third. The junior overall went to Alfie Geddes Green, who took a firm grip of the championship with Travis Bixby in second and Teddy Hyde in third.
In round four, we headed north to the iconic Cadders Hill circuit with the Norwich Viking MCC. This sandy and demanding track is one of, if not the fiercest, in the country, with the club organising events here since 1936! In the Expert class, it was Sam Nunn who returned to winning ways, taking all three victories ahead of Max Broadbelt, who was once again up at the sharp end. In third was Declan Whittle, who put his triumph on the podium for the first time this year around his home track. In the junior class, it was James Rowsell who capped an impressive day, taking all three wins for overall honours. In second was Alex Christopher, and in third was Alfie Geddes Green.
As we entered the second half of the championship, it was Sam Nunn who had a slender points advantage over Luke Benstead, who unfortunately suffered an injury that kept him out of the next round. This gave Nunn a chance to extend his points lead; however, there was a big hitter who was returning from injury, looking to get in on the action.
Round five came a whole 7 weeks later, and we were back at Cadders Hill to do battle. The Norwich Viking MCC did a fantastic job prepping the track after two rounds in fairly quick succession. The expert honours were taken by Tom Grimshaw, who looked to be back on top form as he glided to the overall win ahead of Nunn in second and local star Calum Mitchell in third. In the junior class, normal operations resumed as Alfie Geddes Green won the overall ahead of Travis Bixby in second and Teddy Hyde finishing third overall.
Round six arrived with titles looking to be won as we headed back to the Woodbridge DMCC and the stunning Blaxhall Circuit. Both Nunn and Geddes Green came into the day with 60+ point advantages, so they knew the chance was there to seal the deal. The expert overall was claimed by Bayliss Utting, who showed his potential while also winning his first-ever Eastern Centre race! The next two spots on the podium were taken by wildcards, with Travis Steels in second and Callum Green in third. Sam Nunn finished 7th overall, and it was just good enough to claim his second title in as many years! The junior class overall was taken by Alfie Geddes Green with a perfect result of 3 race wins, and with doing that, he earned the junior championship title, wrapping the award up a round early. In second spot of the junior class was Travis Bixb,y and in third was James Rowsell.
The final round of this year’s championship rolled back into rural Essex and back to where the season began at Wakes Colne with the Halstead DMCC. With both expert and junior titles already wrapped up, all eyes were on the battles for the final podium places. Unfortunately, due to injury, the back-to-back expert champion Sam Nunn had to sit out round seven, but there were plenty of hard chargers looking to put on a show. The expert overall was taken by Max Broadbelt with a fine display ahead of Shaun Southgate in second and Bayliss Utting in third. In theJunior class, the overall honours went to Travis Bixby ahead of John Hinz in second and Alfie Geddes Green in third.
With all races completed, the final podium positions were set.
Expert Class
1st Sam Nunn – 345 points
2nd Max Broadbelt – 342 points
3rd Shaun Southgate – 319 points
Junior Class
1st Alfie Geddes Green – 467 points
2nd Travis Bixby – 405 points
3rd James Rowsell – 376 points
After a fantastic season, we would like to thank all the participating clubs for their superb preparation and contribution, as well as all the officials who put in so much hard work. Our season sponsors Stebbings Car Superstore, Templant Hire LTD and Lings.com Powersports for their support this year. A big thank you to the ‘Orange Army’ of marshals; without them, none of this would be possible. And of course, a big thank you to the spectators who turn up and support this series, as well as the riders who once again put on a scintillating show!
Everyone at the Eastern Centre would like to pass on a huge thank you to Andrew and Val Hay as they step down from timing duties. We are grateful for their hard work in the timing hut for the past decade. They’ve both done a fantastic job, and their commitment and passion are what embody our motocross community!
Words by the ACU – Images courtesy of Narna Media
