The penultimate round of the 2026 Plews Tyres British Masters powered by Rock Oil is already upon us, as shortly on the back of the visit up north to Schoolhouse, the championship trail moves down the M5 to the south west, and a return to the Little Silver circuit near Exeter.
Words by Chris CZORA – Images courtesy of Reminiscent Imagery & Plews Tyres British Masters
It’s been a few years since the series has paid a visit to Devon, and the Little Silver circuit will certainly be an impressive venue. A regular on the national motocross calendar, the rolling hillside venue has also paid host to the prestigious Patchquick Trophy and is one that will provide a good challenge to the riders, whilst the hillside valley layout means it’s a great venue for spectator viewing.
Eagle-eyed moto fans who’ve travelled that way may well spot the circuit from the slip road that links the M5 motorway to the Devon and Cornwall trunk roads, and the meeting could well be a passing point of interest for the swathes of holidaymakers travelling to the beach resorts!
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There will be no time to think about the sun and sea for the riders though, as the youth and amateur classes are still wide open. Following this round, the series takes a summer break before the finale at Culham in September, so this represents the final opportunity for the red plate holders to strengthen their grip on the title race, whilst for plenty of challengers, a final chance to apply some late pressure. The previous round at Schoolhouse saw a few categories get shaken up, and there’s still all to play for.
The Amateur MX1 class is perhaps one of the more settled classes, as after three moto wins at Schoolhouse, Mackenzie Marshall increases his gap to 44 points, nearly a moto win of points ahead of his nearest rival, Raife Broadley. Since round three at Wroxton, Marshall has been the standout rider, but Broadley, who took moto wins at Fatcat and Hawkstone earlier in the season, has stayed in contention and is still well placed to take the fight to Marshall with a good result at Little Silver.
Realistically, it’s looking like a two-way fight between those two for the title, but third place Harvey Cashmore is 119 points behind and showed good form at Schoolhouse, edging out the battle for third from Charlie Hamlet and Ed Briscoe. The Amateur MX1 class also has the bonus this weekend of the best Plews Tyres runner receiving a £50 prize courtesy of Plews Tyres agent and series tyre supplier JKJ Racing.
Amateur MX2 is looking more close-cut after Schoolhouse, as after a clean sweep of wins at Wroxton, George Hopkins dropped some positions and whilst retaining the red plate with 574 points, the gap to second is now just eight after Beau Brown continued his good form to close the gap. Brown is yet to take a moto win this year, so Little Silver could be the perfect opportunity. Meanwhile, title contender Harrison Greenough bounced back at Schoolhouse with a clean sweep of wins, meaning the top three are just separated by eleven points! The weekend’s result could therefore be vital in terms of the championship outcome, and you certainly can’t write off former MX1 champion Harry Bradley and last year’s MX2 champion Zac Stealey, both of whom are a little further behind but still capable of a very late title charge.
With previous red-plate holder Kyle Briggs a non-starter at Schoolhouse, the Clubman class has been thrown wide open, as the ever-consistent Frank Elwell now stands with the red plate on 494 points. He’s been largely consistent, but the only blot on his copybook, a moto DNF at Hawkstone, means that the gap is only thirty points, with Hayden Stevens charging into second, ahead of Ryan Christian, Daniel Chapman and Elliott Pugh, who are only separated by 42 points. Indeed the chasing pack a little further behind, Jack Bachelor, previous leader Briggs, Jamie Collins and former Clubman champion Richard Roberts are all still covered by only 65 points from the red plate holder, meaning an incredible nine riders still hold a realistic shot at the title!
It’s a different story in the 125cc class, as despite not taking a moto in the last two rounds, Ryan Waggott has weighed in some good, consistent finishes to maintain a 130-point lead in the championship. Much of the recent momentum has been with Steven Clarke, who after missing the first round has nonetheless been able to fight through to second, just ahead of Jack Leese and Jordan Bachelor.
MXY2 saw Jayden Jones continue his impressive winning streak, yet the gap is only 25 points after Malachi Allen grabbed a moto win at Schoolhouse, and once again prevented his main rival from pulling too much of a gap! We hope that Allen makes the long trip from Scotland for this one as he’s been a great contender this year, and certainly one to keep the pressure on Jones, who himself has had a brilliant season to emerge as the rider to beat.
Marley Alder is comfortable in third, and being only 72 points off Jones could yet find himself in the title mix if Jones or Allen drop points over the weekend.
In the Big Wheel 85 class, the close title battle has slowly developed into a two-horse race, Riley Ray Barrow retaining the red plate, yet only a mere four points ahead of Franky Donogue, who managed to close the gap in the title race. Jamie Thorpe and Ethan Gawley go into the penultimate round still as potential title challengers, sitting a respective 53 and 61 points back from the red plate holder Barrow.
The Small Wheel 85 class remains far closer; Frankie Noll retains the red plate, but a brilliant hat trick of wins from Ronan Watson means the gap is just six points! What’s more, the chasing pack of Tommy Gaddes, Harrison Chiddey and Forest Roberts all placed well at Schoolhouse and only 62 points separate the top five! There’s simply no room for a DNF, or even a bad result, in what looks set to be a tensely fought class.
The 65cc class was another where the red plate holder did not compete, Roy Townley dropping to seventh overall, so close are the riders. This means that his main rival Mason Foreman now assumes the title lead by 62 points; however, like Townley and the third-place Blake Marks-Bracey, he will not be riding at Little Silver, as the three young warriors will be representing Team Great Britain in the FIM Junior World Championships at Jinin, Czech Republic, which is also taking place this weekend.
This means that second-placed Kobe Roberts is the de facto championship leader, and a good result on Saturday could well see him assume the championship lead. Cohen Llewwllyn, Olly McLean and Jake Sayers are all well placed, and a good result at Little Silver could yet see them get involved in the title race with the three international riders absent.
The action takes place all weekend; the Fix Auto UK fastest qualifier awards will be up for grabs at the Saturday morning qualifying sessions, which is then followed by two blocks of racing throughout the afternoon. Sunday’s programme sees a rolling first block of free practice and races, with the following block of racing taking competitors and spectators into the afternoon. Weekend passes are available on the gate; spectator price is £10 for adults and £5 for children.
Little Silver is located just off the A379, which is easily accessible from the A38 Devon Expressway. Postcode EX6 8BB. Please follow Days-Pottles Lane from this direction to access the venue; patrons are requested not to access the track via Exminster village.
There are limited wildcard spaces available across the weekend; any interested late entries should telephone the championship office on 07747 808366 to enquire.
