Preston power for Herlings, Searle & Stock! 2026 MXGB Round 2 – Race Report & Results

Easter served up large helpings of fantastic race action at Preston Docks MX on Sunday as Round 2 of the 2026 Motul ACU British Motocross Championship took to the North Eastern venue.

Feature Image courtesy of Dirt Store Triumph – Cult Moto

A huge crowd gathered to watch the action unfold, with most people’s focus being on the Honda HRC Petronas rider Jeffrey Herlings, with the 2024 British MX1 Champ and five-time World Champ, making what will hopefully be his first of many appearances on UK soil in 2026.

The Dutch Sand Master would take the MX1 victory with a sublime performance, but our very own 2025 British Champion Conrad Mewse on his Crendon Tru7 Honda made sure he didn’t have it easy, keeping the 84 on his toes in both races, notably the first one, where he got to almost striking distance of the former World Champ.  Herlings with the 1-1 would take the overall, while Mewse finished second with a 2-2 scorecard.

Apico Honda’s Josh Gilbert was the early leader in Moto 1, but he would go down hard, dislocating his shoulder in the process, which would count him out for the remainder of the day.  Now up front was DRT Kawasaki’s Taylor Hammal, who was looking good and controlled at the head of the field, but the freight train was coming behind him, and a small mistake for Hammal saw Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Oriol Oliver snatch the lead.  Herlings and Mewse were on the warpath, though, both of whom were recovering from poor starts with Mewse right back in 26th on lap one, and before long, it was a dog fight between these two at the head of the field with Herlings managing to keep Mewse at bay to take the chequers. OIiver would finish third, while Round one winner Ben Watson of the Dirt Store Triumph team recovered well from an early fall to work up to fourth just ahead of Hammal, who again showed that he certainly belongs at the sharp end. Chambers Racing’s Adam Sterry took sixth ahead of the fast-starting Carlton Husband on the Phoenix Tools Racing Fantic in seventh, the Crendon Tru7 Honda of Jamie Carpenter was eighth, Bobby Bruce in ninth and the Absolute MX KTM of Ben Edwards in tenth. Special mention also to Lennox Dickinson, who rode superbly for 11th.

READ MORE: BRITISH MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS

Race 2 was a Herlings onslaught as he got the start and pulled clear at the head of the field for race victory number two. Mewse kept the gap tight enough so that Herlings couldn’t back off or make a mistake, but had to settle for second, while the battle for third between Oliver and Watson was intense and would decide the fate of the final podium position and the Red Plate. In the end, the Brit would keep the Spaniard at bay to take his place on the box and the championship lead. Rounding out the second moto, Oriol was fourth, Sterry again was fifth, Hammal sixth, Tristan Purdon on the Lexa MX machine in seventh, Carpenter was eighth, Apico Honda’s Tom Grimshaw in ninth, Bruce tenth and Candian Tanner Ward 11th.

The Standings on the day would see Herlings flanked by Mewse and Watson on the podium with Oliver in fourth, Sterry fifth, followed by Hammal, Carpenter, Bruce, Grimshaw and Husband.

It’s tight at the top of the championship now with Watson and Oliver tied on 85 points, with Mewse just 3 points back on 82.

MX2 is going to be drama-filled all season long, and Moto one was bang on brand with a Red flag changing the course of play for the win…

Race one started with SC Sporthomes Husqvarna’s Charlie Heyman snatching the holeshot ahead of Race one winner from Hawkstone Park Jamie Keith, reigning champ Dirt Store Triumphs Tommy Searle, and the ever-trying Joe Brookes.  Heyman for a good portion of the moto looked like he had the win in the bag but a burst of speed from Keith would see him take the lead with 18 minutes down, and Searle also closing in on the lead duo, but things were to change dramatically with the red flag being thrown down to stop the race and with countdown rules brought in Heyman would be named as the moto winner with a frustrated Keith in second and Searle who also fancied his chances of victory in third.

Behind the lead trio, Joe Brookes was a great fourth, Absolute KTM’s Dutch flyer Davy Pootjes was fifth, Dirt Store Triumph’s Billy Askew was sixth, Gabriel SS24 KTM’s Gyan Doensen was seventh, ASA United GasGas’s Ben Mustoe was eighth, 2 Stroke racer John Adamson on the Phoenix Tools Fantic machine was ninth, and Glenn McCormick on the Chambers Racing KTM was tenth.

In Race 2 the old master Tommy Searle pulled the holeshot and controlled the moto to take the victory and the overall much to the relief the rider who had a tough Round one. Askew and Brookes tried hard to get on good terms with the number 100, but to no avail, with Brookes in the end getting the better of Askew after a heated battle for second. In fourth behind Askew was Doensen, then Heyman was fifth, Phoenix Tools Fantastic Racing’s Josh Vail had a great race in sixth, Adamson was seventh, Mustoe was eighth, Charlie Richmond on the Crendon Tru7 Honda was ninth, and Chambers Racing’s Ollie Colmer was tenth.

Standing on the podium at the end of the day were Searle on the top step, Heyman on the second step, and Brookes in third. Askew would end the day in fourth, Doensen was fifth, Keith was sixth, Adamson was seventh, Mustoe was eighth, Vail was ninth, and Richmond was tenth.

In the Championship standings, Heyman now holds the Red plate with a six-point lead over Doensen, with Searle in third.

Backing up his superb Round 1 double, Drew Stock once again was a dominant force in the 125cc class, taking a start-to-flag victory in Moto one before picking himself up in Moto two after being forced over the berm by his rival Hayden Statt of the Chambers Racing team on the first lap. Statt would lead the second race right until the closing stages and was riding great, but Stock seized the initiative and took the win and the overall despite nursing a wrist injury, which will see him miss the next two EMX125 rounds in Italy.

JL Motorsports KTM’s Olly Waters had an excellent day, finishing a superb second in Race one and backing it up with another impressive ride in fourth in the second moto for a thoroughly deserved second overall for the 125cc Rookie.  S Briggs Commercials Harley Marzack continued on from his fantastic result at Hawkstone with third again and a trip to the Podium at Preston Docks, which now sees him second in the Championship standings behind Stock.

It was another good weekend also for Joel Winstanley Dawson, who came away with fourth overall ahead of Statt, who went down early in Moto 1, but turned it around with his great second in Moto 2 for fifth overall. Christopher Brindley pitched in with two solid motos for sixth, Alfie Herron was seventh, Fabian Junior Morrison was eighth, Alfie Geddes Green was ninth, and Lucas Moncrieff was tenth.

The next round of the Championship takes place at Lyng in Norfolk on the 3rd May.

Results

MX1 – Overall

MX2 – Overall

British Under-21 Overall

125cc – Overall

Feature Image courtesy of MXGB – Insight Media