Round nine of the FIM Motocross World Championship has arrived at the iconic Circuit Raymond Demy in Ernée. The rain clouds from previous Grands Prix have yet to follow us to the northwestern region of France, and the track is in prime condition following the first practice sessions this morning.
Words by Edward Heather – Feature Image courtesy of Lexa MX
In the EMX125 division, Cole McCullough was the fastest qualifier among the Brits, placing his Dream Team Fantic machine in 9th position. JK Racing’s Jamie Keith made a strong return to GP action, with the youngster putting his Yamaha in 11th. Charlie Richmond qualified 29th, while Drew Stock secured his place in the races by qualifying 32nd. Hayden Satt qualified 35th, and Lucas Moncrieff also earned a spot in the main races by placing 37th. It’s refreshing to see a large group of young British riders competing among the fastest 125cc talents in Europe.
McCullough carried his qualifying speed into EMX125 Moto 1—the Northern Irishman got off to a great start, positioning himself inside the top three on the opening lap. Around the midway point of the race, McCullough dropped one position but battled back to reclaim third on lap nine, which is where he would ultimately finish. JK Racing’s Jamie Keith also made a strong start, coming around the first lap in 5th place. A small fall on lap two pushed him back to 12th, but the young Brit showed his grit, charging back to 10th on the final lap—his finishing position. A solid ride for Keith on his return after a tough spell with injury’s.
Hayden Statt secured four more championship points with a 17th-place finish—a strong showing on a technical racetrack after a steady start in qualifying. Drew Stock also delivered an impressive performance after starting just inside the top 30. Stuck in 26th for over half the race, he began making quick passes by lap eight and pushed into the points by the time the chequered flag waved, finishing 19th. Lucas Moncrieff came home 33rd in his first outing on the EMX circuit. Despite the result, simply qualifying for the races is an achievement, and he’ll undoubtedly gain valuable experience this weekend, competing against the highest level of 125cc talent in Europe.
Billy Askew was the highest-placing British rider in the EMX250 class aboard his Dirt Store Triumph, qualifying in 15th. Bobby Bruce qualified 23rd, with Chambers Racing’s Ollie Colmer placing 30th, and James Barker securing his spot by qualifying 37th. Unfortunately, Jake Davies failed to qualify after his successful EMX250 debut just one round ago in Lugo.
Askew secured another top-10 finish in EMX250 Moto 1, crossing the line in 10th place. He started inside the top 10 and moved up to 8th early in the race, but a small mistake dropped him to 11th. On a tight, narrow circuit with limited passing opportunities, he had to fight hard to regain 10th by the chequered flag. James Barker finished just shy of scoring championship points, coming home in 25th. Ollie Colmer had a tough moto, finishing 29th—but it wasn’t for lack of effort. The Chambers Racing pilot’s dead last start provided him a mountain to climb on the ever mentioned tricky to pass circuit. Bobby Bruce was running inside the top 15 until a suspected bike issue forced him to pull out of the race with only a few laps remaining.
In the MXGP class, Adam Sterry was the fastest Brit in time practice, finishing 19th—less than half a second behind the top-15 group. Ben Watson placed 22nd, with the Lexa MX duo of Josh Gilbert and John Adamson finishing 27th and 29th, respectively.
In the MXGP qualification race, Chambers Racing’s Adam Sterry rode to an impressive 15th-place finish. After starting just inside the top 20, he steadily picked off riders with consistent passes to secure 15th by the time the chequered flag waved. What made his performance even more impressive was the competitive lap times he posted against factory machinery, managing to keep them in sight for much of the moto. MRT Racing Team Beta’s Ben Watson faced a challenging qualification race. After a poor start, the #919 rider battled his way up to 19th place by the chequered flag. Starts are certainly Watsons Achillies heel therefore he will no doubt be hoping to make his life easier tomorrow with two strong starts.
Scotsman John Adamson was the top-scoring Lexa MX rider, finishing 26th in a nearly full 40-rider gate. Adamson continues to close the gap to the fringe top-20 group, and with a good start, don’t be surprised to see the #212 battling for points on Sunday. Josh Gilbert had a tough race after a crash on lap four derailed his momentum, leaving him to salvage a 28th-place finish. As has been well documented, starts are crucial in Ernée—and if he can get out of the gate cleanly in the main races, there’s no doubt he has the pace to fight inside points.
