Well, it’s fair to say the weather caused chaos throughout all of Sunday’s racing! With the final EMX motos scheduled, along with the two MX2 and MXGP motos still to come, extreme downpours led to incredibly tough track conditions across all four classes, as well as a schedule delay to ensure the circuit was ridable to compete. But as we all know — this is motocross, and racers line up no matter the weather. So, let’s take a look at how the Brits fared in today’s mudfest!
Words by Edward Heather – Feature Image courtesy of Josh Gilbert
Cole McCullough rode brilliantly in the tricky, deep conditions to take home 2nd place aboard his Dream Team Fantic machine in the second EMX125 moto. McCullough’s Achilles heel has been his starts; however, he pulled off a great one and found himself 5th on the opening lap. A couple of quick passes moved him into 3rd position, where he stalked Francesco Bellei for six laps before executing the pass to put himself into second. The eventual race leader was already an impressive 30 seconds out in front, but the Northern Irishman continued to push and created a 6-second gap between himself and 3rd place by the time the chequered flag was waved. 20-2 moto scores secured McCullough 9th overall, and it was another impressive display from the youngster. He now sits 9th in the series standings.
The heavens well and truly opened as the EMX250 competitors sat on the start line ahead of their final moto, making the track unrecognizable from yesterday’s action earlier in the day. Dixon Racing’s Bobby Bruce once again started up front, finding himself in 3rd position during the opening three laps. As the rain continued to fall, Bruce slipped back to 11th position by lap nine, where he ultimately finished. This was another weekend where Bruce would have hoped for more after showing strong pace in qualifying; however, today’s moto was about survival in the extreme conditions, and it was good to see him reach the chequered flag without any issues. He finished 16th overall on the day.
Chambers Racing’s Ollie Colmer once again showed his heart as he battled through the pack to secure a top-15 finish in Moto 2. Colmer started outside the points, and similar to Moto 1, he had to stop for a fresh set of goggles around the 10-minute mark. He was as low as 26th on lap 4 but managed to pass 11 riders to finish in 15th position. 19th overall for the #456 doesn’t reflect the grit he displayed to ensure he scored points in both motos. He rode well in both races and consistently moved forward throughout.
Dirtstore Triumph’s Billy Askew did not finish Moto 2 after running inside the top 10 for a large portion of the race. His Triumph TF 250-X appeared to encounter mechanical issues, ultimately resulting in a DNF. Given the extreme conditions, he wasn’t the only rider to face his share of bike problems. Still, Askew has shown real progress in his riding throughout 2025, and this weekend was another strong example — despite the Moto 2 outcome.
The schedule for the MX2 and MXGP classes was delayed due to heavy rain, which required additional time to get the track in order. When the gate dropped for MXGP Moto 1, MRT Racing Team Beta’s Ben Watson got off to a poor start and made a few mistakes amid the chaos of the opening laps, which pushed him back to 18th by lap five. In typical Watson fashion, he began picking off competitors in the latter stages of the race, eventually progressing to 14th place — where he would ultimately finish.
Lexa MX’s Josh Gilbert also got off to a poor start but steadily progressed through the deep, rutty conditions. He remained outside the points-paying positions for over half the race before making his way into 19th by lap nine — which is where he would ultimately finish as well. The other Lexa MX rider, John Adamson, got off to a fairly strong start from the far outside gate and crossed the line in 18th on the opening lap. The Scotsman ran inside the points during the early stages but was pushed back to 21st, where he remained until a small tip-over. After discarding his goggles, he sustained a cut above his left eye, which forced him to pull off with a few laps remaining.
Adam Sterry narrowly missed out on a points-paying position in Moto 1, crossing the line in 21st. The Chambers Racing rider spent all but three laps inside the top 20 before being shuffled back. The track conditions were certainly unforgiving for those with poor starts, making Sterry’s challenge all the more difficult.
MXGP Moto 2 saw all four Brits score championship points — the first time this season! Josh Gilbert’s race bike had some issues before the start of the Moto, meaning he had to race his spare bike, which did not have a start device or a transponder bracket equipped! As a result of this, Gilbert allowed the field to go ahead of him from the gate to save his vision. Despite many riders encountering problems of their own throughout the remainder of the race, Gilbert also ran into his share of problems during the race, crashing twice, but managed to steadily work his way up to 17th place, making him the top-scoring Brit in Moto 2. Ben Watson was showing top-10 pace after getting off to a steady start, positioning himself in 11th during the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, he was forced to visit the mechanics area to replace his rear wheel, dropping him outside the top 20 and leaving him with yet another charge through the field. After a nearly two-minute delay, the #919 regrouped and fought back to finish 19th.
Adam Sterry’s opening four laps were impressive, as he held a spot inside the top 15 and was running competitive lap times with the group on the fringe of the top 10. As rain began to fall midway through the race, Sterry slipped back to 19th after a couple of mistakes. He managed to regroup and fight his way back to 17th, but on the final lap, he lost two positions, ultimately finishing in 19th. John Adamson secured his first-ever points in the MXGP category by bringing his Lexa MX machine home in 20th place. Amid the chaos unfolding throughout the race, Adamson stayed focused and kept ticking off the laps. As other riders encountered issues, he was able to ride his own race and seize a career milestone.
MXGP overall results –
Ben Watson – 16th
Josh Gilbert – 19th
Adam Sterry 22nd
John Adamson 23rd
