After a six-week break, the Bridgestone British Masters powered by Rock Oil moves into the closing chapters of the 2025 season, with the riders and teams journeying to the North East, and the Schoolhouse circuit for the penultimate round of the championship.
Words by Chris Czora – Images courtesy of Ellie Jones – RDS Media
Located just 30 minutes from the iconic Tyne Bridge in Newcastle, Schoolhouse certainly hit the scene on its championship debut last year.
Whilst the neighbouring Derwent Reservoir and rolling Durham hills provide a scenic backdrop, the fast-flowing Schoolhouse circuit with its spectacular jumps certainly proved a hit with riders, whilst underground track tunnels allowed spectators to cross the circuit safely and catch all the action!
With no class having a true runaway leader, there will certainly be a bit of tension in the air. The series takes a summer break until the series finale at Foxhill in September, so the pressure is on for the red plate holders, to try and build a good advantage going into the finale, whilst further back plenty of other riders have a good opportunity to boost their championship hopes, and in some cases maybe stage a late charge for the title.
The Fix Auto UK Pro Class has turned into a fascinating battle between Christopher Mills (Mills Racing Yamaha) and Josh Spinks (Triumph West London). Both riders have traded the red plate in recent rounds, Spinks taking a win at Wroxton, before Mills fought back in style at Hawkstone, a 17-point swing on Spinks giving Mills an 11-point lead.
Both riders have a lot at stake; could it be a first title for Mills since returning to the UK, or could Spinks grab a historic first Masters title for a British manufacturer?
It’s all still to play for, and one rider who cannot be discounted is Carlton Husband (Phoenix Tools Fantic). The North East star was the crowd favourite last year but had a difficult day, so Husband be looking for a top result on home turf, and being just 26 points behind, could yet stage a late title charge.
Now, if you’d won three out of four rounds in your championship campaign, won six out of the last eight motos, finishing no worse than third, you’d expect to be sitting pretty in the title race. Right?
Well, that’s certainly not the case for Charlie Richmond in the 125s!
The Berkshire flyer has topped the championship charts on his brilliant debut for Yamaha. However, he has a slender 20-point advantage, and that’s all thanks to Matt Bayliss. The indoor ace has just as much ability in the great outdoors and has been able to keep Richmond honest, snatching a few wins in the process.
Richmond has edged the starts this year, so if Bayliss can instead get a couple of good holeshots, there’s every possibility for a close decider in September!
With pre-season favourites Freddie Gardiner and Neville Bradshaw out of championship contention, the bronze medal finish is wide open with youngsters Maison Jones, Zane Stephens and Jack Leese all handily placed.
The Clubman class has ebbed and flowed between riders this year, a Hawkstone injury dropping early pacesetter Elliott Pugh to fourth.
That’s left the door open for Lee Clarkson to storm to the front, a good result at Wroxton helping him towards a 24-point lead. However, he can’t afford to relax, as both Ryan Christian and Matt Fuller have been on top form and will fancy their title chances.
With the class having a good strength in depth, a bad start can leave even the best Clubman riders stuck in midfield. So those frontrunners will certainly be aiming to steer clear of setbacks!
In a similar fashion to the 125s, Amateur MX1 has seen a rider dominate most of the rounds, but with a tough challenger keeping the pressure on!
In this case, it’s Scott Aldridge, who has shown some blistering speed, three moto wins at Hawkstone helping him to a 41-point title lead.
However, Ben Knight in second is still a threat, a moto win at Wroxton helped keep him in contact, and his speed could yet see him as a championship threat. Also in the mix is Charlie Hamlet, who also grabbed a moto win at Hawkstone and is 88 points down in third, whilst, despite a difficult round last time out, Daniel Maule could still be an outsider.
The Amateur MX2 has perhaps the closest to a runaway leader, good consistency being weighed in with a few wins has meant Zac Stealey has built a 68-point lead going into Schoolhouse.
However, the experienced Stealey, a former Masters champion, knows the job is not done, as Jonathan Roderick-Evans, Leon Williams, last year’s MXY2 champion, Beau Brown and Jamie Watson are all well placed.
A late outsider could also be Syd Putnam, after a brilliant overall win at Hawkstone, and is now 115 points down.
MXY2 is looking very close, with just eight points separating Ollie Bubb from George Corke. Bubb has grabbed most of the race wins, but Corke’s speed and consistency mean he is firmly in the title mix.
After a tough start at Culham, Will Haddock has fought back well and is just 48 points down, whilst a strong outing at Hawkstone sees Lewis Proud as a title outsider.
Another one to watch is Rhys Whyment. He took a brilliant moto win at Hawkstone, and if he can replicate that form going into the last two rounds, he could make some inroads to the championship fight.
The Big Wheel 85 class has been one for the ages in 2025, with rookie riders going head to head with the established aces.
Ollie Waters leads from Arthur Moore, with only 56 points covering the chasing pack of Joel Winstanley-Dawson, Cohen Jagielski and Harley Marczak.
However, a clash with the Czech EMX 85 round at Loket sees most of those frontrunners on European duty, giving Winstanley-Dawson a chance to build a lead going to Foxhill.
However, it’s by no means a foregone conclusion, riders to look out for at Schoolhouse, including the likes of Archie Stapley, who in sixth, has a great chance to launch a title bid.
Arthur King holds a narrow 16-point lead over Jett Gardiner in the Small Wheel 85 class; however, a leg injury sustained in the MXGB championship means Gardiner is an injury doubt for this weekend.
That could open the door for the consistent Teddy Merriman, who is just 68 points behind, whilst Ethan Gawley and Elliott Shawyer both looked good at Hawkstone and could be a factor at Schoolhouse.
Another rider who has had injury trouble is Alfie Cotter in the 65cc Juniors. His imperial form at Preston Docks and Wroxton was halted at Hawkstone by Jack Waters, who took the win, whilst Cotter will be hoping to recover and maintain his 64-point lead over Forrest Roberts. Riley Rodgers is yet to win this year, but is handily placed in third. A good result at Schoolhouse could yet see him get involved in the title race.
Schoolhouse is located near Consett, County Durham, postcode DH8 9SB.
Action starts at 9am on both days with the usual format of youth & amateur qualifying on Saturday morning, followed by two blocks of racing, with the Fix Auto UK Pro class joining the action for the Sunday programme.
Tickets can be bought on the gate, £10 cash.
For more series information, look for ‘Bridgestone British Masters’ on social media platforms.
