Podium result for Crendon FASTRACK Honda at British Opener
The Crendon FASTRACK Honda team started its 2026 season at a tough and rain-hit Hawkstone Park with British champ Conrad Mewse taking a well-deserved podium finish on his Honda CRF450R. His MX1 team-mate Jamie Carpenter marked his race return after nine months off due to injury with a solid ninth overall. And new MX2 rider Charlie Richmond made a stunning adult pro debut with sixth on his Honda CRF250R – finishing level on points with the two riders in front of him.
Mewse kicked off the day with a storming ride to set pole position in qualifying, proving he still has the outright speed despite a lack of race and riding time in the off-season. Following surgery to clean up some old injuries in November, then a rain-hit pre-season schedule, he admitted he is not at 100% race pace yet but still had first pick of the start gate in the opener as the rain fell hard on the rutty, sandy circuit.
He didn’t get the best start and was stuck in traffic, although he made it through to tenth by the end of the first lap, which allowed early leaders – former British champ Adam Sterry and MXGP rider Oriol Oliver, chased by former MXGP factory rider Ben Watson – to make a break at the front.
Mewse dug deep as the track cut up, and meticulously worked his way forward to a solid fourth place, passing early leader Sterry with three laps to go. Carpenter hadn’t made a dream start and rounded the opening lap two spots behind his team-mate.
Admitting he was not only race rusty but had been suffering with an illness for a couple of weeks, he put in consistent lap times and made safe passes when he could, crossing the line in tenth spot.
In the second 25-minute plus two lap race, Mewse got a decent jump off the gate and came out of the first corner in fourth place as Watson and Oliver led from Taylor Hammal. Mewse managed to get cleanly by Hammal on the second lap but by then leader Watson already had an eight-second lead. Pushed by Oliver, the leading duo edged away as Mewse brought the Honda home in third, good enough for third overall.
It was a trickier race for Carpenter who went down early on and by the time he remounted, was back in 25th place. He rode a determined race, picking off places on virtually every lap to cross the line in tenth which gave him a creditable ninth overall.
Mewse said: “I’m obviously disappointed to not be challenging for the win today, but all credit to the guys in front – I just didn’t have the pace. But I’ll take it on the chin and we’ll go again soon.
“I haven’t raced since the Motocross of Nations last year so really needed some pre-season races but that didn’t happen. Of course, I’m on the podium and still in the fight for the championship with not too many points behind. I haven’t started a season this way but I don’t intend to carry it on!”
Carpenter said: “It was a tough day but I did all right considering the last month hasn’t been great for me. I had a few issues with previous injuries and then got a virus. The goal was top 10 so ninth overall is OK. Especially as I went down in the first lap of race two and had to come back from that.
“Lots of riders seemed to have one good race and one bad one but I focused on making sure the bike would last the race, and not taking too many risks. I know what I need to work on so I’m looking forward to the upcoming rounds.”
In the MX2 class, 17-year-old rookie Richmond had a very impressive debut in his first pro race as an adult and on a 250 four-stroke. Last year’s 125 two-stroke champ was a fine sixth in his qualifying group, but his bike spun up on the start line as the rain poured down. But he got stuck into the pack, and by the end of the first lap was in 11th place as he gave chase to Joel Rizzi and current champ Tommy Searle. Five laps in, Richmond started his charge forward and set consistently fast lap times right to the end of the race where many riders slowed in the tough conditions. He pulled through to a well-deserved eighth place, crossing the line behind Searle.
The second race was even more impressive. He rounded the first lap down in 14th position but quickly settled into a very fast pace. It took him six more laps to make lots of passes and got himself up to sixth spot which he held to the end – even fending off a late challenge from experienced John Adamson. That gave Richmond sixth overall, but on the same points as Josh Vail in fifth and Ben Mustoe in fourth.
Richmond said: “The track was tough but I really had two solid races and it’s been a fantastic debut for the Crendon FASTRACK Honda team. I focused on staying consistent and of course, this is a learning year. My goal before the day was just to be in the top ten so sixth overall is a great result. I can’t wait for the rest of the season.”
Team manager Ryan Thorpe said: “Overall, it was a solid result and an impressive effort from everyone on the team.
“Conrad has not had his usual time to prepare for the race and the two riders in front of him have had several pre-season races or even a GP. So to ride through the field, in tough conditions, shows his determination. Of course, he’s disappointed to not challenge for the win but I’m confident he’ll soon be up there again. And for Jamie, it was a successful return to racing after so long off the bike getting his knee reconstructed. Again, we know what he’s capable of and he’ll get faster with more time on the bike.
“And Charlie was a real star today in a very, very impressive race debut for the team. He was riding against much more experienced professionals yet rode his own race. Everyone is thrilled at how well he performed. And of course I must mention all the team mechanics who had to work very hard in tough conditions today. The bikes all came through with flying colours and no problems at all, which on a circuit like this is not an easy thing to do.”
For a full set of photos go to https://we.tl/t-PdylfGmch7
Results and championship points after round 1,
MX1:
1 Ben Watson 47
2 Oriol Oliver 47
3 Conrad Mewse Crendon FASTRACK Honda 38
4 Taylor Hammal 38
5 Adam Sterry 32
6 Tristan Purdon 29
7 Brad Todd 26
8 Ben Edwards 25
9 Jamie Carpenter Crendon FASTRACK Honda 22
10 Bobby Bruce 19
MX2:
1 Gyan Doensen 43
2 Charlie Heyman 40
3 Joel Rizzi 32
4 Ben Mustoe 28
5 Josh Vail 28
6 Charlie Richmond Crendon FASTRACK Honda 28
7 John Adamson 26
8 Jamie Keith 25
9 Tommy Searle 24
10 Liam Knight 23
