The fantastic Monster Mountain venue held its Super Final, the third of its Midweek Masters Race Series on Wednesday the 13th of August, and with five-time World Champion Jeffrey Herlings returning to the Pro class alongside an ever-growing line-up for virtually every race, the series ended with a great night of Motocross action in front of a big crowd of fans all enjoying the evening summer sunshine.
Herlings was able to take both the overall victory in the Pro MX1 category and in the big-money Superfinal, but he didn’t have things all his own way, as Conrad Mewse, Josh Gilbert, and Taylor Hammal all conspired to make life tough for “The Bullet” in his return to South Wales! The Pro MX2 riders also gave a great show as Glenn McCormick just won a tight battle for Chambers Racing KTM.
Qualifying
Crendon Tru7 Honda man Mewse was the only rider to get within a second of Herlings’ Red Bull KTM in the morning Practice sessions, and in the Qualifying session the pair started at opposite ends of the scale, with Mewse forcing onto the track first to get a clear run, while Herlings practiced starts before being the very last rider to start his first flying lap. The Dutchman’s initial effort was just shy of Mewse’s pole time, as the Lexa MX Honda of Gilbert got to within three-tenths of his British Championship rival! However, with his second attempt at a flyer it was Herlings that did the job, by over a second and a quarter from Mewse. What Qualifying proved was that the record GP winner would not be able to take it easy and still keep the Brits at bay!
Tiny terrors
The 65cc class terrors got things going for each racing block, and for the third round in succession it was the #94 of Ronnie Morgan who was dominant with early bursts of speed to break the pack and complete an unbeaten run for the entire series! The leading pair from the Dirt Days Festival at the circuit, Preston Killoran and Jeston Hillman, battled with Jaxson Hooper in both races, and ultimately Killoran’s 3-2 scores got the better of Hillman’s 2-4 to claim second overall, with Hooper marginally behind on 4-3 finishes. Eli Reynolds got the Holeshot in race one but in the end spent both races in a lonely fifth spot to complete the top five overall.
The 85cc classes, Big-Wheel and Small-Wheel, raced together but were scored separately, and just as in the opening round, Chambers Racing KTM rider Casey Lister was untouchable, showing his speed with a good enough qualifying time for fourth in the 125/250 class! Behind Lister in both races was Jayden Hill for second overall, while Regan Woods claimed third each time to complete the podium.
The Small-Wheel class was a good battle between first-round winner Ruddie Jones and newcomer Jenson Lawry. Lawry took the first race win as he battled with some Big-Wheel riders, but Jones got a better start in race two and wasn’t challenged from there. His brother Rhys Jones, fourth in race one after a crash with another rider, made amends with a late pass on Lawry for second, which put him into a podium spot for the evening. Great battling all round!
Teenage tearaways
The 125 & 250 Youth classes were again scored separately but raced hard against each other on track. Winner in each of the first two rounds, Kawasaki rider Logan Powell, had more of a challenge this time as he started in fourth behind 125 leader Christopher Brindley, second round runner-up Harley O’Callahan, and Yamaha rider Estyn Rowsell. After passing Rowsell, Powell just couldn’t catch O’Callahan and the 250 riders finished in that order.
In race two, it was Brindley’s turn to get an inferior start, and that led to O’Callahan taking a start-to-finish win to seal the deal for the overall win! Powell took the second-place trophy, but a fall from Rowsell allowed Lewys Morgan to come through and claim third overall with 4-3 scores!
Brindley had little challenge in the 125cc class to win for the second round in a row, and Kian John took second twice for that position overall, with Harley Roberts behind him both times.
Carnage
The mixed Steady/Clubman/Vets Adult classes saw nearly a full start gate again, and fastest qualifier Daniel Lawler fired into the early lead in race one to be top of the Clubman class. However, a last lap crash saw him relegated to fifth among the Clubmen, and Vets 35+ leader Jason Barry took the chequered flag ahead of his class rival Ryan Williams! Jack Evans inherited the win in the Clubman class with third on track, ahead of Nathan Davies who won the 45+ Vets on his two-stroke KX250! Leading Steady class rider Daniel Lewis came home in seventh.
Race two saw Lawler Holeshot again, but he fell on the first lap this time in the final corner, allowing Ryan Williams to lead handsomely while Lawler remounted in sixth. He staged a great comeback to pass Evans for the Clubman lead by half-distance, then made a last lap pass on Williams to take the chequered flag! His first-race issue put the overall win in the hands of Jack Evans, however, with Lawler having to settle for third overall behind the 2-2 scores of Alex Davies.
Daniel Lewis was second in the Steady class this time to Rhys Tolley, but that was enough for the overall win ahead of Josh Sleet and Chris Mae. Ryan Williams claimed the Vets 35+ win from Jason Barry and Alex Uka, while Nathan Davies was again top of the 45+ Vets ahead of Triumph rider Guy Langmead and Honda-mounted Kevin Hughes.
Shooting Stars
Just as they did in the first round in June, Herlings and Mewse danced their high-speed waltz around Monster Mountain in the first Pro race, with Mewse just not quite able to make a move on the man who beat him to last year’s British MX1 title. The gap was just over four seconds at the line. Dirt Store Triumph rider Joel Rizzi got a great start to run third for most of the race, but succumbed to the pressure from Gilbert, then the Bike It Kawasaki of Taylor Hammal, as they dropped the Welsh kid to fifth by the finish line.
Dirt Days Festival winner Jayden Murphy claimed top honours in the MX1 Experts with ninth at the flag, while the Pro MX2 battle was won by McCormick, by just under a second over the Phoenix Tools Fantic of Josh Vail! Ollie Bubb was pretty unchallenged at the top of the MX2 Expert class.
The Bouncing Bullet!
The top two from race one suffered rude awakenings in the second outing, as a great jump by Jayden Murphy messed up Mewse down the start straight, causing him to be buried in the pack, hitting the ground in the second corner and putting him out of the race!
Herlings had got away well enough to head the field, but on his second full lap he tipped over in a tight right-hander, allowing the chasing Hammal and Gilbert through to the lead of the race! On the following lap, the Dutchman amazingly crashed again, on the corner before the spot where he fell the first time! He was very fortunate to just pick the bike up and restart before a three-rider scrap for fourth place caught him!
That scrap was between the SC Sporthomes Husqvarna rider Charlie Putnam, Rizzi, and Apico Factory Racing Honda’s Tom Grimshaw. On the last lap Rizzi & Grimshaw both got past Putnam, but the crowd had their eyes on the battle for the lead! Gilbert had to pass Hammal to take the overall win, but the Kawasaki man wasn’t budging as the roles were reversed from the second round in July! This time Hammal brought the win home to claim second overall, leaving Herlings still able to take the overall win with a 1-3 over Taylor’s 4-1, and Gilbert having to accept the prize money for third.
Behind the top six was a great scrap between the little-and-large pairing of John Adamson and Louie Kessel, which the Scotsman won, while Jayden Murphy was again ninth across the line to go 1-1 in the MX1 Experts! McCormick was a little further ahead of Vail this time to seal the win in the MX2 Pro class, while again Bubb claimed top MX2 Expert honours.
Ashden Barlow and Reegan Rogers took second and third in the MX2 Experts for the day, while Josh Canton and Shane Carless joined Murphy on the MX1 Experts podium. Third in the MX2 Pro class went to Yamaha man Josh Coleman.
The Super Final
Sadly for what looked like being a dramatic scrap between Herlings, Hammal, Gilbert, and Mewse after a lap and a half, the first attempt at the Super Final had to be red-flagged due to one of the Steady riders getting a jump badly wrong. With the race shortened to four laps, this time Herlings grabbed the Holeshot, but Mewse was crawling over him! Crossing the line together to start their first full lap, Conrad was clearly intent on leading, and had the throttle on full down the start straight! Jeffrey held the inside line though, and suddenly the Honda man hit some choppy bumps to the outside of the leader’s line, and hit the ground hard!
As Conrad crawled off the track, eventually limping off with assistance from his team, Herlings tried to bring the Red Bull KTM home in the gloomy and slippery conditions. He suddenly came under attack from Gilbert, always at home on hardpack and looking to catch “The Bullet” napping for that extra £500!
Setting the fastest lap on the penultimate tour, Josh very nearly succeeded, but Herlings turned the wick back up by just enough to hold on for the win by just under two seconds. Gilbert completed a solid few weeks of racing with second, Hammal not far back in third, while Adamson and Grimshaw repeated their battles from Landrake to come home fourth and fifth in that order.
Rizzi and Putnam came home next, then finally Charlie Cole put together a good ride on his new 772 Kawasaki machine for eighth, Josh Vail a brilliant ninth and top MX2, while Josh Canton broke into the top ten for prize money, the first Expert class rider home.
All-in-all the Monster Mountain Midweek Masters has been a brilliant series full of action, the quick-fire format proving popular amongst both riders and fans. Many expressed a desire to return next year, and hopefully the 2025 series will be the first of many more to come! www.monstermounatainmx.co.uk Images: MX Army
Results
65cc Youth:
| Pos | No. | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 94 | Ronnie Morgan | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 7 | Preston Killoran | 82 | 40 | 42 |
| 3 | 35 | Jeston Hillman | 80 | 42 | 38 |
| 4 | 8 | Jaxson Hooper | 78 | 38 | 40 |
| 5 | 36 | Eli Reynolds | 72 | 36 | 36 |
| 6 | 144 | Zaccy Grainger | 69 | 34 | 35 |
| 7 | 596 | Noah Stevens | 69 | 35 | 34 |
| 8 | 13 | Jexter Taylor | 66 | 33 | 33 |
| 9 | 22 | Arlo Jones | 63 | 32 | 31 |
| 10 | 33 | Teegun Williams | 62 | 30 | 32 |
85cc Small-Wheel
| Pos | No. | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 808 | Ruddie Jones | 87 | 42 | 45 |
| 2 | 23 | Jenson Lawry | 85 | 45 | 40 |
| 3 | 801 | Rhys Jones | 80 | 38 | 42 |
| 4 | 122 | Parker Thomas | 72 | 36 | 36 |
| 5 | 712 | CJ Spokes | 72 | 40 | 32 |
| 6 | 157 | Jayden Kaye | 70 | 32 | 38 |
| 7 | 128 | Reuben Mcnally | 69 | 34 | 35 |
| 8 | 330 | Jaxon Jones | 69 | 35 | 34 |
| 9 | 9 | Harri Luckwell | 66 | 33 | 33 |
| 10 | 133 | Finley Lewis | 62 | 31 | 31 |
85cc Big-Wheel
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 525 | Casey Lister | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 17 | Jaden Hill | 84 | 42 | 42 |
| 3 | 13 | Regan Woods | 80 | 40 | 40 |
| 4 | 711 | Oliver Williams | 76 | 38 | 38 |
| 5 | 70 | Felix Thoday | 72 | 36 | 36 |
| 6 | 601 | Travis Thomas | 68 | 34 | 34 |
| 7 | 11 | Amarni Faith Davies | 68 | 33 | 35 |
| 8 | 112 | Harrison Armstrong | 67 | 35 | 32 |
| 9 | 46 | Jesse James | 65 | 32 | 33 |
| 10 | 5 | Rio Davies | 61 | 30 | 31 |
Youth 125cc
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 142 | Christopher Brindley | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 312 | Kian John | 84 | 42 | 42 |
| 3 | 617 | Harley Roberts | 80 | 40 | 40 |
| 4 | 23 | Kenzie Thompson | 76 | 38 | 38 |
| 5 | 76 | Ollie Barry | 72 | 36 | 36 |
| 6 | 101 | Dan Rumble | 70 | 35 | 35 |
Youth 250F
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 279 | Harley O`Callaghan | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 830 | Logan Powell | 84 | 42 | 42 |
| 3 | 5 | Lewys Morgan | 78 | 38 | 40 |
| 4 | 125 | Estyn Roswell | 78 | 40 | 38 |
| 5 | 247 | Cody Williams | 71 | 35 | 36 |
| 6 | 7 | Ralphie Mapp | 71 | 36 | 35 |
| 7 | 23 | Luie Lewis | 67 | 33 | 34 |
| 8 | 16 | Alfie Hall | 67 | 34 | 33 |
| 9 | 10 | Charlie Roberts | 64 | 32 | 32 |
| 10 | 13 | Leiland James | 62 | 31 | 31 |
Steady
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 28 | Daniel Lewis | 87 | 45 | 42 |
| 2 | 2 | Josh Sleet | 82 | 42 | 40 |
| 3 | 32 | Chris Mae | 78 | 40 | 38 |
| 4 | 17 | Carl Thomas | 72 | 36 | 36 |
| 5 | 76 | Rhys Tolley | 70 | 25 | 45 |
| 6 | 11 | Luke Williams | 70 | 35 | 35 |
| 7 | 099 | Gavyn Griffiths | 69 | 38 | 31 |
| 8 | 8 | Bradley Cartwright | 66 | 34 | 32 |
| 9 | 99 | Luke Thomas | 64 | 31 | 33 |
| 10 | 8 | Kian Harper | 62 | 32 | 30 |
Clubman
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 81 | Jack Evans | 85 | 45 | 40 |
| 2 | 94 | Alex Davies | 84 | 42 | 42 |
| 3 | 71 | Daniel Lawler | 81 | 36 | 45 |
| 4 | 56 | Scott Stephens | 76 | 40 | 36 |
| 5 | 7 | Tallis Price | 73 | 35 | 38 |
| 6 | 961 | Declan Roden | 73 | 38 | 35 |
| 7 | 361 | James Ribbans | 34 | – | 34 |
Vets 35+
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 247 | Ryan Williams | 87 | 42 | 45 |
| 2 | 74 | Jason Barry | 87 | 45 | 42 |
| 3 | 26 | Adam Uka | 80 | 40 | 40 |
| 4 | 62 | Micheal Summers | 76 | 38 | 38 |
Vets 45+
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 29 | Nathan Davies | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 711 | Guy Langmead | 82 | 42 | 40 |
| 3 | 32 | Kevin Hughes | 80 | 38 | 42 |
| 4 | 646 | Neil Thomas | 76 | 40 | 36 |
| 5 | 13 | Jeff Evans | 74 | 36 | 38 |
Experts MX2
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 544 | Ollie Bubb | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 82 | Ashden Barlow | 80 | 38 | 42 |
| 3 | 278 | Regan Rogers | 78 | 40 | 38 |
| 4 | 181 | Ollie Harris | 78 | 42 | 36 |
| 5 | 99 | Tom Hughes | 76 | 36 | 40 |
| 6 | 961 | Declan Roden | 70 | 35 | 35 |
| 7 | 13 | Steffan Hooper | 68 | 34 | 34 |
Expert MX1
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 118 | Jayden Murphy | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 220 | Josh Canton | 80 | 40 | 40 |
| 3 | 68 | Shane Carless | 80 | 42 | 38 |
| 4 | 414 | Glen Phillips | 76 | 34 | 42 |
| 5 | 101 | Rhys Baker | 74 | 38 | 36 |
| 6 | 33 | Josh Greedy | 71 | 36 | 35 |
| 7 | 44 | Keelan Southwood | 69 | 35 | 34 |
| 8 | 64 | Jordan Gosling | 64 | 33 | 31 |
| 9 | 458 | Finly Abbott | 63 | 31 | 32 |
| 10 | 444 | Brandon James | 62 | 32 | 30 |
Pro MX2
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 337 | Glenn McCormick | 90 | 45 | 45 |
| 2 | 479 | Josh Vail | 84 | 42 | 42 |
| 3 | 661 | Josh Coleman | 80 | 40 | 40 |
| 4 | 40 | Ezra Blackwell | 76 | 38 | 38 |
| 5 | 22 | Sam Browning | 72 | 36 | 36 |
Pro MX1
| Pos | No | Competitor | Points | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | 85 | 45 | 40 |
| 2 | 23 | Taylor Hammal | 83 | 38 | 45 |
| 3 | 326 | Josh Gilbert | 82 | 40 | 42 |
| 4 | 912 | Joel Rizzi | 74 | 36 | 38 |
| 5 | 16 | Tom Grimshaw | 70 | 34 | 36 |
| 6 | 212 | John Adamson | 69 | 35 | 34 |
| 7 | 7 | Louie Kessell | 66 | 33 | 33 |
| 8 | 91 | Charlie Putnam | 65 | 30 | 35 |
| 9 | 22 | Travis Steels | 63 | 31 | 32 |
| 10 | 228 | Charlie Cole | 63 | 32 | 31 |
Super Final
| Pos | No | Competitor | Class | Diff | Best Lap |
| 1 | 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | Pro MX1 | 0.000 | 2:09.956 |
| 2 | 326 | Josh Gilbert | Pro MX1 | 1.949 | 2:09.554 |
| 3 | 23 | Taylor Hammal | Pro MX1 | 16.483 | 2:12.216 |
| 4 | 212 | John Adamson | Pro MX1 | 19.198 | 2:14.141 |
| 5 | 16 | Tom Grimshaw | Pro MX1 | 21.255 | 2:13.835 |
| 6 | 912 | Joel Rizzi | Pro MX1 | 29.752 | 2:15.811 |
| 7 | 91 | Charlie Putnam | Pro MX1 | 31.916 | 2:17.820 |
| 8 | 228 | Charlie Cole | Pro MX1 | 38.607 | 2:16.265 |
| 9 | 479 | Josh Vail | Pro MX2 | 45.511 | 2:20.003 |
| 10 | 220 | Josh Canton | Expert MX1 | 48.027 | 2:20.249 |
| 11 | 118 | Jayden Murphy | Expert MX1 | 55.162 | 2:22.153 |
| 12 | 661 | Josh Coleman | Pro MX2 | 1:04.268 | 2:20.719 |
| 13 | 22 | Travis Steels | Pro MX1 | 1:05.368 | 2:24.125 |
| 14 | 44 | Keelan Southwood | Expert MX1 | 1:13.453 | 2:26.797 |
| 15 | 33 | Josh Greedy | Expert MX1 | 1:17.999 | 2:25.748 |
