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British Championship

Chatter Box: Josh Gilbert

Josh Gilbert on a career highlight.

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Josh Gilbert has broken through in Britain this year, following some great results in both the Maxxis British Championship and Michelin MX Nationals. It was this past weekend that Gilbert, a former MXY2 champion, really made a name for himself though, as he romped to a commanding victory at the annual Coupe de l’Avenir event and beat a handful of MXGP stars.

MX Vice: Just recap your season for us quickly and how you thought it all went. What were the highlights and disappointments? 

Josh Gilbert: The whole season has been awesome! A massive improvement compared to my first two years in the MX2 class. The MX2 class in the British Championship is tough and to come away with seventh was a good achievement. I also finished second in the MX Nationals and now winning the Coupe de l’Avenir against some top GP riders has topped my year off. I feel that I have been quite consistent this year, which has helped a lot as the field is so stacked. I was on the podium at every round of the MX Nationals and in the British Championship I scored a top fifteen at least in every race.

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Josh Gilbert ended seventh in the MX2 British Championship.

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Was that what you expected to do or did you overachieve? Was there one thing that you wanted to do this year that you did not quite manage?

I feel I’ve achieved my goals this year! The only thing that I would have liked to have done this year was a few EMX250 rounds, but we just could not afford to do it. Hopefully if everything works out good for next year then I’ll be able to do them!

After seeing what you did at the Coupe de l’Avenir, you must be even more disappointed that you did not get to any EMX250 rounds this year? You clearly could have achieved a lot.

Yeah, I am a little. After winning at the weekend, it has given me a lot of confidence and, after a good winter of training, I should be able to carry that momentum into next season.

What about the Coupe de l’Avenir? Just run us through your weekend there and how you felt each race went.

I went there with the goal of a top five really, I mean after looking at the names that were doing it. I came in after free practice and was fastest, but I just thought that they were holding back for the qualifying. Then after qualifying I came in and I was fastest again, so I knew I had the pace. I just needed to put it all together in the race. In the qualifying race I didn’t get a very good start and came from quite a way down, but got to fifth. With Liam [Knight] having a fourth and Charlie [Cole] finishing twenty-fourth, it gave us the second gate pick.

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Josh Gilbert won the MXY2 title by three points back in 2014.

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In free practice on Sunday I was the quickest again by over one second, which gave me some confidence. In the first race I gated third and made my way up to the lead, but then had a close battle with Jago Geerts and managed to beat him by four tenths of a second! Then in the second race I got the holeshot, put some good laps in and was two seconds a lap quicker. Once I got a reasonable gap I just held it until the chequered flag.

In the last moto I took the holeshot again and was leading with three laps to go when I hit my handlebars and winded myself, so [Karel] Kutsar ended up taking the win and I settled for second. I tried to not think about the overall throughout the race, because when you start to do that you start making mistakes!

When you lined up next to someone like Jago Geerts, were you already mentally beaten a little bit? Did you think you would be able to beat him? He is obviously one of the greatest talents in MXGP.

I suppose I was a little before the weekend, but once I got free practice and qualifying out of the way I definitely had more confidence. Then to go out and beat him fair and square in the opening moto was a big confidence booster for me!

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Josh Gilbert rose to prominence in Belgium over the weekend.

MPS Images

What did you think of the event as a whole? Did you feel more pressure than at a British race?

The event was really good. I’d like to thank Dave Garland for picking me to represent Great Britain; he was such a good team manager! He made it such a good, friendly atmosphere and we just went out and had fun! I didn’t really feel too much pressure.

What are your plans for next year? Do you have everything in place?

Yeah, I’m pretty much all sorted for next year. I’m going to ride for Dave [Thorpe] again, which is great for me. They are such a well-organised team and not based too far from me. I’ll be doing the British Championship, MX Nationals and Europeans.

In an ideal world, what kind of results do you want next year? Would the ultimate goal be to lock up a full-time ride European ride for the next year?

I think top five in the British next year and push for podiums if I have a good winter of training. I’d also like to go one better at the MX Nationals and take the championship. Ultimately I would like to get to GP level and the only way to get there is to go through the EMX250 class. Pretty much all of the MX2 world riders have come up through the EMX250 class.

I’d like to thank everyone who have helped me out this year, as I wouldn’t have achieved this much without them! Thanks to Dave Thorpe’s Honda Off-road Centre, 4Power Engines, Honda UK, Amped, RaceFX, Rip ‘n’ Roll Goggles, Bell helmets, Seven MX UK, Planet Suspension, Duck Smart, Talon Engineering, Henry Orchard & Sons Ltd, SCB Groundworks, Steve Hoskin Construction, Kernow Strength and Conditioning, Atlantic Reach, Andy Gilbert Plant Hire, Bridgestone Tyres and the mechanics (Ryan, Will and Rob) from Buildbase.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: MPS Images

British Championship

Bickers to supply UK market with Alpinestars

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This is great news for UK motocross dealers, who can now order Alpinestars Boots and Protection for the motocross and enduro community.

Full PR:
Bickers are pleased to announce a new partnership with Alpinestars, from 2024 Bickers will be a
newly appointed distributor of Alpinestars Off-Road range of MX, Enduro and Trials footwear and
protections.

Alpinestars has been redefining protection for motorcyclists ever since the company was established
in 1963. Commitment to innovation has led Alpinestars to become the world-leading manufacturer
of professional motorsport racing products, motorcycling airbag protection, high-performance
apparel, technical footwear, and helmets. Alpinestars understands that the best design and research
is achieved under extreme conditions. Their involvement in Formula 1, NASCAR, MotoGP, World
SBK, AMA Supercross and Motocross, MXGP, Dakar and more has led to the creation of the most
advanced technical equipment for the racing world’s top athletes.

Bickers and Alpinestars will be working together in the UK and Ireland (via Bickers Dornan) to create
an industry leading integrated sales program, reaching the Bickers dealer network; carrying stock in
2 strategic locations in the UK and Ireland to ensure next day delivery on all items.
Stock is in the UK and available now, to see the range visit alpinestars.com or bickers-online.co.uk.

Chris Hillard (Alpinestars Communications Manager)

Alpinestars are pleased to welcome Bickers as a distributor of our MX/Off-Road range in the UK and
Ireland. With their proven record in offering next day service to dealers; we see Bickers as a logical
partner to add to our already strong network of Dealers and Distributors in the region. With focus on
offering keystone hard goods from our range; namely Footwear and Protection. Central to our plan,
inside July/August 2024 Bickers will also become an Official Alpinestars repair and service center for
MX Goods, with the aim of increasing efficiency for our UK/Ireland based racers and customers
moving ahead, and we look forward to developing this partnership.

Derek McMartin (Bickers)
“Bickers are extremely excited to be able to service and sell Alpinestars Range of Off-Road Footwear
and Protection and cannot wait to start offering these great products to our dealers”
To see what Bickers offer, please go to bickers-online.co.uk
You can visit the Full Range at Alpinestars direct alpinestars.com.

Picture – KTM Group

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Breaking News

NPC 2024 IS ON! All eyes are on Oakhanger.

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Oakhanger will host the first round of the NPC series this weekend. Gulf Racing Fuels, which will support the series for the next three years, will be in attendance. The line looks impressive, while entry lists are still being worked on. Starting a series from scratch is always hard, but trying to do that in a recession and with industry budgets at an all-time low is even more challenging. The guys behind the NPC have been working around the clock to make this happen.

MX1 and MX2 classes will provide some exciting racing with this at the weekend. MX1 will see Tristan Purdon, Brad Todd, Jamie Carpenter, Carlton Husband, Tom Grimshaw, John Adamson, Dan Thornhill, Chalie Putnam, and Aaron Patstone lining up. MX2 will offer some great racing with Charlie Cole, Charlie Heyman, Ollie Colmer, Ben Mustoe, Glen McCormick, Callum Mitchell, Syd Putnam, Ben Franklin, Harvey Cashmore and Liam Bennet all looking to get some hours in the bank racing.

Justin Barclay and Alfie Smith have produced a stunning track for riders to compete on. As I’m typing this update, more British riders are signing up, and they will be confirmed every day leading up to what will be a historical event. I say historical because I believe this series will go from strength to strength and offer one of the best championships in the UK and, hopefully, Europe.

The Acerbis is cancelled this weekend, so places at the NPC are filling up fast. There are four groups, and wildcards are still available in each group.

Entries for the event can be accessed here: https://nora92.com/event/nora-pro-championship-round-1/#tribe-tickets

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British Championship

Andrew Short confirmed for the 2024 VMXdN at Foxhill

No Short measures for Team USA

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The promoters for the annual VMXdN Foxhill have announced that former factory HRC, KTM Factory Racing and Monster Energy Yamaha rider Andrew Short will be racing at the legendary Wiltshire Grand Prix circuit over August bank holiday weekend (August 22nd-26th) as part of the American squad.


Words: Press Release | Lead Image: Supplied


Short has had a stellar sixteen-year pro career, during that time, he earned over 50 podium finishes and nine wins, he is also one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet. One of his personal highlights was being part of the American Team that won the 2010 Motocross of Nations held in his home state of Colorado. 

After he retired from professional motocross at the end of 2016, Short then worked as a team advisor and brand ambassador for Factory Honda HRC before making a big transition to compete in rally racing and take on the ultimate rally race – the Dakar.

After a steep learning curve, he was able to become competitive in rally and even took his first win at the 2019 Rallye du Maroc, a leadup to the 2020 Dakar. He raced for the Rockstar Husqvarna team as well as the Monster Energy Factory Yamaha rally teams.

After a nasty injury while riding at home, he is now back to full fitness and bang up for the challenge that is Foxhill, the greatest 2-stroke event in the world. Short will race a 2002 YZ 250 built and maintained by the crew at DocWob. Team USA won the inaugural event in 2022 and finished 3rd behind Team GB and Team Northern Ireland in 2023. 

The race is already creating a huge buzz with new and returning legends being announced weekly, it really is a whos’ who of the sport through the golden heydays of the 90’s and 00’s era.

Labelled by RacerX magazine as “the Woodstock of two strokes” the event simply goes from strength to strength.

With ticket sales up year on year, the promoters have been blown away at the response to the event and are urging spectators to purchase tickets asap. Could this be the first outdoor motocross event in the UK to be ticket only? Camping passes will be capped at last year’s numbers as simply putting it – it was full!

Ensure your place at the most anticipated event on the British MX calendar by booking early.

Saturday, Sunday, Weekend and Camping passes are available at https://vmxdnfoxhill2024.eventbrite.co.uk

Keep up to date with all the VMXdN Foxhill news

www.vmxdnfoxhill.com 

www.facebook.com/vmxdnfoxhills 

https://www.instagram.com/vmxdnfoxhill/

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