This Sunday, the Ashbrook Hawkstone International brings the British 2023 outdoor Motocross season to life, and will give fans of MXGP the prologue to the epic saga that the 2023 MXGP season is set to become.

Words: Ben Rumbold | Lead Image: Hawkstone International

Let’s not forget that this story reaches its conclusion in the UK as well, as Matterley Basin hosts the final round of the championship on the 1st of October. And with the recent injury to reigning World MXGP Champion Tim Gajser, it’s highly likely that one of the big stars attracted to race in Shropshire will go on to be crowned in Hampshire!

The Revo British Championship and the Michelin Nationals will both start in the deep sand of new venue Oakhanger in March, so all riders contesting those series will be getting some valuable time in the soft stuff in preparation for those title tilts.

If you’ve never been to Hawkstone before, treat yourself. Despite some grumblings about recent track updates amongst older fans, it is still a proper old school, hard graft, testing the very best, kind of circuit. With the weather forecast looking good for the weekend and social media images of the big hill being prepared, this could be one of the very best times to ever catch this race.

First off – some vital Housekeeping: The postcode to aim your Sat Nav at is SY4 4NA.  Those using the “what3words” app will need to enter “them.boomed.rave”.  It’s signposted from the A49 Leominster to Shrewsbury road. The £40 entry fee includes a programme but the biggest message is – TAKE CASH!  There will be a cash machine but I wouldn’t fancy that queue. The signal there is terrible so you cannot rely on card machines, Apple Pay, smartphones, any of it, and this message has been pressed by the organisers as well.  That goes for the gate, the trade stands, the bar, the burger van.  They might have card machines but do yourselves a favour and DO NOT rely on that or it will spoil your day. Feel the fibre of your fabric – cash is king.

Phones: Due to the poor signal and the thousands that will be trying to find it, arrange a time and place to meet friends or family there beforehand because it’s highly likely you won’t be able to call or text, FB message, tweet, WhatsApp, anything.  Something loose like “bottom of the hill before the Pro race” is usually a safe bet.  I did say it was old school!

Tickets can be bought on the gate ONLY – it’s £40 for adults and £5 for children between 5 and 15, including free parking and free entry to the riders’ paddock. The racing starts from 8.45am and will go on until around 4pm. The gates open at 7am.

Dogs must be kept on a lead, mess must be cleared up, they must be friendly with people and happy around bikes.

Camping is £40 per pitch and opens at 12 noon on Saturday 25^th February, with the gates closing at 7pm. No open fires are allowed.

Livestream: Please note there will be NO live streaming in 2023 – there have been scammers advertising this service but it is NOT happening – please DO NOT give your payment details to anyone regarding a Hawkstone Livestream!  It did happen last year and the club felt it cost them attendance figures, so it ain’t on – a shame as I would have fancied that commentary job!  As it is we’ll be listening to the excellent Roger Warren and Darren Bartholomew trackside.

Viewing Points: As someone who’s been going to the place since I was in nappies, let me point you towards a few nice spots, depending on your viewing preference.

1. The Hill – if it’s in use, take advantage of it. Brave the climb because it is so worth it. If you can get right to the very top, where they are at full gas and fly past your nose, it’s the best buzz that side of the chestnut paling! You’ll get covered in sand but this is Motocross, people. Risk it for a biscuit!
2. Bombhole/Sand Pit – whatever you want to call it, they jump into it now from a distance and it is a total spectacle. Marvel at how heavy they land when they come short, be amazed at the rutty mess they jump into and be awestruck by the balls required to go for that blind leap.
3. The start-line – yes, it’s only for the beginning, but I love that first gate drop when all the new bikes and kit are clean and pristine for the only time all day! Then you can join the rush across the track to see the first lap chaos – always a lot of fun!
4. In the woods – as the track runs across the end of the start straight there’s a section there where you can get really close and feel the speed, look into the goggles, see the anger.
5. Before the finish line – this left hander before it drops downhill towards the flag makes me feel happy to be in the four-stroke era – you can FEEL the grunt of the big 450s going through there, and you can turn to follow the race around the various loops visible from there too, probably one of the best spots for both getting up close and for watching other parts of the track.

The Line-Up:

Now for the good bit – the stars of the show! Think what you like about it, but the mixture of the two classes should bring some intriguing racing.  There’s no doubt that the headline acts are amongst the best riders in the world.

From the MXGP elite, Jeffrey Herlings needs no introduction – five times a World Champion, 99 Career Grand Prix wins, that famous AMA National win at the only time of asking… the 28-year-old Dutchman has been one of the fastest riders on the planet, especially in the soft stuff, since he burst onto the adult scene 13 years ago. It speaks volumes for his calibre we say he has “only” five titles – he has lost at least that many again through injury, from which he is returning once more with his second set of gate drops to come at Hawkstone.

Joining Jeffrey is the man who pushed him all the way for the 2021 MXGP crown, Factory Kawasaki’s Romain Febvre. Turning 31 on New Year’s Eve just gone, he won the title in 2015 and only injury, Gajser, and Herlings have denied him more than that. He fell just five short of Herlings’ tally in 2021 and returned from injury to win the last moto of last season. He comes into 2023 fully fit and would relish the chance to beat Herlings on his first visit to Hawkstone.

Also out for the win will be last year’s winner, Factory Yamaha man Glenn Coldenhoff, having just turned 32 and with a new trainer, in the shape of his life. Having won 5 GPs in his career, to dominant MXoN performances and a 3rd in the 2019 MXGP series, he feels that he’s in with a real chance of this world crown, and will really be on it at Hawkstone.

Those three are likely to be your podium men, but a whole host of GP regulars and British stars will be after them as well. From overseas the challenge is met by German Henry Jacobi, Dutchman Davy Pootjes, Belgian Brent van Doninck, Estonian Hardi Roosiorg, and Swede Alvin Ostlund.  They’re joined by foreign stars who will be campaigning the 2023 domestic championships, Estonian Harri Kullas the multiple Michelin Nationals Champ, and six-time South African Champ Tristan Purdon, who could be a real dark horse for British glory this year.

Britain’s best chances of a podium lie with both Sarholz KTM’s Adam Sterry, who normally plies his trade in Germany now but loves Hawkstone having tasted MX2 champers here before, and of course Scottish legend Shaun Simpson, who finished equal on points with Herlings just a couple of years ago. Shaun has been sharpening his teeth in the Arenacross series so will almost feel agoraphobic at Hawkstone!

Other stars of the British scene who will be out to get amongst them include the Chambers Racing GASGAS squad of Dan Thornhill and Tom Grimshaw, the new Ultimate Wheels/Thunder Road Honda team of Louie Kessell and Luke Smith, Northern Irish veteran Martin Barr, KTM-mounted battlers Ashton Dickinson and Liam Knight, plus the intriguing new signing to Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha, last year’s MX2 British runner-up Jamie Carpenter.

Scored separately but looking to not get lost amongst the MX1 boys, the MX2 entrants also give us a fascinating prospect, headlined by KX250 riders Mikkel Haarup from Denmark and GTCI Revo Kawasaki’s Dylan Walsh, fresh from his exploits in West Coast AMA Supercross. Joel Rizzi is the hottest young British prospect in the class, and Jake Millward could also get into the mix as he moves from MX1. Young hotshots Callum Mitchell, Jamie Wainwright, Sam Nunn and Alfie Jones are worth watching, then there are adult racing rookies James Barker and Ollie Colmer to cheer on.  Two-stroke fans will enjoy the amazingly-titled McVities Husqvarna of recent retiree Jamie Law as that crisp sound echoes through the woods!

A host of talent also fights for the Adult Support class honours – Joel Fisher has just won the Arenacross Futures Championship, while Domonic Newbury, Ben Zeale, Hudson Roper, and Harvey Cashmore are all progressing from impressive Youth careers this season.

The EMX 125 class will see some young guns that you’ll want to note the names of – Reece Jones has won through most of the smaller classes in his career, Cole McCullough is an exciting prospect from Northern Ireland, Jake Walker moves up from 85cc machines and always charges hard, Kasimir Hindesson is a fine talent from Finland, and the MGMX squad of Freddie Gardiner and Lucy Barker (one to cheer for female fans) are also looking to impress on their 125cc debuts.

It’s gonna be a barnstormer of a day, see below for the timetable and entry lists, and get your MX-loving backsides to Shropshire to really kickstart your 2023!

For more information, please see Hawkstone International on Facebook / Instagram or www.hawkstoneinternationalmx.com

Timetable Hawkstone International 2023

Saturday 25^th February

12.00 – 7.00pm                       Gates Open for Camping

2.00 – 4.00pm                         Technical Control

Sunday 26^th February

7.00am                                    Gates Open for Spectators

7.45 – 8.45am                         Technical Control

9.00 – 9.25                              Adult Support Practice & Qualifying

Up to 5 minutes start practise, 5 minutes free, 15 minutes timed.

9.30 – 9.55                              EMX 125cc Practice & Qualifying

Up to 5 minutes start practise, 5 minutes free, 15 minutes timed

10.00 – 10.30                          MX1/MX2 International Practice & Qualifying

Up to 5 minutes start practise, 10 minutes free, 15 minutes timed.

10.40                                       Adult Support Race 1 (15 minutes + 1 lap)

Interval

12.00                                       EMX 125 Race 1 (15 minutes + 1 lap)

12.30                                       International MX1/MX2 Race 1 (25 minutes + 1 lap)

1.05                                         Adult Support Race 2 (15 minutes + 1 lap)

1.30                                         EMX 125 Race 2 (15 minutes + 1 lap)

1.55                                         International MX1/MX2 Race 2 (25 minutes + 1 lap)

2.30                                         Adult Support Race 3 (15 minutes + 1 lap)

2.55                                         EMX 125 Race 3 (15 minutes + 1 lap)

3.25                                         MX1/MX2 Superfinal (25 minutes + 1 laps)

PRESENTATION Top 3 Superfinal – Georges Jobe Trophy – Winner, Vaughan Semmens Memorial Trophy – Best British Rider, Top 5 EMX125 and top 3 Adult Support

Entry Lists

MX1 International
No	Name	Machine	cc	Country
3	Romain Febvre	Kawasaki Racing Team MXGP	450	France
7	Louie Kessell	Ultimate Wheels/Thunder Road Completely Motorbikes TMS Media Honda	450	England
16	Tom Grimshaw	Chambers Racing GASGAS	450	England
17	Luke Smith	Ultimate Wheels/Thunder Road Completely Motorbikes TMS Media Honda	450	Ireland
24	Shaun Simpson	Gabriel SS24 KTM	450	Scotland
29	Henry Jacobi	Sarholz KTM	450	Germany
32	Brent van Doninck	JM Racing Honda	450	Belgium
46	Davy Pootjes	KTM	450	Netherlands
50	Martin Barr	Apico Husqvarna	450	N. Ireland
75	Hardi Roosiorg	JWR Honda Racing	450	Estonia
84	Jeffrey Herlings	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MXGP	450	Netherlands
95	Dan Thornhill	Chambers Racing GASGAS	450	England
115	Ashton Dickinson	Talk Templant KTM	450	England
134	Liam Knight	KTM	450	England
141	Tristan Purdon	Gabriel SS24 KTM	450	South Africa
151	Harri Kullas	Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha	450	Estonia
161	Alvin Ostlund	JWR Honda Racing	450	Sweden
184	Jamie Carpenter	Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha	450	England
259	Glenn Coldenhoff	Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MXGP	450	Netherlands
811	Adam Sterry	Sarholz KTM	450	Wales

MX2 International
No	Name	Machine	cc	Country
11	Mikkel Haarup	Big Van World MTX Kawasaki	250	Denmark
25	Jamie Law	McVities Husqvarna	250	England
32	Calum Mitchell	Lexa MX Racing Husqvarna	250	England
40	Jamie Wainwright	WPH/SBE Engineering/Pure Building/Redline KTM	250	England
53	Dylan Walsh	GTCI Revo Kawasaki	250	England
119	Bailey Johnston	Verde Shiloh KTM	250	England
195	Rob Clitheroe	Dickinson Tool Hire Yamaha	250	England
300	Ben Franklin	Chambers Racing GASGAS	250	England
303	Jake Millward	Verde Shiloh KTM	250	England
337	Glenn McCormick	Chambers Racing GASGAS	250	Ireland
365	Sam Nunn	Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha	250	England
410	James Barker	MGMX KTM	250	England
411	Shaun Mahoney	Gabriel Insulations KTM UK	250	Wales
456	Ollie Colmer	Talk Templant KTM	250	England
717	Calum Marriott	Team EMX Academy France Husqvarna	250	France
719	Jimmy Margetson	AJP Racing Husqvarna	250	England
731	Alfie Jones	Chambers Racing GASGAS	250	England
817	Raf Meuwissen	Young Motion Powered by Resa Yamaha	250	Holland
912	Joel Rizzi	Riley Racing Yamaha	250	Wales

Adult Support Race
No	Name	Machine	cc	Town
10	Harvey Cashmore	Chambers Racing GASGAS	250	Compton
11	Rhys Baker
18	Joe Khamouli	Triple D Motorsport/Reid Builders/Leach Scrap Metal GASGAS		Kendal
23	Johnjoe Wright	Mr Dig/Ninety One Moto Honda	450	Stanley
28	Charlie Griffiths	426 Motorsport KTM	350	Cleobury Mortimer
31	Charlie Whitlow	Lancit Haulage Honda	250	Heysham
33	Dan Brough	Rutzz.co.uk/Pinewood Energy Racing Yamaha	250	Yarnfield
36	Hudson Roper	3Flo/Madison/Crescent Yamaha blucru	250	Halifax
37	Shane Whitaker	Assiette Cat/TVB/PP Training/Owkay Kawasaki	250	Clitheroe
41	Matt Tolley	426 Motorsport KTM	250	Pershore
42	Charlie Razzell	PJR Motors Yamaha	250	Bracknell
52	Harry Foster	RFX KTM	450	Ormskirk
63	Daniel Arkell	PSU Designs Ltd KTM	250	Bromsgrove
70	David Finnamore	Ross Quarry Products Ltd Husqvarna	350	Belfast
84	Reece Ross	Ross Quarry Products Ltd Husqvarna	250	Belfast
87	Aaron Holden	PP Sports powered by Southside MX Honda	250	Diss
95	Brad Thornhill	LMC/Radcord KTM	450	Stonehouse
97	Paul Burn	DBC Motorcycles/BG Motorsport KTM	350	Milton Keynes
101	Christopher Read	MJ Off Road/4gunzmxmidlands Kawasaki	250	Moreton
111	Richy Roberts	Rutzz.co.uk/Pinewood Energy Racing Yamaha	250	Bowling Bank
113	Joe Wright	SRH Racing KTM	125	Featherstone
123	Dave Hamer	Honda	500	Southampton
125	Paul Hubbard	Herts MX Honda	450	Diss
131	Ben Zeale	Mundell Plant Hire Ltd/JD Racing GASGAS	250	Torrington
141	Sebastian Berthiaume	Advance Shutters Ltd Yamaha	450	Lymington
143	Callum Bircher	Mr T`s/Feehily Racing KTM	250	Barrow in Furness
150	Aaron Patstone	Brenron/Molson/Kior/Shaw Honda	450	Leamington Spa
171	Arai Elcock	KTM	450
211	Joshua Price	Jtek/S.T Molloy Honda	450	Wirral
233	Dane Thompson	Honda	250	Birkenhead
266	Conor Ellingworth	Feehily MX KTM	450	Anglesey
274	Daniel Shutt	Shutt Joinery & Construction KTM	250	Ribchester
313	Danny Townsend	KTM	250	Burnley
333	Dan Houlker	DH Builders/RV Ltd KTM	250
392	Henry Hearn	Husqvarna	250	Yiewsley
404	Dominic Newbury	426 Motorsport KTM	250	Swindon
711	Joel Fisher	AD Modular/Tech4 MX/Beer Trading KTM	250	Warmingham
841	Ryan Nock	Tech MX-VBS-Dynes-KAS Kawasaki	450	Larkfield
855	Ashley Cotterell	Internation Wulfsport KTM	450	Cheslyn Hay
999	Conner Challinor	AD Modular Ltd Kawasaki	250	Crewe
Reserve
4	Harry Bradley

EMX 125
No	Name	Machine	Town/Country
2	Yarin Evans	SRH Racing Team KTM	Bridgnorth
3	Lucy Barker	Team Matt Gardiner MX KTM	Driffield
5	Jack Brearey	NBE Racing GASGAS	Batley
7	Tyler Jones	KTM	Southampton
10	Levi Saunders	Blue-3 KTM	Stockbury
12	Rees Jones	ET James Youth Enduro Team GASGAS	Llanidloes
14	Jon Waghorn	Elevation – JWS Yamaha	Medway
18	Rocco Hands	Motobase/C Nunn Academy/J Aim M/Cycles/Besthorpe MX KTM	Colchester
20	Alfie Thompson	Moto33/Berts Motorcycles KTM	Shanklin
21	Emmanuel Bako	Betterbrands Petroleum – EMX Academy France	Zimbabwe
24	Sion Wright	SRH Racing/C A Wright Construction KTM	Builth Wells
25	Harry Bebb	Mid Wales Leisure Fantic	Llanidloes
40	Ted Deacon	Rogue MX/Backyard Design GASGAS	Cheltenham
43	Markuss Kalnins	CCM Racing/Loredo Husqvarna	Louth
46	Harry Shand	KTM	Isle of Man
55	Ryan Waggott	Team Hutch Racing KTM	Carlisle
78	Roan Delaney	Carbon Comps KTM	Lydney
82	Ashden Barlow	723 Racebikes/TLD/CI Sport/Spy/DEP/KAIS/A Vision Fantic	Chelmsford
96	Alfie Crealock-Lovell	Marsh MX Husqvarna	Port Talbot
99	Jake Walker	Mr T`s Racing/SCT/RMJ KTM	Wirral
104	Reece Jones	SJP Moto KTM	Great Houghton
114	Freddie Gardiner	Team Matt Gardiner MX KTM	Gloucester
118	Max Smith	Redline Motorcycles KTM	Ashton
121	Max Walsham	121 Stylish Prints OutPatient Network Yamaha	Milton Keynes
145	Braidy Tucker	SJP/Moto-Slik Design/57 Tyres/Motoverde KTM	Newport
148	Declan Wright	SPS Motorcycle/FTS Suspension KTM	Sheffield
191	Kayden Smith	PP Sports Yamaha	Bungay
199	Lewis Bethell	Nora CRS/VIP Motocross/EBC Brakes Husqvarna	Northampton
226	Sam Hughes	Digga Rentals/FIR Racing/Ace Suspension KTM	Oswestry
307	Alfie Lewis	TA365Roll/Perfect Impressions/ERS Susp Yamaha	Ellesmere
323	Beau Brown	AGR Motorsport KTM	Isle of Man
372	Leon Northall	ERS Suspension/Motoverde KTM	Ellesmere
433	Kai Thorpe	Eastwood Plant Hire Yamaha	Eastwood
480	Kasimir Hindesson	MotoPalvelu KTM	Finland
505	Ben McConville	KTM	Dromore
526	Cody Spacagna	Trevor Pope M/C LRS/Ironsight/King & Stevens KTM	Eastleigh
538	Billy Thornton	Rapid 538 Clothing KTM	York
545	Wesley McGavin	KTM	Lutterworth
555	Cole McCullough	Milwaukee KTM	Ireland
654	Jack Dando	KTM	Westbury
741	Harrison Clarke	FBRT/MJW/Syntol KTM	Rotherham