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British Championship

Interview: Conrad Mewse

Conrad Mewse on his successful comeback.

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Following an extended break with a wrist injury, Conrad Mewse returned to racing at the final round of the 2019 Maxxis British Championship over the weekend. A couple of thirds were secured – despite the fact that he had only ridden a handful of times before the event – and served as a reminder of just how good he could be when healthy. Mewse discussed his successful return, injury and off-season plans in this exclusive MX Vice interview.

MX Vice: It has been a while. You have effectively had a year off, I guess, as far as seasons go. To come out, run the speed of the winners, the speed of the champion and kind of show that with a couple more weeks you’ll be right there… I feel like this whole thing was just positive.

Conrad Mewse: Yeah. I’m very happy about the weekend. If you would have told us a week ago that we were even going to be back on the bike now, I wouldn’t have believed you. I have ridden a handful of times up until here, and not one has been a thirty-minute moto. To come here today and do two thirds, I’m over the moon with that. Like I said, we are at fifty or sixty percent at the minute. I’ve ridden five times in six months. It was a long time out. This is where we are now, stood on the podium in second place at a British Championship. I couldn’t be any happier with that at the minute. Hopefully we press on from here.

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What was the point in coming here? It would have been easy enough to just sit at home and continue practicing. Was it important to kind of come here and just get that first one out of the way? I guess this will make the beginning of next year a bit easier.

Yeah. I didn’t want to go to next year with no races under my belt. I have missed nearly all year this year. If I were not to do this weekend then, like you said, it would have been almost a year out of racing. I came here and felt it was important to do it. I’m glad I have come here now to see where I’m at, and things like that. I’m more than happy with how it went. We go from here now.

How did this all work out then? Around the time of Lommel I heard that the wrist and hand was f**ked basically. It was going to be a long time. Then the next thing I know you are back on the bike. Did you get good news, or did things go faster than expected?

No, we just kind of got on with it. They said when I went in for the surgery, “You are not going to be able to get back on a bike for at least nine months.” That would have put us to February or March next year. We have just got on with it. We have got our head down with physio and things like that. My wrist is nowhere near good now. It’s not good, that’s for sure. I certainly haven’t got two good wrists. I’ve got no movement, but we are getting through it. 

I’ve got two new All-Sport Dynamics wrist braces, which are really helping me. I wouldn’t be able to ride without them at the minute. We are getting on with it. It’s nice to be back at a race. I was in a lot of pain today. That was probably one of the toughest races I’ve ever had out there. I’m about to go through some serious pain. Like I said, we got on with it and here we are now stood second on the box. I couldn’t be happier.

Is that movement in your wrist going to come back gradually, or is this it now and that is what you have got to deal with? 

The surgeon said I’m for sure never going to get the same wrist as what I have on my left hand, but I’ve got to go back I think in a week’s time and have another op to have the screw out. We are not quite finished yet. I’ll go back and get that screw out. I’m hoping that when I get that screw out, I’ll be able to get more movement than at the minute. That is what I’m struggling with, the screw in my scaphoid. That needs to come out.

Once that’s out, I think we should be good to go. We should be good to push physio, push riding and push training. Up until now for the last six months we have only been able to do so much. It’s only been the last week or two where I’ve actually been able to kind of… Well, I’m not even lifting the same weight in my right hand as what I am my left hand. We are struggling a little bit with what we can do, but we came here and made the most out of it and that’s all that matters. 

There is nothing that’s going to stop you getting in a full off-season and doing everything you need to do though, right? 

No. I’ll have a solid off-season this year. Like I said, for the last few weeks I’ve managed to train really hard up until this race. I felt physically we were in a good condition. The fading out there is nothing to do with my physical state. It was purely because I was struggling to hold on. Before I came here, I had not done one thirty-minute moto. To come here today and do a qualifying and then two thirties, it was very tough on my wrist. We got through it. We are going to have a solid off-season, that’s for sure. The wrist is done now. That’s in the past. No more excuses and we get on with it.

In a weird way, was this time off almost good for you? Was it a bit of a refresh and kind of just a good way to refocus your mind a little bit?

Time off the bike is good. Maybe not that long, but time off the bike certainly is good. I managed to get myself to a few GPs and watch the races from the other side of the fence. It was important, I think. You see a lot of things that you don’t see when you are riding around. When I went and watched the race, I managed to see what the race was like at the front and I haven’t seen that for a while. It was quite interesting.

The injury obviously wasn’t good, but we have gained a lot of positives out of it. We have turned a lot of corners. I think that’s the most important thing. I’m just excited to see what this holds, especially after six months off the bike and then we are here already. I’m excited to have a really good off-season and then come into next year with a really good head and a great physical state. 

It’s going to be one of those weird things anyway. Every MX2 rider went into this year thinking [Jorge] Prado is hard to beat whereas going into next year, it could be anyone’s. What’s the difference between you and [Thomas] Olsen? You and [Tom] Vialle? Who knows what’s going to happen? That’s a different way of going into the season.

Yeah, definitely. Next year is going to be very interesting. I know we say this every year, but I think you know who is going to be up there. I think anyone in the top ten is going to get a race win. I think it’s going to be a great season. It’s going to be the guy that works the hardest and the guy who wants it the most. That’s the guy who’s going to come out on top. Hopefully like I said we can put a really solid off-season together and we can fight at the front next year. That’s been my goal for years, to get podiums in GPs. Just because we have had this little setback, I ain’t done yet. I’m looking forward to coming back and I’m putting on a strong performance next year.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: ConwayMX

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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