Jamie Carpenter is to join Conrad Mewse and Jake Nicholls in the Crendon Tru7 Honda team for 2025. Carpenter and Mewse will contest MX1 races on the all-new Honda CRF450R while Nicholls will race MX2 on the new CRF250R.
Backed by Honda UK as its official team for the 15th year, the squad continues its mission to nurture homegrown talent and is committed to British motocross.
Led by Dave Thorpe, Britain’s most successful motocross racer and a three-time 500cc world champion with Honda, the team will focus on the revamped and extended Motul ACU British championship in 2025 where all three riders will compete.
Mewse will also race the Scottish championship, full UK Arenacross including the finale in Abu Dhabi, plus selected rounds of the world championship. The four-time British champion, now age 25, last year won the Fastest 40 championship and Weston Beach Race.
Confirmation of what other races Carpenter and Nicholls – a former GP rider and now Tru7 Group’s managing director – will contest will be announced soon.
For Bournemouth-based Carpenter, aged 25, he had his first ride on the 2025 Honda CRF450R this week in Spain as he begins his testing following almost six months away from racing due to surgery on a shoulder injury.
“It was great to get back riding again after so much time off,” said Carpenter. “And I have to say it’s the first time I have ridden a CRF450R and although we are about to begin serious testing, the set-up is already really good. It’s the same spec engine Conrad used last year which is impressive and really useable, and the bike handles so well.”
Carpenter hopes he will be able to recover the form he showed in 2022 when he was second in the British MX2 championship behind Mewse. That year he also won the MX Nationals MX2 series then switched to the MX1 class but has spent two years changing bikes and teams, and being sidelined with injuries.
“Working with the Crendon Tru7 Honda team and Dave Thorpe is going to be a huge boost that should help me move towards my goal this year which to get on the podium in the British championship,” said Carpenter.
It’s not the first time Carpenter has had help from Thorpe, who was involved with a Honda team that helped the young rider win the British MXY2 youth series on a CRF250R.
Team owner Dave Thorpe said: “Once again our main goal is to win the British MX1 championship and with Conrad Mewse and now Jamie Carpenter on the new Honda CRF450R, we are in a great place to be able to do that. Both are very talented and dedicated riders and we are thrilled to have them in the Crendon Tru7 Honda team in the MX1 class.
“And of course Jake Nicholls brings a huge amount of experience to the MX2 class. I can’t think of anyone better to help develop the new CRF250R and he is certainly very capable of some amazing results.” He may not be a full time professional rider any more but his determination, skill and speed is just incredible. He is a massive asset and I think that with the new bike, he will be capable of surprising a lot of people this year. Everything points towards a fantastic 2025 season, the riders are all training and testing and we can’t wait to get racing.”