Mel Pocock raced to an emotional double win at round three of the Michelin MX Nationals at Hawkstone Park on Sunday. Following the tragic death of his friend and training partner Steven Lenoir six days earlier, Mel’s #119 front number plate was decked out in the French national colours. Organisers also gathered all riders and teams for a startline tribute before a lap of honour in memory of Steven.

After qualifying fastest in MX2 Mel took his FC 250 to a pair of class wins in the mixed-capacity Pro races, pushing up among the leading 450 riders in both races to extend his championship advantage.

Mark Yates (Team Principal) “Mel was amazing. In the first race he finished fifth overall and in the second he was fourth overall and in another lap he might have caught up to third. “He was in his own league in MX2 – there was no-one who could get near him. In the second race he was 35 seconds ahead of the next rider in MX2.

“It was a positive ending to what’s been a very sad week for everybody, especially Jordan and Mel who were close to Steven. It was great that Mel could honour Steven and dedicate his result to him.

“Everybody’s worked hard and I think we’ve made some big steps forward yet again. It puts us in a good position going into round five of the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship this weekend at Desertmartin.”

Mel Pocock – 1st overall MX2 (1-1) “I had the red plate and a 10-point lead coming into Hawkstone which was a small cushion.

“Going pole in MX2 was a great way to start the day and in race one I was second off the gate in MX2, had a short battle with Josh Spinks to get out front and then led the rest of the way.

“I got an even better start in the second moto and was fourth behind three MX1 guys which was amazing. I managed to hook onto the back of them for a good few laps which broke me away from the MX2 guys and allowed me to build a good lead.

“It was a comfortable race and I was able to back it down for the last few laps which is the first time I’ve been able to do that in a long time. “All round it was a great day for the REVO Husqvarna UK team and now I’ve got a 25-point lead which is mega. “It was an emotional weekend with the Steven Lenoir tribute. I’ve got to say that what they did on the startline was amazing and I was just happy to devote the win to the man we lost.”