No storm is going to stop Hawkstone Park from running the famous international on Sunday, as four times world champ Jeffrey Herlings takes on all comers in the biggest International of the Year.
Herlings missed last year’s race due to injury but he’s fit and ready to go on his new factory KTM in the MX1 class. But he’ll have a tough time from fellow Dutchman and winning MX of Nations rider Glenn Coldenhoff who now heads the factory Standing Construct Gas Gas team. It’s believed he’ll still be on a KTM for Hawkstone, the bike that forms the basis of the Gas Gas that he’ll debut at the British GP at Matterley in three weeks.
A raft of top MXGP riders will be making their big 2020 international debuts at Hawstone, such as ex-HRC 250 man Calvin Vlaanderen and his new Gebben Yamaha team-mate Thomas Covington – fresh from a season in the USA.
Former factory Yamaha MX2 ace, Frenchman Benoit Paturel, heads the all-new Jacky Martens-run JM Racing Honda team where he is joined by Belgian team-mates Yentel Martens and Julien Lieber. The stacked field also includes former MX2 world champion Jordi Tixier, now on a KTM, and Belgian veteran Kevin Strijbos on his own Suzuki.
Experienced GP riders like former British champion, Russian Evgeny Bobryshev, makes his debut for the PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna squad after a year marred by a broken leg. And Estonian Harri Kullas will be battleing for top honours on his CAB Screens Deos Group Honda.
Of course, the British contingent is strong and will be battling to get on terms with the foreign invaders. British champ Tommy Searle makes his race debut for the Buildbase Honda team alongside his team-mate Jake Nicholls.
And former British champ Shaun Simpson is always a threat for the win. He’ll be making his race debut on his own team, the SS24 KTM. Also out on a KTM is the only other British full-tome MXGP rider, Adam Sterry who is riding for the Czech-nased JD Gunnex squad. It’s his first big race on 450s after moving up from MX2.
Out on new machines for 2020 are Martin Barr on the BRT KTM and Mel Pocock on the MSR Redline Honda while Jake Millward is back on his Chambers Racing Husqvarna.
In the MX2 class, the man who many think will be a favourite to take the world crown is Thomas Kjer Olsen on the Rockstar Husqvarna, backed up by his team-mates Jed Beaton and Kay de Wolf.
Olsen was second in the world championship in 2019 and with champ Jorge Prado moving up to 450s, it could be his chance to shine. But on the eve of the race, Husky announced he’s out with a hand injury. So with no Ben Watson also recovering from injury, last year’s world number three, Jago Geerts on the Monster Energy Yamaha is the top man. And the youngster who made his Hawkstone debut last year for the factory Red Bull KTM team, Tom Vialle is back. And with a year’s experience under his belt, he should be far stronger. His new team-mate Rene Hofer will be backing him up, too.
Of course there are lots of top British riders aiming for a shot at glory, such as Josh Gilbert (PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna) and former world junior champ Steven Clarke, now on the Buildbase Honda. And with 250 two-strokes now allowed in MX2, battling Briton Brad Anderson will be out on the Verde Substance KTM 250 smoker and hoping to make a big impact.
The top men from the MX1 and MX2 classes combine in the unique Superfinal which is a great chance to see who really is top dog around the famous Hawkstone Park.
Two-stroke fans will also be in for a treat as the support class is an EMX125 race that sees Liam Everts, son of ten-times world champ Stefan Everts, taking on allcomers including British teen stars Joel Rizzi and Jack Grayshon on the Apico 2-Stroke Festival KTM.
| MX1 | ||||
| No | Name | Machine | cc | Country |
| 6 | Benoit Paturel | JM Racing Honda | 450 | France |
| 7 | Will Hughes | SRH Husqvarna | 450 | Wales |
| 13 | Aaron-Lee Hanson | Geoff Westerby M/Cycles Honda | 450 | England |
| 15 | Jake Millward | Chambers Racing Husqvarna | 450 | England |
| 20 | Yentel Martens | JM Racing Honda | 450 | Belgium |
| 22 | Kevin Strijbos | KSRTMX Suzuki | 450 | Belgium |
| 24 | Shaun Simpson | SS24 KTM Racing Team | 450 | Scotland |
| 28 | John Robson | Bikesport KTM | 450 | England |
| 32 | Brent van Doninck | ASA United Husqvarna | 450 | Belgium |
| 33 | Julien Lieber | JM Racing Honda | 450 | Belgium |
| 34 | Micha Boy De Waal | BT Racing Husqvarna | 450 | Holland |
| 44 | Corie Southwood | Langmead & Hay Race Team Kawasaki | 450 | Wales |
| 45 | Jake Nicholls | Buildbase Honda | 450 | England |
| 49 | John Adamson | Gabriel Insulation KTM | 450 | Scotland |
| 50 | Martin Barr | BRT KTM | 450 | Ireland |
| 53 | Greg Smets | KTM | 450 | Belgium |
| 57 | Tony Craig | RHR Racing / Drysdale Yamaha | 450 | Scotland |
| 64 | Thomas Covington | Gebben van Venrooy Yamaha Racing | 450 | USA |
| 68 | Josh Bentley | DRT Kawasaki | 450 | England |
| 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 450 | Holland |
| 95 | Dan Thornhill | Cab Screens Deos Group Honda | 450 | England |
| 100 | Tommy Searle | Buildbase Honda | 450 | England |
| 119 | Mel Pocock | MSR Redline Honda | 450 | England |
| 134 | Liam Knight | Gabriel Insulation KTM | 450 | England |
| 149 | Callum Green | Yamaha | 450 | England |
| 151 | Harri Kullas | Cab Screens Deos Group Honda | 450 | Estonia |
| 152 | Petar Petrov | VHR Nordpesca KTM | 450 | Bulgaria |
| 190 | Luke Benstead | GH Motorcycles Husqvarna | 450 | England |
| 259 | Glenn Coldenhoff | Standing Construct Gas Gas Factory Racing | 450 | Holland |
| 263 | Luke Parker | Matt Pope M/Cycles/HRM Boilers Kawasaki | 450 | England |
| 297 | Anton Gole | JWR Racing Honda | 450 | Sweden |
| 300 | Charlie Hamlet | Honda | 450 | England |
| 360 | Nathan Dixon | PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna | 450 | England |
| 361 | Pip Davies | Wildmoor Grabaway/Neil R Davies/Atoz Lloyd Yamaha | 450 | England |
| 411 | Erki Kahro | Kahro Racing KTM | 450 | Estonia |
| 555 | Artem Guryev | JM Racing Honda | 450 | Russia |
| 777 | Evgeny Bobryshev | PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna | 450 | Russia |
| 811 | Adam Sterry | JD GUNNEX KTM RACING TEAM | 450 | England |
| 911 | Jordi Tixier | Team VHR KTM Racing | 450 | France |
| 994 | Harry Bradley | Hydrogarden/K Tech/Oakley/Thor/Off Road World Suzuki | 450 | England |
MX2
| MX2 | ||||
| No | Name | Machine | cc | Town/Country |
| 3 | Josh Gilbert | PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 4 | Rob Yates | IDS Transport/Goggle Shop.com Yamaha | 250 | England |
| 9 | Lewis Hall | Team Green Kawasaki | 250 | England |
| 11 | Mikkel Haarup | F & H Racing Team Kawasaki | 250 | Denmark |
| 14 | Jed Beaton | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 | 250 | Australia |
| 16 | Tom Grimshaw | Chambers Racing Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 22 | Gianluca Facchetti | Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing | 250 | Italy |
| 25 | Jamie Law | Apico Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 28 | Tom Vialle | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 250 | France |
| 32 | Calum Mitchell | SF Racing/Stebbings Car S/Market/Fabrican Eng KTM | 250 | England |
| 39 | Roan van de Moosdijk | F & H Racing Team Kawasaki | 250 | Holland |
| 40 | Jamie Wainwright | Pure Building SVS/SBE Sabine Brother/Wainwright Plant & Haulage KTM | 250 | England |
| 52 | Jack Bintcliffe | Yamaha | 250 | England |
| 58 | Patrick Gilligan | Admodular Ltd/SJP Moto Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 60 | Brad Anderson | Verde Substance KTM Racing | 250 | England |
| 77 | Jay Hague | Chambers Racing Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 99 | Howard Wainwright | RHR Yamaha Racing | 250 | England |
| 100 | Rob Wood | MI Design Associates Yamaha | 250 | England |
| 102 | Richard Sikyna | JD GUNNEX KTM RACING TEAM | 250 | Slovakia |
| 104 | Jeremy Sydow | DIGA PROCROSS KTM | 250 | Germany |
| 111 | Max Ingham | HCR Yamaha/Elas Business Support/1664 Developments | 250 | England |
| 114 | Kay de Wolf | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 | 250 | Holland |
| 115 | Ashton Dickinson | Craigs Templant Multi-Tek KTM | 250 | England |
| 116 | David Blackburn | Blackburn Motorbodies Honda | 250 | England |
| 180 | Leopold Ambjornsson | Husqvarna | 250 | Sweden |
| 184 | James Carpenter | POL Motors Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 193 | Jago Geerts | Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing MX2 | 250 | Belgium |
| 198 | Thibault Benistant | Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing | 250 | France |
| 199 | Lars Griekspoor | Griekspoor Racing KTM | 250 | Holland |
| 261 | Jorgen Matthias Talviku | ASA United Husqvarna | 250 | Estonia |
| 272 | Neville Bradshaw | Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 365 | Sam Nunn | RHR Yamaha Racing | 250 | England |
| 511 | Steven Clarke | Buildbase Honda | 250 | England |
| 516 | Simon Laengenfelder | DIGA PROCROSS KTM | 250 | Germany |
| 575 | Taylor Hammal | RHR Yamaha Racing | 250 | England |
| 601 | Kelton Gwyther | Motor 2000/JG Bricklaying/Allen Ford/SC Sporthomes KTM | 250 | England |
| 711 | Rene Hofer | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 250 | Austria |
| 772 | Jarni Kooij | TBS Conversions KTM | 250 | Belgium |
EMX 125
| EMX 125 | ||||
| No | Name | Machine | cc | Town/Country |
| 4 | Matt Tolley | IDS Transport KTM | 125 | Pershore |
| 5 | Harvey James | Foxhayes Car Sales/NC Groundworks Ltd KTM | 125 | Exeter |
| 6 | Olly Davidson | KTM | 125 | Wokingham |
| 10 | Harvey Cashmore | CI Sport/Elderfield M/Cycles/LRS Suspension KTM | 125 | Guildford |
| 14 | Samuel Davies | SBXtreme/The Grafix Shack/ET James KTM | 125 | Stourport |
| 15 | Joshua Fletcher Williams | Wildmoor Grabaway Ltd Yamaha | 125 | Stourbridge |
| 17 | Junior Bal | Deschacht-Ballini Team Husqvarna | 125 | Belgium |
| 19 | Joe Brookes | Cab Screens Deos Group Husqvarna | 125 | Worfield |
| 22 | Jak Taylor | KTM | 125 | Maesteg |
| 27 | Taylor Johnson | BTJ Construction/Gibson Tyre Technology KTM | 125 | Cheltenham |
| 28 | Charlie Griffiths | KTM | 125 | Cleobury Mortimer |
| 29 | Jason Down | LA Racing Fuels/BRP/Dingle and Way/Gibbs Yamaha | 125 | Totnes |
| 40 | Ezra Blackwell | Meredith MX/Moto 33/Foxhead Europe Suzuki | 125 | Winscombe |
| 45 | Tomos Wright | PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna | 125 | Builth Wells |
| 50 | Finley James | Foxhayes Car Sales KTM | 125 | Exeter |
| 53 | Harry Miles | Husqvarna | 125 | Gloucester |
| 70 | Staf Mertens | Yamaha | 125 | Belgium |
| 72 | Liam Everts | KTM | 125 | Belgium |
| 78 | Roan Delaney | DWMX Coaching KTM | 125 | Lydney |
| 89 | Jacob Randall | Apex KTM | 125 | Uley |
| 90 | Callum Baldwin | Newent Auto Centre/Fatree5/MRS/Pro Green/Bridgestone KTM | 125 | Ross on Wye |
| 99 | Jack Grayshon | Apico KTM UK | 125 | Leeds |
| 100 | Liam Gale | LR Commercials/Moto Xchange Husqvarna | 125 | Bristol |
| 101 | Jude Morris | FXR Europe Husqvarna | 125 | Wareham |
| 114 | Nicolas Vennekens | KTM | 125 | Belgium |
| 127 | Sam Atkinson | NON STARTER | ||
| 128 | Charlie Palmer | Passion Racing Powered by Midwest Husqvarna | 125 | Cheltenham |
| 171 | Arai Elcock | Manchester M/Cycles/Smiley Graffix/RSS Yamaha | 125 | Haslingden |
| 174 | Corey Collins | Collins Motor Co,RSS Suspension,SMPRO,Colwyn Bay KTM | 125 | Elton |
| 281 | Liam Ware | Yamaha | 125 | Hereford |
| 408 | Scott Smulders | BT Racing Husqvarna | 125 | Holland |
| 417 | Vinnie Guthrie | KTM | 125 | Yeovil |
| 422 | Camden McClellan | BT Racing Husqvarna | 125 | South Africa |
| 469 | Ryan de Beer | Grizzly Racing Services KTM | 125 | Holland |
| 472 | Leon Ongley | Westsole Fencing/723 Race Bikes/DEP Pipes Yamaha | 125 | Boxley |
| 489 | Jens Walvoort | Motor2000/JG Bricklaying KTM | 125 | Holland |
| 535 | Radek Vetrovsky | JD GUNNEX KTM RACING TEAM | 125 | Czechoslovakia |
| 579 | Bobby Bruce | 125 | Medway | |
| 711 | Louie Kessell | Judd Racing KTM | 125 | Redruth |
| 805 | Patrick Jackson | Eurotek/APJ Commercials KTM | 125 | Malton |
| 912 | Joel Rizzi | PAR Homes RFX Husqvarna | 125 | St Asaph |
| Time | Race | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, February 8 | ||
| 14:00 – 16:00 | Technical Control | |
| Sunday, February 9 | ||
| 07:45 | Technical Control | |
| 08:55 – 09:20 | EMX125 Practice & Qualifying | (15 minutes timed) |
| 09:25 – 10:00 | MX2 Practice & Qualifying | (15 minutes timed) |
| 10:05 – 10:40 | MX1 Practice & Qualifying | (15 minutes timed) |
| 10:45 | EMX125 Race One | (15 minutes plus one lap) |
| Interval | ||
| 12:00 | MX2 Race One | (25 minutes plus one lap) |
| 12:40 | MX1 Race One | (25 minutes plus one lap) |
| 13:20 | EMX125 Race Two | (15 minutes plus one lap) |
| 13:45 | MX2 Race Two | (25 minutes plus one lap) |
| 14:25 | MX1 Race Two | (25 minutes plus one lap) |
| 15:10 | EMX125 Race Three | (15 minutes plus one lap) |
| 15:50 | MX1/MX2 Superfinal | (25 minutes plus two laps) |
| Presentation | ||
| Top Three MX1 and MX2 | ||
| Top Three Superfinal | ||
| Georges Jobe Trophy Winner | ||
| Vaughan Semmens Memorial Trophy | ||
| Best British Rider, Top Five EMX125 |