Conrad Mewse and his Crendon Tru7 Honda team-mate Taylor Hammal delivered a knockout blow to their rivals in round two of the Fastest 40 championship on Saturday by taking first and second places on the podium.
Mewse continued his unbeaten run in the series with a dominant double win while Hammal went one better than the opening round by finishing runner-up overall in the hot and sweaty conditions on the super-rough sand track at Preston Docks in Lancashire.
The duo got off to a great start, with Mewse fastest from Hammal in first practice and the day ended with Hammal following his fellow Honda CRF450R rider home for second place.
But the top step of the podium belonged to reigning champ Mewse, who was 2.6secs quicker than anyone in qualifying to take pole position. In the first race he was even more dominant with a fastest lap almost four seconds faster than anyone else despite still not being fully fit after recovering from a pre-season ankle injury. Mewse didn’t make the greatest start in the opener and picked off his rivals to end the first lap in fifth place. He picked off the riders in front of him one by one to take the lead from guest rider John Adamson on lap three, with Tristan Purdon right behind. Adamson went out when his rear tyre came off the rim, putting the South African in a safe but distant second place.
Meanwhile Hammal was putting on the ride of the race as he carved through the pack after a bad start. He rounded lap one in 15th place then put on a staggering surge forward. Although he was feeling under the weather after recovering from Covid just a few days before, he dug deep and made a relentless charge through to third place.
Second time out Mewse blasted his Crendon Tru7 Honda into the lead in the first corner, with Hammal third behind Irishman Stuart Edmonds on his Honda CRF450R. The 24-year-old Hammal moved into second on the second lap and tried to give chase to Mewse. But Mewse was once again flawless as he pulled away to a clear win from Hammal, who beat third-placed Purdon by eight seconds.
That gave Mewse the overall and Hammal second from Purdon, who took third overall. Mewse still retains the red plate from Purdon and Hammal.
It was also a good day for Crendon Tru7 Honda rider Callum Green, who loved the sandy, rough conditions and took his first top ten race finish of the season.
The 24-year-old came around 20th on the opening lap of the first race and pulled through to 13t h at the flag. Then in race he came through from 15th on the first lap to a solid tenth place, a single spot behind last year’s MX2 champ Carlton Husband. That gave him 11th overall and he stays 11th in the series, but is determined to break into the top ten overall in the next round at Landrake in Cornwall.
Mewse said: “It was a good day but tough. It means I have two more races under my belt and I’m still feeling it a bit from the injury. It’s not the ankle, I’m just not fit enough yet. I still have some work to do. But I had two solid races and I’m just trying to get to where I was, fitness wise.
“In the first race I made a little error off the gate but my speed was good and made some good passes on the first few laps. I got into the lead and pulled a gap. Then race two was perfect as I took the holeshot and pulled away to the win. So it was a good day, results-wise. I’ll keep working hard and get to where I want to be.”
Hammal said: “I got second overall but it was a bit of a struggle. I don’t want to make excuses but I had been ill with Covid last week so I felt a bit lethargic all day. But I was especially happy to manage second in the last race which is where I should be.
“In the first one I had a terrible start. I’m struggling to the starts so I need to sort them out and it’ll be much better.”
Green said: “I struggled at the start of the day and wasn’t great in qualifying. Then in the first race I was just trying too hard and being a bit too aggressive. I didn’t have a great start so 13th is all I got. But the second race was much better – the best race I’ve had in a very long time. It was good to make some passes and get by some good lads to get into the top ten.
“I’ve now got a good feeling going to the next race at Canada Heights and it’s a sandy track so is more my style. It has more give so I can be a bit more aggressive.”
The team moves to round two of the ACU British championship on at Canada Heights in Kent on May 26. In this series, Mewse and Green race the CRF450R in the MX1 class while Hammal will race the Honda CRF250R alongside Jake Nicholls in the MX2 class.