2018 Be Wiser Hawkstone International preview
By Team TMX on 9th Feb 18
Motocross Hawkstone International
After weeks and weeks of anticipation, this weekend Sunday, February 11 to be a tad more precise will witness the running of the 2018 Be Wiser Hawkstone International in association with Bridgestone. With three awesome line-ups now confirmed, the on-track action in the MX1, MX2 and MXY2 classes is sure to be amazing.
Leading the way in MX1 will be three-time MX2 world champion and the man many would say is the fastest sand rider on the planet Jeffrey Herlings. This will be the first time that the 23-year-old Dutchman has ridden Hawkstone Park on a 450 and if any of his MX2 appearances are anything to go by it should make for mind-blowing viewing.
Joining Jeffrey on the MX1 start gate will be his team-mate Glenn Coldenhoff and fellow GP stars Max Anstie, Tommy Searle, Gautier Paulin, Arminas Jasikonis, Jonathan Bengtsson, Evgeny Bobryshev and Jordi Tixier.
Joining the established world championship stars will be home-grown heroes including current British champion Graeme Irwin who of course will be doing the full GP series in 2018 and ex-champ Brad Anderson. All three riders should feature at the sharp end and all three have the potential to be top Brit at the end of it all.
Theres one other UK passport holder who were expecting great things from and thats enduro ace Nathan Watson. After embarrassing more than a few GP riders as he blasted by them on his road legal KTM at last years event the 22-year-old from Nottingham who apparently shares his birthday with our chunky editor is back again and ready to collect more scalps!
Other guys worth keeping an eye on are Gert Krestinov, Dan Thornhill, Ryan Houghton and Carlton Husband plus someone wholl probably be nearer the back of the pack Barry Turnbull. The twinshock star will be riding a 1987 which makes it older than all the riders in the class Honda CR500 in the big boy class. Be sure to give him a cheer as he pings past
Two-stroke fans will be pumped to know that 250 smokers are now eligible in the MX2 class with Le Touquet beach race ace Rob Holyoake being the first to exploit that fact on his Husqvarna. Hell be the guy on the bike with that fat pipe that smells and sounds funny we mean funny odd and not funny haha by the way!
Current MX2 world champ Pauls Jonass will be out to prove hes the alpha male in the 250 division on his Red Bull KTM ahead of the GPs starting in Argentina next month. Jonass ran 1-1 in least years event before blasting to fifth in the mixed-capacity Superfinal up against the 450s and itll be interesting to see if he can repeat or even better that feat in 2018.
Based on what we know already Rockstar Husqvarnas Thomas Kjer Olsen is likely to be the guy to push him hardest but there are a pack of highly capable and highly motivated young Brits whod like nothing more than to top the pair of them on the podium.
Current British champion Ben Watson and his predecessor Adam Sterry are probably favourites to achieve that task but dont discount Conrad Mewse, Martin Barr or Mel Pocock either.
Other international riders of note include TKOs team-mate Mikkel Haarup, Aussie Jed Beaton, Dutchman Davy Pootjes, Americas Marshal Weltin, Frenchman Zach Pichon and Belgiums Jago Geerts. Its a talent-packed class and its fair to expect bar-to-bar battles right the way through the pack
Although the MXY2 class is considered to be the support act to the five international races (two MX2, two MX1 and that oh-so awesome Superfinal) therell be no shortage of action as this crop of future champions and GP runners battle it out over three 15-minute plus one lap legs. Interestingly theres a 50/50 split of two and four-stroke competitors which only adds to the interest.
The action kicks off at 9am with MXY2 practice and qualifying then just keeps on keeping on until the Superfinal finishes at a smidge before half four.
2018 Hawkstone International Essential Info
Top Tip: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Jeffrey Herlings, Glenn Coldenhoff and Pauls Jonass will be on autograph duty at the WP Suspension display, 11:00-11:15am. Expect a big line!
Hawkstone International Ticket Prices
Top Tip: You can pay by card at the gate but we still suggest you stop off and raid the old cash machine en-route for food and some trade stands...
Entrance to the event costs a very reasonable 30 per person with free parking and free access to the pits all included.
If youre really lucky you might even get some free Hawkstone sand in your shoes to take home with you but shhhhh, dont tell anyone. Accompanied kids aged between five and 15 get in for 5 with four-year-olds and under getting to experience the whole shebang for free.
Entrance is by cash or card only but youll also need some money to bag a bargain from the trade stands and a hot drink, even possibly lunch from the food stands, so bring plenty but please leave dogs (although they are officially allowed), bicycles, pit bikes and bad attitudes at home.
2018 Hawkstone International Timetable
- 7.45 8.45am - Technical Control
- 9.00 9.15 - MXY2 Qualifying
- 9.20 10.00 - MX2 International Practice & Qualifying
- 10.05 10.40 - MX1 International Practice & Qualifying
- 10.45 - MXY2 Race 1 15 mins + 1 lap
- INTERVAL
- 12.00 - MX2 International Race 1 25 mins + 1 lap
- 12.40 - MX1 International Race 1 25 mins + 1 lap
- 13.15 - MXY2 Race 2 15 mins + 1 lap
- 13.40 - MX2 International Race 2 25 mins + 1 lap
- PRESENTATION TOP THREE MX2
- 14.25 MX1 International Race 2 25 mins + 1 lap
- PRESENTATION TOP THREE MX1
- 15.10 - MXY2 Race 3 15 mins + 1 lap
- 15.50 - MX1/MX2 Superfinal 25 mins + 2 laps
- PRESENTATION SUPERFINAL and MXY2
How to find Hawkstone Park
For SatNav users this is as easy as inputting SY4 4NA into the device of your choice but for the old-school map crew who dont already know their way to the UKs #1 motocross track instinctively then read on.
The Hawkstone Park motocross circuit is situated between the A53 and A49 near the villages of Hopton and Moston around 12 miles north-east of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.
The exit to Hawkstone off the A49 is between the B5065 and B5063 and is signposted Booley/Stanton.
The exit off the A53 is signposted Lee Brockhurst/West Midland Shooting Ground and is just to the west of the roundabout where the A442 crosses the A53.
Whatever you do please dont follow the brown tourist signs to Hawkstone Park historic follies as thats really not the place to find hardcore international motocross action.
2018 Hawkstone International Rider Entry List
MX1
| No. | Name | Machine | CC | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graeme Irwin | Hitachi KTM UK | 450 | Ireland |
| 2 | Chubbie Hammond | Samson Roofing/M Smith Electrical KTM | 350 | England |
| 4 | Harry Bradley | Hydrogarden/K-Tech/SM Pro/CGH/Off Road World Honda | 450 | England |
| 6 | Carlton Husband | Phoenix Tools Apico Honda Racing | 450 | England |
| 10 | Barry Turnbull | Apico/Putoline/Vapor Blasting/JR Racing Honda | 500 | England |
| 20 | Yentel Martens | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | 450 | Belgium |
| 21 | Gautier Paulin | Rockstar Energy Iceone Husqvarna Factory Racing | 450 | France |
| 27 | Arminas Jasikonis | Assomotor Honda | 450 | Lithuania |
| 37 | Gert Krestinov | Phoenix Tools Apico Honda Racing | 450 | Estonia |
| 44 | Corie Southwood | St Blazey MX/ACS Carpentry Husqvarna | 450 | Wales |
| 45 | Mike Gijbertsen | Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing | 450 | Holland |
| 54 | James Smith | McDermotts Building & Civil Engineering KTM | 350 | England |
| 60 | Brad Anderson | Verde Substance KTM | 450 | England |
| 68 | Shane Carless | Langmead Construction/Marsh MX/FUS Husqvarna | 450 | Wales |
| 70 | Luke Davies | Larkspur Racing/R Martin Freeweights & Speed/Freestyle Bikes Yamaha | 450 | Wales |
| 84 | Jeffrey Herlings | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 450 | Holland |
| 91 | Charlie Putnam | I Fly JK Yamaha | 450 | England |
| 93 | Jonathan Bengtssen | Team Glasakuten KTM | 450 | Sweden |
| 94 | Sven van der Mierden | Hutten Metaal Yamaha Racing | 450 | Yamaha |
| 95 | Dan Thornhill | Cab Screens Honda | 450 | England |
| 99 | Max Anstie | Rockstar Energy Iceone Husqvarna Factory Racing | 450 | England |
| 100 | Tommy Searle | Bike It DRT Kawasaki | 450 | England |
| 107 | Lars Van Berkel | SKS Husqvarna | 450 | Holland |
| 119 | Ryan Houghton | RHR Yamaha UK | 450 | England |
| 134 | Liam Knight | Evotech/RFX/Talon/Leatt/Pope Racing KTM | 350 | England |
| 136 | Nick Enstrom | JSR/Crownkiwi/A Stars/Ride 100%/Hinson/Dunlop/Bell Honda | 450 | New Zealand |
| 148 | Micky Eccles | Husqvarna | 450 | England |
| 153 | James Harrison | Cab Screens Honda | 450 | England |
| 166 | Josh Taylor | Dirt Wheelz UK Kawasaki | 450 | England |
| 195 | Rob Clitheroe | RAD RSS Yamaha | 450 | England |
| 199 | Jake Edey | KTM | 350 | England |
| 227 | Kristian Whatley | RHR Yamaha UK | 450 | England |
| 237 | Benjamin Rice | Baydale D3 Racing/Outdoor Power & Plant Ltd KTM | 450 | England |
| 259 | Glenn Coldenhoff | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 450 | Holland |
| 311 | Aaron McCarroll | RAD RSS Yamaha | 450 | Scotland |
| 360 | Nathan Dixon | RFX Crescent Yamaha | 450 | Wales |
| 731 | Jake Shipton | RFX Crescent Yamaha | 450 | England |
| 777 | Evgeny Bobryshev | Lombard Express Suzuki | 450 | Russia |
| 911 | Jordi Tixier | BOS Project KTM | 450 | France |
| 919 | Nathan Watson | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Enduro | 450 | England |
MX2
| No. | Name | Machine | CC | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pauls Jonass | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 250 | Latvia |
| 2 | Daniel Preston | JK Jointing Ltd Husqvarna | 250 | Wales |
| 4 | Rob Yates | IDS Bridgestone Yamaha | 250 | England |
| 11 | Mikkel Haarup | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | 250 | Denmark |
| 14 | Jed Beaton | F&H Kawasaki | 250 | Australia |
| 15 | Henry Williams | RFX Crescent Yamaha | 250 | Wales |
| 19 | Thomas Kjer Olsen | Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing | 250 | Denmark |
| 24 | Kevin Horgmo | Creymert Racing KTM | 250 | Norway |
| 27 | Chris Mills | Theo Eggens Racing Honda | 250 | England |
| 30 | Chris Nuttall | MHP Racing KTM | 250 | England |
| 31 | Robbie Dowson | RHR Yamaha UK | 250 | England |
| 32 | Marcel Conijn | Gebben/Van Venrooy Kawasaki | 250 | Holland |
| 34 | Micha Boy de Waal | Jumbo - No Fear- Vamo Honda | 250 | Holland |
| 38 | Gavin Stevenson | Manchester MC Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 40 | James Wainwright | Gear4/Pure Building/Wainwright Haulage & Plant KTM | 250 | England |
| 46 | Davy Pootjes | LRT KTM | 250 | Holland |
| 50 | Martin Barr | Revo Husqvarna UK | 250 | Ireland |
| 54 | Corey Hockey | Cheddar MX | 250 | England |
| 56 | Marshal Weltin | Jumbo - No Fear- Vamo Honda | 250 | USA |
| 60 | Dylan Woodcock | Revo Husqvarna UK | 250 | England |
| 61 | Tom Grimshaw | HCR/Putoline/Apico Factory Racing Yamaha | 250 | England |
| 65 | James Mackrel | G + G Ross/ Hardcore Racing Yamaha | 250 | Ireland |
| 70 | Ruben Fernandez | F&H Kawasaki | 250 | Spain |
| 71 | David Finnamore | Russells/ G + G Ross Honda | 250 | Ireland |
| 82 | Charlie Cole | Husky Sport/Michelin/Decade/MR Sport Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 99 | Howard Wainwright | SR75 Suzuki GB Development Team | 250 | England |
| 101 | Zach Pichon | Team KRJ KTM | 250 | France |
| 119 | Mel Pocock | Revo Husqvarna UK | 250 | England |
| 122 | Jake Sheridan | RSR Plant Services KTM | 250 | Ireland |
| 172 | Rob Holyoake | Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 180 | Josh Spinks | SPS MX/Worx Financial Services/M-Smith KTM | 250 | England |
| 193 | Jago Geerts | Kemea Yamaha | 250 | Belgium |
| 199 | Lars Griekspoor | KTM | 250 | Holland |
| 219 | Lewis Hall | Monster Army Team Green Kawasaki | 250 | England |
| 242 | Jack Bintcliffe | Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 300 | Ben Franklin | Chambers Racing Husqvarna | 250 | England |
| 426 | Conrad Mewse | Hitachi KTM UK | 250 | England |
| 575 | Taylor Hammal | KTM | 250 | England |
| 811 | Adam Sterry | F&H Kawasaki | 250 | England |
| 919 | Ben Watson | Kemea Yamaha | 250 | England |
MXY2
| No. | Name | Machine | CC | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Zach Cooper | D Cooper Motor Repairs Ltd KTM | 125 | Gloucester |
| 3 | Luke Goodwin | Dave Clarke Racing Husqvarna | 125 | Preston |
| 4 | Kieran Thomas | Herts MX/94 MX/Putoline/Rathmell Sports Husky | 125 | Welwyn Garden City |
| 10 | Ben Kennedy | Russells M/Cycles/G Force Suspension Yamaha | 125 | Saintfield |
| 11 | Max Ingham | Hardcore Racing Yamaha | 125 | Isle of Man |
| 22 | Todd Leadbitter | Trevor Pope M/Cycles/WFO/MX Dubai KTM | 250 | Maidenhead |
| 26 | Callum Crossland | N-Gage/RFX/Moto Connection KTM | 250 | York |
| 30 | Mark Bracegirdle | KTM | 125 | Crays Hill |
| 44 | Keelan Southwood | JK Jointing Ltd Husqvarna | 125 | Tonypandy |
| 47 | Ben Evans | KGBM Yamaha | 250 | Bickerton |
| 48 | Adam Collings | Vega Solutions/HCR KTM | 125 | Brimpton |
| 52 | Harry Foster | KTM | 250 | Burscough |
| 57 | Kyle McNicol | Manchester MC Racing Husqvarna | 125 | Dumbarton |
| 69 | Alex Thornton | SM Racing/BO Motor Oil TM | 125 | Preston |
| 74 | Tom Murphy | MBO Husqvarna | 125 | Romford |
| 90 | Dominic Lancett | KJS Racing Team KTM | 125 | Cross Keys |
| 98 | Marshall Smith | TM | 125 | Tarporley |
| 100 | Seth Moir | Dyce Carriers Ltd Kawasaki | 250 | Kintore |
| 101 | Ben Clark | RFX Crescent Yamaha | 250 | Braintree |
| 118 | Jaydon Murphy | JK Ifly Yamaha | 250 | Newport |
| 138 | Kathryn Booth | JK Ifly Yamaha/Vision MX | 250 | Spalding |
| 148 | Aaron Colley | Husqvarna | 125 | Gloucester |
| 150 | Aaron Patstone | Team Park Lane/L & D Supplies KTM | 250 | Leamington Spa |
| 159 | Caiden Wilkinson | Putoline/Hardcore/Dunlop/Decade/AMPED Yamaha | 125 | Glapthorn |
| 174 | Lewis King London | Island Coach Works Yamaha | 250 | Shanklin |
| 181 | Ryan Thompson | Drysdale MC/Central Forestry Husqvarna | 125 | Perth |
| 222 | Jake Winnard | Sadd MX/Hardcore Racing/Motul/Shocktech Yamaha | 250 | Rochdale |
| 231 | Rory Jones | J4M54/Serchem/T Loveday/SRH Husqvarna | 250 | Telford |
| 365 | Sam Nunn | Yamaha | 125 | Newmarket |
| 433 | Jack Lindsay | Apico Racing Husqvarna | 125 | Kingswinford |
| 448 | Denny Rapson | Team Dean Husqvarna | 250 | Barnsley |
| 575 | Declan Hunter | RSS/7T/Box Doctor KTM | 125 | Charnock Richard |
| 582 | Cullen Scott | Tiso Blackstar Abil KTM | 125 | Stoke Row |
| 712 | Josh Peters | Cab Screens Honda | 250 | Boarley End |
| 744 | Ethan Etheridge | Styler MX/AES Rescue Northampton Husqvarna | 125 | Northampton |
| 771 | Gregor Campbell | KTM | 125 | Portincaple |
| 805 | Patrick Jackson | APJ Commercials KTM | 125 | Malton |
| 912 | Joel Rizzi | RFX Crescent Yamaha | 125 | Denbigh |
| 941 | James Hanscomb | Apex Motocross KTM | 125 | Woolhope |
For further information please take a gander at the events official website www.hawkstoneinternationalmx.com.
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