The Crendon Tru7 Honda 450 team of Conrad Mewse and Jamie Carpenter were both in action at the weekend, with Mewse contesting the penultimate round of the Arenacross series in Aberdeen while Carpenter made his 2025 race debut at the gruelling Hawkstone Park International.
Packed with more than 15,000 spectators to watch some of the world’s top GP riders, the Hawkstone track was rutted, muddy and punishing but Carpenter got better as the day went on. On the 2025 Honda CRF450R he’s been riding in testing to get used to the bike, he found it difficult in the wet conditions in qualifying and was disappointed to take 19th.
But in the opening race, he fared better despite not getting the best of starts. In a packed field including three former world champions on factory machines, he battled through the hard conditions to bring the bike home in 15th place. He was fifth British rider over the line.
Second time out Carpenter improved again despite the conditions getting deeper and more tricky. He rounded the first lap in 15th place but got his head down and picked off riders in front as he made his way forward to an impressive 11th at the line. As all the top ten riders had extensive GP experience, it was a great ride for the Hampshire-based 25-year-old. He was third British rider, tailing Josh Gilbert and former British champ Adam Sterry. That gave Carpenter 12th overall.
He said: “It was my first race on the Crendon Tru7 Honda and a half decent day by the end. I started off quite rusty at the beginning and didn’t have a great qualifying. But I got stuck into it in both races.
“The conditions were the deepest I’ve ever ridden at Hawkstone. But it’s always hard work here. It was great to get some race time on the bike so early on as it’s at least a month before my next race. So I’m looking forward to the season and working with the team.”
Heading north of the border for the first time this year, Mewse arrived at the Aberdeen indoor venue determined to finally beat the rider who has won every single Arenacross round this season, fellow Honda rider Dean Wilson.
On the largest track of the season but also on the softest ground, it suited 25-year-old Mewse right from the off while former AMA supercross star Wilson was not as comfortable. Once again, Mewse topped his qualifying group then showed how fast he was by winning both his heat races to go through to the final where he faced Scottish-born Wilson.
The pair both made great starts but as Wilson took the lead, Mewse got bunched up with other riders and had to spend the first three lap coming through to second. He survived a landing on top of one of the trackside markers to get into runner-up spot on the third lap. By this time, Wilson had an incredible four second lead.
But Mewse, who had missed the opening round after injuring his shoulder in a pre-season test session, was in stunning form and began to reel in his rival, setting a fastest lap almost a second quicker than Wilson.
With the whoops being rutted instead of smooth, it was the one place where Mewse had a clear advantage and he caught Wilson. The crowd were on their feet as Mewse finally made his bid to take the lead through the whoops but the ruts and grabby conditions saw him lose control and go down. That gave Wilson the gap he needed to take another win while Mewse remounted for his fifth runner-up spot of the series.
Mewse said: “I was trying so hard to chase Dean and got loose a couple of times, but I was trying so hard to take the win. I gave it 110% and everyone saw that. I tried to win but it wasn’t enough. I’m feeling better with each week of racing and I always try to rise to the occasion so I’ll be going for the win in Manchester.”
The final round is at Manchester on 22 February. Arenacross photos courtesy Arenacross/ Mantis Pro Media.
