British MX1 champion Conrad Mewse put on a flawless display at the Landrake round of the series by running away with both races to move into the championship lead for the first time this season.

Adam Duckworth story and images

With three race wins now under his belt at the halfway point of the campaign, the Crendon Tru7 Honda man now holds a one-point lead over Ben Watson who has won two motos, with GP regular Oriol Oliver third, who has only won the very first race of the season.

Mewse started the day in good form with second in qualifying on the Cornish track that’s the nearest venue to his home in Shepton Mallet. He rocketed out of the gate in the opener in the lead but ran slightly wide in the first corner to exit in third place behind Steven Clarke and Oriol Oliver.

Oliver pushed too hard and wiped out on the face of the next jump, and Mewse was lucky to not get taken down. But the 28-year-old stayed focused, took the lead on the first lap then stretched out his winning margin to a huge 18 seconds in a masterful display of riding. His fastest lap was almost two seconds quicker than any of his rivals.

The second moto also started well for Mewse as he got a great jump off the gate, but he admitted he sat up on the bike too early and lost that initial advantage. He was well inside the top ten then made fast, calculated passes to move up behind race leader Watson. Recognising he was faster, Mewse quickly made a clean pass then focused on pulling away to clinch the win. This time his fastest lap was three seconds better than anyone else, and he won by an 8.8 second margin from Watson. This time Oliver took third after getting by Hammal on the very last lap.

Mewse celebrated his first double win in the series this year as he took the lead in the championship from Watson and Oliver.

Mewse said: “A perfect day with a double win and I’m now leading the championship which is so nice. It's been a while since we've had the red plate on the Honda so I couldn't be happier. I've been through a lot this season so to come out on top is a big weight off my shoulders.

“The track was very technical and a lot different to the first three rounds. We've gone from having three rounds of sand to slippery hard pack. The track guys did a fantastic job as there were plenty of passing options. They couldn't have prepped the track any better.

“In the first race I got a good start and moved into the lead quickly and got the win. In the second I was chasing Ben Watson and sometimes it's easier to be the chaser than to be chased. But one on corner I went outside and got so much drive – more than I expected to be honest! So yeah, it was nice to get the pass done and I concentrated on pulling away as fast as I could.

“It’s shaping up to be a good championship. All three of us are riding really well and it's going to be an exciting season but there’s still a long way to go. I’ll get my head down, keep working and I think this is just the beginning for me now.”

In contrast to Mewse’s elation, his Crendon Tru7 Honda MX1team-mate Jamie Carpenter had a tough day. Having sat out the races last weekend to recovered from injuries he sustained at the last British championship round, Carpenter was hampered by set-up issues as it was the first race of the year on hard pack.

He made changes after qualifying but never managed to get comfortable enough to show the sort of speed he usually has. He was 13th in the opener but improved to 11th in the second moto but still stays a strong sixth in the championship.

“I felt fit and fully recovered from my niggling injuries but just wasn’t comfortable all day. I’m obviously disappointed at the results but I will now spend time on the set-up issues to make sure I’m ready for the next race,” he said.

In the MX2 class, it was another impressive day for 18-year-old Charlie Richmond on the Honda CRF250R. Eighth in qualifying was a strong performance on a track that was very slippery after overnight rain.

He made some suspension changes for the first race and used a wide, outside line to get a fantastic start – rounding the first corner in the top three. But with the track a lot drier and more rutted and new suspension settings to get used to, he lost a handful of places and held seventh.

Once he got used to the bike, he began to push forward and closed in on the riders in front of him including Billy Askew. He chased Askew home but couldn’t get close enough to make a pass and ended up seventh.

In the second race Richmond didn’t get such a good start but was quickly in seventh place, tailing Joel Rizzi, when the race was red flagged so medics could attend to an injured rider.

The re-start was a staggered start, where each rider set off individually in the order they were in the first part of the race. So, Richmond started seventh, and once again pushed Rizzi as hard as he could but couldn’t get by the more experienced rider.

Richmond’s pair of seventh places meant his consistency paid off and he took sixth overall and is seventh in the series.

He said: “I had such a good start in the first race but as I’d made bike changes after qualifying, it took me a few laps to get used to it. So, I lost a few places but once I was happy, I could really push on and was chasing Billy Askew. Shame I couldn’t get such a good start in race two but another seventh for sixth overall is a good result.”

Team manager Ryan Thorpe said: “What a day for team, with obviously the highlight being Conrad’s performance to win and finally get the red plate on the Crendon Tru7 Honda. All day he was full of confidence, and you only have to look at the lap times to see how much faster he was than anyone else. It was a stunning performance, and I’m pleased that he told me how happy he is on the bike. That’s a testament to the team to be able to get the set-up just right for him. It was set-up issues that hampered Jamie’s results and we have a plan now to make some changes, and we’ll be testing a lot in the run up to the next round. And again, Charlie continues to impress everyone with his speed and consistency in his first ever pro MX2 season. Great starts, great line choices on a tricky track and he’s learning so much so quickly.”

Results

MX1

1 Conrad Mewse 50

2 Ben Watson 44

3 Oriol Oliver 38

4 Taylor Hammal 38

5 Tom Grimshaw 30

6 Todd Kellett 30

7 Triston Purdon 28

8 Cameron Durow 26

9 Charlie Cole 22

10 Ben Edwards 22

13 Jamie Carpenter 26

Championship points after 4 rounds

1 Conrad Mewse 127

2 Ben Watson 176

3 Oriol Oliver 165

4 Taylor Hammal 143

5 Tristan Purdon 97

6 Jamie Carpenter 87

7 Ben Edwards 87

8 Tom Grimshaw 86

9 Bobby Bruce 86

10 Adam Sterry 63

MX2

1 Ben Mustoe 47

2 Charlie Heyman 43

3 Tommy Searle 40

4 Billy Askew 37

5 Ollie Colmer 29

6 Charlie Richmond 28

7 Gyan Doensen 28

8 Joel Rizzi 25

9 Freddie Bartlett 24

10 Josh Vail 19

Championship points after 4 rounds

1 Charlie Heyman 174

2 Ben Mustoe 137

3 Tommy Searle 131

4 Gyan Doensen 127

5 Billy Askew 108

6 Joe Brookes 106

7 Charlie Richmond 101

8 Joel Rizzi 92

9 Josh Vail 91

10 Ollie Colmer 77