Matterley Basin - Returning

Matterley Basin is known as a circuit that not only produces great racing, but also has amazing atmosphere. Built by Johnny Douglas Hamilton and promoted by Steve Dixon this facility is everything motocross should be and more. Despite it being a little more than a decade old Matterley Basin has seen some great battles and has quite a story-line of its own.

It was back in 2006 that Matterley Basin came alive as Stefan Everts and David Philippaerts won their respective classes at the first ever British Grand Prix held at the circuit.

In the MX2 class on that day two other Matterley favorites Antonio Cairoli and Tommy Searle finished second and third overall. Cairoli scored 40pts and won his first ever race at the circuit.

A few months later the best riders in the world returned to Matterley Basin as the Motocross of Nations was held. This time it was Team USA (James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Ivan Tedesco) who went home with the victory, but nobody will ever forget the battles between Stefan Everts and James Stewart in the MX1 class and Ryan Villopoto and Antonio Cairoli in the MX2 class.

Everts went 1-1 in front of one of the biggest motocross crowds ever seen for the MXoN, and RV scored 2-3 results for the MX2 overall, but it was Cairoli who scored his second moto victory at Matterley Basin for his second overall in the class.

After a handful of other circuits held the British Grand Prix from 2007 until 2010, Matterley Basin returned to the GP scene in 2011, and again Cairoli took a moto win as he scored victory in the MX1 class. Young German rider Ken Roczen won the MX2 class with 1-1 scores.

A year later in 2012 that man Cairoli goes 1-1 in the MX1 class, taking his fourth and fifth race wins at the circuit on his way to a dominant performance. In the MX2 class Tommy Searle and Jeffrey Herlings went to war as they battled for the small bike honors. Searle scored 1-1 results as Herlings crashed out of one race while on the back wheel of the Brit. The huge crowd went wild as the home boy handed the world champion defeat.

2013 and while Cairoli was able to pick up another moto win, it was Clement Desalle who won the MX1 overall with 2-1 results. In the MX2 class a classic GP was held as a handful of riders fought for the GP victory. With world MX2 champion Jeffrey Herlings out of the GP due to injury it was his countryman Glenn Coldenhoff who took the win.

In 2014 Cairoli went 1-2 for the MXGP overall victory and in doing so scored his seventh moto win from 12 starts. No doubt the last 10 years had seen Cairoli as the most decorated rider at the beautiful circuit build in a valley. In the MX2 class in 2014 the Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings finally scored his first GP victory at the circuit.

2015 and a surprise in the MX2 class as Valentin Guillod wins with 2-1 and beats Herlings for the overall. Herlings also went 1-2, but the wrong way around for victory.  Cairoli gets another win in England with 1-3 scores.

A year later, and the last time we visited Matterley Basin for a GP (2017 the Monster Energy FIM MXoN Presented by Fiat professional was held so no GP), and Herlings goes 1-1 for a win, and in MXGP it was Tim Gajser winning with 1-1 results and Cairoli could only muster 2-10 for sixth overall.

Now, we await possibly the best GP of the season, as Herlings looks to dominate Cairoli on a circuit both have massive success. Cairoli with GP wins in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, and Herlings winning in 2014 and 2016.