Reigning champion Herlings is ruled out of opening round

JEFFREY Herlings will miss the first round of the new World Motocross Championships season in Argentina tomorrow as the broken bones in his foot are taking longer to heel than anticipated.

However, the 500cc champion is banking on being at Matterley Basin, near Alton, in Hampshire, for the second round in the British Grand Prix in three weeks time (March 24).

The British contingent are much the same as last year in the 500cc event and the 250cc, with Shaun Simpson, Tommy Searle and Max Anstie in the former, and Ben Watson, Adam Sterry and Conrad Mewse in the latter.

Last year’s 500cc

runner-up, Antonio Cairoli, is expected to take advantage of Herlings’ absence in Argentina, but the Italian still faces a star line up at Neuquen, including Clement Desalle, Max Nagl, Romain Febvre, Glenn Coldenhoff, Pauls Jonass and Thomas Olsen.

Yate-based Wessex Plant Hire are sponsoring the British Sidecar Trial Championships for the sixth year on the trot and the 11-round series begins at Dunsfold, in Surrey, tomorrow in the Normandy Club’s Ray Thomas Cup promotion.

Reigning champions Joshua and Luke Golding, who won the title for the first time last year, head a 28-crew line-up for a two-lap, 18-section event at Rams Lane.

Their main rivals are their longtime mentors Jon Tuck and Matt Sparks, now that former title-holders Nigel Crellin and Ealish Baxter have seemingly retired from the sport.

Billy Green, winner of the Exmoor Club’s South West Centre Championship trial at Bridgetown, in West Somerset, last weekend is competing in the Moretonhampstead Club’s Lucy Wills Cup Trial in Drewston Woods, near Princetown, Dartmoor, which is expected to attract a 70-plus entry for a three-lap, 12-section event at an extremely popular venue including leading aces Henry Pym, Simon James, Scott Dommett, Connor Atkinson, Tyler Rendall and Toby Churchill.

The corresponding event had to be called off last year owing to vehicle parking problems on wet ground, but there should not be any problems on this occasion.

Other events that take place tomorrow include the Gloucester and Cotswold Club’s non-championship trial at Syde, near Stroud, which never fails to attract a big entry, and the Wilts Border Club’s Wessex Centre Trial at Smith’s Farms and Piggeries at Stanton St Quinton, on the A429 Chippenham to Malmesbury road, which is a mile or so from the M4 motorway and, like the Lucy Wills event, can be entered at the start.

The 2019 MotoGP season begins next weekend with the VisitQatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit in the Middle East.