Conrad Mewse has been a pleasure to watch in this year’s Arenacross championship. After missing the first round of the AX World Tour qualifiers and British championship in Birmingham, he’s come back into the tour showing serious speed and commitment.

Yet, that hasn’t awarded him with a win as he’s come up against a formidable opponent in Dean Wilson. The Arenacross British title is one Mewse really wants to win to add to his haul of many British motocross titles and not forgetting his 85cc Junior World title.

The Crendon Tru 7 Honda Racing star is currently third in the Arenacross British championship, 34 points off the leader Wilson who has won every round. With double points on the line at the final round in Manchester’s AO Arena this weekend it’s still possible for Conrad to be crowned Arenacross champ, albeit a long shot, but as proven he’ll keep fighting and giving 100%.

The AX team caught up with Conrad this week to see how he feels coming into this weekend’s AX British finale and the final World Tour qualifier, on what’s set to be a brilliant 100th night of Arenacross in the U.K before the World Tour Finals at the awesome Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi on July 5th.

How has the AX series been for you this year?

Missing the first round is never an ideal way to start a championship but unfortunately, it is what it is and injuries are part and parcel of the sport. The rest of the season has gone great for me so far, I’ve really enjoyed racing Arenacross. The same as I said the last two years, it’s the most fun I have racing a bike. It’s such an awesome series and buzz to race. There’s some tough competition this year, especially with Dean (Wilson) coming in for the British championship and all the other international riders for the World Tour, so it’s nice to challenge myself again and raise the bar, it keeps me on my toes.

You are noticeably faster and better at Arenacross this year, does it feel like it and what did you take away from the previous tours?

I learned a lot in my first year of racing Arenacross in 2023 and I took a lot of positives away from it actually. A lot I could carry across into my motocross season. One of those being just the intensity and how slow I got into things. When I first started in AX I struggled to get into the tracks and dial them in quickly, I would tend to come better as the night show went on and my last few laps of the finals would be my best laps of the day. I knew I had to improve on that and make sure I was up to speed from the start, so I had to change my riding program in the week to do that but that’s massively helped me in my outdoor racing, so yeah, there’s a lot of positives for me in racing Arenacross.

Now you've experienced Arenacross enough, what do you think it brings to the table for off road motorcycling in the UK?

To be honest, I think AX is a massive benefit to motocross and off-road motorcycling in the UK and to my program and my plan, it’s a no brainer really. It’s so good to train for, and I’d go as far to say even if you’re not racing it because it sharpens your skills. Just the way you need to be alert to stuff, your timing, the rhythms and just learning new skills all the time, it just keeps you on your toes as a rider and I think it’s a ‘must have’ in your program. I’ve had supercross style sections at my own personal track since I was a kid and that’s been beneficial to me, so I think it would be to most riders, especially the younger kids so it becomes natural to them as they progress. I appreciate there currently many places in the U.K you can ride and practice Arenacross, but there’s some and I hope more practice tracks around the UK look to build AX style tracks we can ride in the summer so more people can learn the skill set and improve. Arenacross definitely brings a lot to the table and hopefully in the future we can get a bit more of system going where we can combine points from the British Arenacross and Motocross championship similar to SMX in America and get something like that going over here. That would really help in getting motocross back on its feet in the UK and it would get a lot of attention from foreign riders and the industry around the world and hopefully some new fans coming out to watch motocross in the summer or even racing. I know there’s already been conversations about it so I hope it happens because I think it’s a good idea that will benefit the riders, the fans and the sport.

What's the one thing you like most about AX? 

There’s so many things I like about Arenacross, it’s hard to pinpoint one. I definitely like the fact it’s indoors and no matter what the weather we can go racing at this time of year and its always similar conditions. It’s nice to be out of the wet and cold where everything stays clean and be racing hard and earning some good money. I also love the atmosphere of it, riding in front of a load of people and it’s nice to get up there on top of the freestyle landing for the interviews and hear them cheer. It’s a nicer environment to be where you can bring friends, family and sponsors and they can wear nicer clothes without worrying about getting dirty and make a proper day and night of it. It’s probably better for sponsors as well because their logos on the kit and bikes don’t get covered. Above anything else, it’s a brilliant show that attracts new people into the sport. The autograph queues and track walks are always busy and there’s always a buzz about it. Riding out at the start of the show with all the flames and lights is pretty cool and you can really feel the atmosphere, it fires you up.

What's it going to take for you to win and beat Wilson and co at the final round? 

I’ve shown I’ve got the speed to win but it’s not easy that’s for sure. I came close last week in Aberdeen but took a little tumble whilst trying to push for the lead. We’re pushing the limits and Dean is super-fast at these races and he’s a very experienced rider in Supercross. I’m trying my best and giving 100% every time I’m on track. We’ll see how Manchester goes, hopefully it will be my night. The speed isn’t the problem, it’s just putting it all together in the main event. But before then, you’ve got to get through the qualifying, dial your starts in, get a good couple of heat races in and click off solid, consistent laps, so there’s a lot of things to get through to set you up with a better chance at winning. I try not to look too far ahead. It’s tough competition for sure, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s kept me on my toes and motivated me throughout and pushed me to another level. 

What's the vibe been like during the tour with all the other riders?

It’s a lot of fun. Everyone gets on well. Backstage and behind the scenes we’re all having a good crack and it’s just a good atmosphere. I think it helps that we’re in a tighter environment than motocross with the pits being smaller and less riders, so you don’t tend to keep yourself to yourself so much and once you get going the pits are quite lively. That’s not to say the racing is less serious, because we’re all racers and when we get on the start line its serious stuff, it's still that racing mindset. But when we’re all together in the pits it’s pretty relaxed and fun to be around. We all respect each other because we all know we all want to win but that stays out on track. Most of us have known each other for a long time and what we’re about so that helps.

Who is the funniest rider on tour?

Hands down for me, it’s Chris Bayliss. There’s never a dull moment when he’s around. He makes Arenacross for me and sums up what it’s all about. He’s a brilliant rider and races hard but he also makes no secret he’s there to have a good time. Hopefully he’ll keep coming back every year and we can listen to his stories and what he’s got to say between the riding because his stories and banter are very entertaining.

Which, if any, has been your favourite round / city so far and why?

Belfast is by far my favourite city to visit on the tour. I always like to go and have a look around the city there and because it’s always back-to-back rounds there we get a bit more time to relax and do a bit of sightseeing. The city is pretty cool and the people there are always so passionate about Arenacross. Track wise my favourite has been Aberdeen because of the softer conditions and the bigger track. I loved the rutty conditions and how technical the track got this year, that was a bit of me. It’s just a shame I made that one mistake and couldn’t race Dean for the win all the way to the flag.

Anyone catching your eye in the amateur and youth classes?

I pay quite a lot of attention to the amateur and youth classes and I love watching them ride, some of them rip considering they’re kids and the amateurs riders work the majority of the week. In the amateur class it’s definitely Louis Brookes for me. I think it’s pretty specular if you listen to his story and where he's come from and hasn’t raced a motocross bike in six years and all of sudden, he’s come out of the woodwork and up until Aberdeen was leading the championship. Just by watching him you can tell how naturally talented he is on a bike. In the youth I have to take my hat off to John Slade. He’s looking like one of a kind at the moment, you don’t see many up-and-coming riders like that often, especially in Arenacross. I think he’s an incredible talent and if he keeps at it and can avoid major injuries he definitely go far in the sport. It’s a pleasure to watch him ride.