This year’s MXoN was a bit of a struggle for Team Great Britain, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort. Sixteenth overall is far from what GB would have hoped for heading in; however, an abundance of issues, from start crashes to mechanical problems, ultimately left the team with a huge mountain to climb. Lexa MX’s Josh Gilbert was a late addition to the team after issues arose with getting Ben Watson’s Beta machine to the gate, opening up the opportunity for Gilbert to step in.

The weekend actually started on a strong note, with Gilbert placing 13th in the MXGP qualifying race and posting lap times competitive with several factory-backed riders ahead of him. However, misfortune struck in the opening race on Sunday – Gilbert pulled an unbelievable start, coming around the first turn inside the top five before following one of the most technically sound riders in recent years, Ken Roczen, into turn two. In typical British fashion, Roczen fell, leaving Gilbert with nowhere to go and taking him down with the German. Despite that, the Lexa MX rider remounted and charged back through the pack, eventually crossing the line in 22nd place. A 23rd in race two might not jump off the page, but the effort level from the Brit is one thing that cannot be questioned, as he dug deep all weekend despite a lot of negativity online surrounding team selection, resources, and basically anything else people could find to criticise.

Whilst many at home may not be aware of Gilbert’s previous experience racing in America, Ironman Raceway is actually the venue where he scored his best-ever result during his AMA stint in 2022, finishing 12th overall amongst several other strong rides that year. This strengthens the reasoning behind selecting Gilbert for the team, as it could have been an advantageous decision to utilise a rider with previous experience on the track. The Pro Motocross series is something he has his eyes on heading into 2026, and we discussed this with Josh post-race at Ironman – along with his weekend as a whole, his thoughts on the negativity, and much more! Click the link below to listen to the full interview from Ironman.

Josh Gilbert interview starts 50:08