Oceania targets Intercontinental Games glory with expanded team
The FIM Intercontinental Games will return for its second edition in Brazil this December with a considerably larger field, an expanded three-class programme and, for the first time, a title decided across both circuit racing and motocross.
FIM Oceania has named a 12-rider squad for the event at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiânia, combining four returning members of its 2024 team with established international competitors and some of Australia and New Zealand’s brightest emerging talent.
The FIM’s newly released on-track programme begins on Friday, December 11 and concludes on Sunday, December 13.
The second edition was originally scheduled for Kuwait in January 2027 before being moved to Brazil and brought forward to December 2026. Its new home is a 3.835-kilometre, 12-turn circuit that combines fast straights and technical corners and hosted the Brazilian MotoGP round in March.
Defending champion FIM Europe will again face teams representing Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and Oceania.
FIM Oceania’s 12-rider team
Supersport
- Mike Jones – Australia, captain
- Cameron Dunker – Australia
- Carter Thompson – Australia
- Tayla Relph – Australia
Supersport 300
- Archie McDonald – Australia, captain
- Olly Simpson – Australia
- Tyler King – New Zealand
- Tara Morrison – Australia
MX2
- Byron Dennis – Australia, captain
- Liam Owens – Australia
- Phoenix Van Dusschoten – New Zealand
- Taylah McCutcheon – Australia
Four Oceania riders return from Jerez
Mike Jones, Tayla Relph, Archie McDonald and Tara Morrison are the four Oceania riders returning from the inaugural Intercontinental Games at Jerez in 2024.
As covered in our comprehensive race reports and final points wrap from Jerez, FIM Oceania overcame the loss of Max Stauffer to a fractured hand before race day to finish third on 166 points. FIM Europe won with 257 points, 14 clear of FIM Asia, while Oceania held out North America by eight points.
Jones was Oceania’s highest individual scorer. The multiple Australian Superbike Champion finished fifth in the opening Supersport race before chasing Elia Bartolini to within 0.612 seconds in the wet second race. His 43 points placed him third in the individual Supersport rankings behind Bartolini and Dino Iozzo.
McDonald made an immediate impression despite being unfamiliar with both the Yamaha YZF-R3 and control Dunlop tyres. He topped the opening qualifying session and ultimately secured the second grid position, as detailed in our 2024 Intercontinental Games qualifying report.
McDonald led repeatedly during both Supersport 300 races. He finished third in the frantic opening contest before crashing from the lead in Race Two, remounting to finish 16th. Despite that fall, his 31 points placed him seventh in the individual Supersport 300 standings.
Morrison scored in both races, finishing 17th and 15th, while Relph recovered from a Race One fall to finish 14th in the rain-affected Supersport finale. Those points helped Oceania regain third in the final Continental Union standings.
The experience gained at Jerez should prove valuable in Brazil, particularly with Jones, Relph and McDonald again serving in the same respective classes.
Oceania brings current international form
Jones and Dunker have been concentrating on the 2026 Australian Superbike Championship, while Relph and Thompson bring extensive experience on the Yamaha YZF-R7 that will be supplied to the Supersport field.
Relph remains a regular in the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, while Thompson has been making rapid progress in the inaugural FIM Sportbike World Championship season and scored two podiums at Misano.
McDonald will swap one of the heaviest motorcycles in world championship racing for the much lighter YZF-R3 after a breakthrough campaign in the inaugural FIM Bagger World Cup, which he leads with one round remaining.
Simpson returns to his Supersport 300 roots, while Tyler King and Morrison secured their selections after finishing first and third respectively in the 2026 Australian Supersport 300 Championship.
Oceania’s new MX2 squad also arrives with strong form. Captain Byron Dennis finished fourth in the 2026 ProMX MX2 Championship and backed that up with a top-five result in an EMX250 appearance in Europe.
Liam Owens has impressed throughout the 2026 EMX250 season, while Phoenix Van Dusschoten broke into the ProMX MX2 top 15 after joining the championship for its final two rounds. Taylah McCutcheon finished second in ProMX MXW and has also been competing in the United States.
Former Australian and World Supersport Champion Andrew Pitt will again manage the circuit-racing campaign, while Mark Luksich and Kyle Blunden will oversee the motocross effort.
Peter Doyle – FIM Oceania President
“The inaugural FIM Intercontinental Games was tremendously exciting as the FIM family came together to produce the most thrilling event.
“From a personal standpoint, FIM Oceania showed a huge amount of grit and determination in 2024 after a few curveballs came its way, and I’m sure that will fuel the fire to move up the rankings in 2026.
“The blend of youth, precocious talent and experience in this year’s FIM Oceania team is impressive, and the expansion into motocross will only make for an even better spectacle.”
Twenty riders return from the first edition
Continuity extends beyond Oceania, with 20 riders from the six 2024 squads selected again for the second edition.
- FIM Europe: Elia Bartolini, Alessandro Di Persio and Josephine Bruno return to defend the title. Bartolini was the highest-scoring Supersport rider at Jerez after finishing third and first. Di Persio finished fifth in both Supersport 300 races, while Bruno was the leading female rider in both contests and secured the female Supersport 300 Golden Helmet.
- FIM Asia: Naoko Takasugi, Miu Nakahara and Mckinley Paz return from the team that finished second in 2024. Paz steps up from the YZF-R3 to the Supersport YZF-R7, while Takasugi and Nakahara remain in their original classes.
- FIM North America: Max Toth, Matthew Chapin, Mallory Dobbs and Blake Davis return. Toth was fourth in the opening Supersport 300 race before crashing out of Race Two, while Chapin scored in both races. Dobbs finished 13th in both Supersport contests and earned the female Supersport Golden Helmet.
- FIM Latin America: Humberto Maier, Astrid Madrigal and Isis Carreño are repeat selections. Maier won the opening Supersport race at Jerez by just 0.082 seconds before his second-race challenge ended early. Carreño returns as the 2026 Supersport 300 captain.
- FIM Africa: Kgopotso Mononyane, Abigail Bosson and Nicole van Aswegen have again been selected. Mononyane showed genuine front-running speed at Jerez but was disqualified from Race One and failed to finish Race Two. Van Aswegen was part of the original 2024 selection but did not start either race and now returns as Supersport captain.
- FIM Oceania: Jones, Relph, McDonald and Morrison give the green team four riders with direct experience of the unique team-based competition.
From four races to seven
MCNews followed the first edition from the initial fully funded rider-selection process through to all four races and the final Continental Union standings.
That inaugural event featured 48 riders from 19 nations, with each Continental Union selecting four Supersport riders and four Supersport 300 riders. All four points-scoring races were held on the Jerez circuit using Yamaha YZF-R7 and YZF-R3 machinery.
The principal changes for the second edition are:
- MX2 joins Supersport and Supersport 300, taking the programme from two categories to three.
- The title will be decided across circuit racing and motocross for the first time.
- Each Continental Union expands from eight riders to 12, with four riders in each category.
- The total field grows from 48 to 72 riders.
- Twenty-five nations are represented, six more than at the inaugural event.
- The number of points-scoring races increases from four to seven, with two races for each circuit category and three for MX2.
- The minimum female representation rises from two to three riders per Continental Union because at least one woman must be selected in every category.
- Each category permits one specialist rider, who serves as captain and may hold a permanent place in an FIM World Championship. The female selection may also be a permanent world championship rider, while the remaining riders must qualify as rising talents and cannot have held a permanent FIM World Championship position during 2026.
The Yamaha YZF-R3 and YZF-R7 control-bike format remains in place for the two road-racing classes. The FIM says MX2 motorcycles will be sourced locally in accordance with each rider’s requested brand and model and must comply with FIM regulations.
Motocross and Enduro were both identified as future additions when the inaugural Oceania team was announced in 2024. Motocross has now made the second-edition programme, while Enduro remains a possible avenue for future expansion.
2026 FIM Intercontinental Games schedule
- Friday, December 11: Non-timed test practice, FP1 and FP2 for Supersport and Supersport 300. MX2 free practice and FP1.
- Saturday, December 12: Two qualifying sessions for both road-racing categories. MX2 FP2 and Timed Practice, followed by the opening points-scoring race for all three classes.
- Sunday, December 13: Warm-up for all three classes, Race Two for Supersport, Supersport 300 and MX2, followed by the third and final MX2 race.
The event will be broadcast globally through FIM-MOTO.TV. FIM Oceania’s campaign will also receive support from Penrite Oil and RP Filters.
2026 FIM Intercontinental Games selected teams
The following selections were confirmed in the FIM entry list issued on September 1. FIM Asia still had one Supersport position to be confirmed.
FIM Africa
Supersport: Nicole van Aswegen (captain), Oratilwe Phiri, Sidney Marcelo Carvalho Pinto and Dominic John Doyle.
Supersport 300: Kgopotso II Mononyane (captain), Mahmoud Said, Diego De Ponte and Abigail Beatrice Bosson.
MX2: Cameron Anthony Durow (captain), Trey Andrew Cox, Milton Akaki and Caitlin Ann Parkes.
FIM Asia
Supersport: Naoko Takasugi (Kawahara), Arai Agaska, Mckinley Paz and one rider to be confirmed.
Supersport 300: Krittapat Keankum (captain), Candra Hermawan, Riichi Takahira and Miu Nakahara.
MX2: Toshiki Tomita (captain), Manaka Kawai, Witsarut Salangam and Muhammad Delvintor Alfarizi.
FIM Europe
Supersport: Elia Bartolini (captain), Karolina Danak, Alfie Davidson and Nicholas D’Addario Spinelli.
Supersport 300: Alessandro Di Persio (captain), Josephine Bruno, Marc Vich Gil and Fynn Kratochwil.
MX2: Daniela Guillen (captain), Nicolò Alvisi, Francesco Bellei and Gyan Doensen.
FIM Latin America
Supersport: Humberto Maier (captain), Astrid Madrigal, Mario Salles Neto and Maximilian Scheib.
Supersport 300: Isis Carreño (captain), Leonardo Marques Barbim, Xarly Mendez de Oleo and Aymon Bocanegra Boone.
MX2: Marco Antezana (captain), Luanna Neves, Bernardo Eto Tiburcio and Benjamin Garib.
FIM North America
Supersport: Josh Herrin (captain), Max Toth, Blake Davis and Mallory Dobbs.
Supersport 300: Matthew Chapin (captain), Hank Vossberg, Kensei Matsudaira and Ella Dreher.
MX2: Zach Osborne (captain), Mayla Herrick, Ryder McNabb and Preston Kilroy.
FIM Oceania
Supersport: Mike Jones (captain), Cameron Dunker, Carter Thompson and Tayla Relph.
Supersport 300: Archie McDonald (captain), Olly Simpson, Tyler King and Tara Morrison.
MX2: Byron Dennis (captain), Liam Owens, Phoenix Van Dusschoten and Taylah McCutcheon.
Jorge Viegas – FIM President
“It is incredibly exciting to be visiting Brazil for the second edition of the FIM Intercontinental Games. The inaugural FIM Intercontinental Games was a landmark event and for me the culmination of a long-standing ambition, but the intention was always to expand the number of categories and competitors and I am delighted to say we are moving in a very positive, defined direction.
“Bringing all six FIM Continental Unions together in this manner is very important, allowing us to celebrate the shared FIM Family values of fairness, inclusion and unity in a competitive, yet friendly environment with participants from across the globe.”
Could the third edition come to Phillip Island?
While attention is now firmly on Brazil, planning is already taking shape for what could become the third FIM Intercontinental Games in 2028.
During our exclusive interview with Jorge Viegas at Phillip Island, the FIM President revealed that the Victorian circuit was being considered as the host of the 2028 event.
“We are really, really committed to bringing the Intercontinental Games here, to Phillip Island, including Motocross,” Viegas told MCNews.
Viegas said the nearby Wonthaggi motocross facility was one option, although his preference was to establish an off-road course within the Phillip Island circuit precinct so the road-racing and motocross teams could share the same paddock.
No agreement has yet been confirmed, but Brazil’s ability to combine circuit racing and motocross successfully will provide an important working example for the integrated event Viegas hopes to bring to Australia two years later.
