ProMX Appin: Beaton, Larwood, Fuller and Madafiglio take honours

2026 Australian ProMX Championship
Round Five – Appin

The 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores moved into the second half of the season at Appin after four very different opening chapters. The Wonthaggi opener immediately put Jed Beaton in control of MX1; Canberra continued that Beaton/Kingsford theme; Gillman swung the headline momentum towards Honda; and Toowoomba sent the field to New South Wales, with Beaton again firmly in charge of the premier-class points race.

Appin then added another layer of pressure. The historic Macarthur Motorcycle Club venue, located south-west of Sydney, has long been a proving ground for Australian motocross talent, and its hard-pack clay base, off-camber turns, and limited margin for error were made even more demanding by rain, mud and a heavily chopped racing surface.

There were also major pre-race talking points before the gates dropped. Kyle Webster arrived under an injury cloud after his recent American Pro Motocross outing, while Factory Honda confirmed Wilson Todd would sit out Appin to prioritise his long-term health and wellbeing. Dean Ferris was also absent for the balance of the championship following his Toowoomba injuries, with Ryan Alexanderson stepping into the Empire Kawasaki line-up.

None of that changed the MX1 form guide at the front. Beaton was again the class of the field, topping qualifying, winning Superpole, then taking both motos to extend his championship lead with three rounds remaining.

Alex Larwood claimed Pirelli MX2 honours by the narrowest of margins after a crucial second-moto win, Jackson Fuller broke through for his first Maxxis MX3 round victory of the year, and Ryder Madafiglio took KTM Group MX65 Futures honours on countback after tying Hudson Francis on points.

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Kawasaki MX1

Jed Beaton set the tone early in the premier class, topping a wet and muddy qualifying session by more than two seconds from Monster Energy CDR Yamaha team-mate Aaron Tanti. Levi Rogers, Zachary Watson, Todd Waters, Nathan Crawford and Kyle Webster were next, although Webster did not line up for Superpole.

Beaton then backed it up when the top qualifiers returned for Superpole, again heading Tanti to complete a CDR Yamaha one-two. Crawford was third, ahead of Rogers, Waters, Watson, Rhys Budd, Jacob Sweet and Jack Kenney.

Beaton takes control early

Tanti grabbed the opening MX1 holeshot and led the first lap of Moto 1, but Beaton quickly took control and was never headed from lap two. Once in front, he opened the margin steadily and went on to win comfortably over Tanti, with Crawford completing the podium.

Webster salvaged fourth in the opener, clearly not at his best but still limiting the damage in the title chase. Watson, Waters and Alexanderson were close behind, while Budd, Rogers and Zielinski completed the top ten.

Moto 2 was even more emphatic. Webster was credited with the holeshot, but Beaton was already the scored leader by the end of the opening lap and remained there for the full race distance. Tanti again made it a CDR Yamaha one-two, while Crawford claimed another third place ahead of Webster.

Budd lifted to fifth in the second moto, edging Alexanderson, Watson, Rogers, Waters and Zielinski, but the headline remained Beaton. He also set the fastest lap in both MX1 races, underlining the pace advantage that has defined much of his 2026 campaign.

CDR Yamaha tightens its grip

Beaton’s 1-1 result marked another clean sweep in a season that is increasingly looking like his to lose. Webster’s 4-4 scorecard kept him second in the championship, but Tanti is now applying serious pressure for that position as the factory Yamaha squad continues to strengthen its grip on the premier class.

For Beaton, the Appin result was another statement ride in difficult conditions, and one that pushed him closer to the elusive Australian MX1 crown.

Jed Beaton – P1 (1-2)

“The track was tough this weekend. The small amount of rain we have just made the ruts a bit longer and deeper and the layout here has off camber turns, so it’s always a technical track to ride. I was able to start fairly well today which was important as vision would be an issue, but it was Tanti who the holeshot man over the weekend. Congrats to Aaron, he was riding well and to have us both up here for a team 1-2 is a great result for everyone and something to be proud off. We are back in Victoria for round six, so looking forward to that and trying to keep this season rolling along nicely.”

Aaron Tanti – P2 (2-2)

“I’m pretty happy with the weekend and how I was riding. I gave myself every chance of getting a good result as I got good starts and pushed hard early to try and get away. But Jed is riding so good at the moment and was able to get around me and get a small gap. I wanted to hang onto him as long as I could and try and learn where he makes his time and what he does, so it was good to see that firsthand. It was also good to make up some points on Kyle and now we are just one point apart with three rounds to go. I feel like I’m building again as a rider as I have been able to keep putting laps and races together so hopefully that can continue all the way until the end of the championship.”

Zac Watson – P5 (5-7)

“It wasn’t too bad of a weekend for me at Appin. I started with P4 in qualifying, which was solid, while the Pole Shootout wasn’t as flash because I couldn’t get a flow with how difficult the track was. I put that one behind me and got a solid start in Moto 1 and I was running P3 for a while, but unfortunately, I tucked the front in one of the slick spots, which dropped me back a bit so I ended up fifth. And then in Moto 2, I came together with a rider just out of the gate, which put me a fair way back. I fought my way up to P7, we finished fifth overall for the round and scored some solid points, so overall it was a good round.”

Todd Waters – P8 (6-9)

“It was an interesting day at Appin. I felt pretty comfortable on the bike and P5 in qualifying, as well as P5 in the Pole Shootout, was good. Then in Moto 1, I ripped a good start, came out third, and was cruising along, before [Nathan] Crawford passed me, and I was just like, ‘Man, I need to step it up.’ So I started to send it a bit and I went down – just a silly little crash. Three riders went past me, so I made my way back by them and had a killer battle with [Zac] Watson. Then in Moto 2, I went down and came from outside the top-15 back to P9, but the boys were gone out front. So yeah, I just floated around, and that was a pretty boring race for me, actually. Eyes forward to Traralgon next month.”

MX1 Race One

MX1 Race Two

MX1 Round Points

MX1 Championship Standings

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Pirelli MX2

Dylan Walsh started the day fastest in Pirelli MX2 qualifying, heading Byron Dennis, Kayd Kingsford, Ryder Kingsford, Reid Taylor, Noah Ferguson, and championship leader Alex Larwood, in a closely stacked field.

Once racing began, however, the conditions had changed dramatically. Kayd Kingsford took the Moto 1 holeshot and controlled the early laps, but Ferguson found his rhythm in the mud and moved to the front as the race developed.

Ferguson dominates the opener

Ferguson’s opening moto was one of the most convincing performances of the day. Once the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha rider worked his way past Kingsford, he checked out in the heavy conditions and built a commanding advantage.

Kingsford finished second, Larwood third, Ryder Kingsford fourth and Dennis fifth, with attrition becoming a major factor as the race wore on. The muddy surface made momentum difficult to maintain and punished any mistake, particularly through the slower, rougher sections of the Appin circuit.

Larwood turns the tables

The second moto delivered one of the key rides of the round. Kayd Kingsford again launched well and looked on course to answer Ferguson’s opening-race victory, but Larwood was mounting a charge from deeper in the pack.

Larwood was only seventh at the end of the opening lap, but he worked his way forward methodically and was into second by the later stages. From there, he continued to close on Kingsford, eventually making the decisive move before going on to take the moto and the overall.

Kingsford’s pair of second places was enough for second overall, just one point behind his Honda Racing Australia team-mate. Ferguson’s opening-moto win and second-moto recovery secured the final step of the podium, while Ryder Kingsford and privateer Reid Taylor also produced strong rounds.

Larwood’s win may prove important beyond Appin alone. He extended his MX2 championship lead over Kayd Kingsford by a single point, with Byron Dennis, Dylan Walsh, Ferguson and Ryder Kingsford still close enough to keep the class wide open heading into the final three rounds.

Noah Ferguson – P3 (1-7)

“I’m happy to be on the podium for the round and get another race win, but a little frustrated as I left the round win slip away in race two. I did all the hard work and got into second place but then it unravelled a little and made some mistakes and then got caught with the lapper. But we made some progress again and the last two rounds have been a big step in the right direction. The goal now is to keep the trend going for the final three rounds. Thanks to the team for a big effort today. The bikes came bad from practice and race one pretty muddy and heavy and took a fair bit of washing, so the guys had to work hard to get them turned around. Thank you.”

Byron Dennis – P6 (5-6)

“It was a good start to the day here at Appin. Qualifying went well and gave us a good gate pick for the races. I had a bit of bad luck early in Moto 1 and got caught up in some traffic with all the chaos from the wet conditions, but I worked my way through that and charged back to fifth, so that was a positive. Moto 2 was a different story. I got caught up in a few more dramas, and it just felt like I was pushing up hill the whole race. It happens sometimes, so we’ll take what we can from it and move on to the next one.”

Dylan Walsh – P7 (11-5)

“To be honest, it’s pretty frustrating, and it’s not the result we were after. I felt really comfortable on the bike in qualifying, so to come away with P1 by a good margin showed we had the speed. In that last part of Moto 1, we were dealing with an issue and just trying to manage it and get it home, and then with a few laps to go, we got hit with an in-race penalty, which really put a dampener on our day. It’s a tough one to take because the bike is in a really good place and everything was there for a strong result. That’s racing sometimes, I know what I need to work on, and I’m keen to bounce back at Traralgon. The whole team’s been working hard, and I really appreciate their effort. We’ll regroup and come back stronger.”

MX2 Race One

MX2 Race Two

MX2 Round Points

MX2 Championship Standings

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Maxxis MX3

Jackson Fuller signalled his intent in Maxxis MX3 qualifying, topping the session ahead of championship leader Hayden Draper, Heath Fisher, Drew Kremer, Seth Morrow, Riley Burgess and Hayden Downie.

The racing then backed up the promise of a tight day. MX3 has produced the widest spread of winners across the 2026 championship, and Appin again delivered unpredictable battles at the front.

Fuller breaks through

Seth Thomas grabbed the Moto 1 holeshot, but the lead changed hands repeatedly through the opening half of the race. Fuller led the first lap, Burgess then took over, Fisher moved to the front soon after, and Fuller reclaimed the lead as the race settled into its decisive phase.

From there, Fuller held firm under pressure. Burgess pushed hard all the way to the flag and set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap, but Fuller had enough in hand to claim his first moto win of the season.

Fisher completed the top three in the opener, ahead of Max Compton, Downie, Draper, Jack Deveson, Thomas, Jobe Dunne and Seth Morrow.

Downie wins a thriller

Moto 2 produced the closest finish of the day. Cooper Ford took the holeshot, but Fisher was quickly into the lead and looked set to convert that into a moto victory.

Downie had other ideas. Fresh from his perfect day at Toowoomba, the Team XLR Yamaha rider kept the pressure on, found a way through late, and beat Fisher to the line by less than half a second.

Draper finished third in the second moto ahead of Fuller and Burgess, and that fourth place was enough for Fuller to secure the round overall by a single point over Fisher. Downie completed the podium, with Burgess and Draper close behind.

Draper remains in control of the championship, but Fisher’s consistency moved him into second in the standings ahead of Burgess. Fuller is now right in that battle as well, while Downie’s recent form has made him one of the most dangerous riders in the class.

Hayden Draper – P5 (6-3)

“The track was tough today, but I made it tougher as I never got great starts, so vision was hard, then I crashed early in race one when the track was at its wettest and it made it difficult to move forward. But if that’s a bad day and I was able to keep my lead around 30 points then I will take it and move onto the next round and get things back on track at Traralgon.”

MX3 Race One

MX3 Race Two

MX3 Round Points

MX3 Championship Standings

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KTM Group MX65 Futures

The KTM Group MX65 Futures riders faced some of the toughest conditions of the day, with the first moto held on a muddy track in drizzle and the second also run in testing conditions.

For the youngest riders on the program, simply maintaining momentum was a major challenge. The ruts, mud and changing surface placed a premium on clean lines, throttle control and patience, but the leading contenders again found a way to rise above the conditions.

Francis and Madafiglio trade wins

Joe Thurlby was first to the flag in Moto 1, but a two-position penalty for gaining an off-track advantage handed victory to Hudson Francis. Ryder Madafiglio was classified second, with Thurlby third after the penalty was applied.

Madafiglio then responded in Moto 2 with a commanding ride. He led throughout, set the fastest lap of the race and took the win ahead of Francis and Thurlby.

With Madafiglio and Francis finishing the round tied on points, the overall went to Madafiglio on countback thanks to his second-moto victory. Thurlby completed the round podium after finishing third in both motos.

Madafiglio now holds a nine-point lead over Francis with one MX65 Futures round remaining. Ollie Cale and Thurlby are also locked in a close fight behind them, with the final outing at Queensland Moto Park set to decide the minor championship placings.

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race One

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race Two

KTM Group MX65 Futures Round Points

KTM Group MX65 Futures Championship Standings

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 2026 Australian ProMX Championship Calendar

• Round 1 – March 21-22, Wonthaggi, Victoria
• Round 2 – April 19, Canberra, ACT
• Round 3 – May 10, Gillman, South Australia
• Round 4 – May 24, Toowoomba, Queensland
• Round 5 – June 14, Appin, NSW
• Round 6 – July 12, Traralgon, Victoria
• Round 7 – July 26, Conondale, Queensland
• Round 8 – August 1-2, Queensland Moto Park, Queensland