Moto Wrap Weekly | World titles, fine margins and the week ahead

Moto News Weekly Wrap
September 29, 2026

What’s New:

• Australian Junior Track Championships this weekend!
• Sanders takes narrow W2RC lead into Rallye du Maroc
• Kabakchiev wins Roof as one tenth separates Lettenbichler and Young
• Prado takes SMX title as Deegan wins Missouri finale
• Kitchen crowned as Davies sweeps 250 finale
• Cannon second in inaugural WMX Invitational
• Rockstar Husqvarna concludes SMX programme with championship silver
• Tomac and Ferrandis sign off at SMX finale
• Beaumer replaces Hymas in Team USA for MXoN
• France completes Supermoto Nations double
• Gillman lands 2027 Speedway GP double-header
• Lambert takes world title as Kurtz adds bronze
• Doyle steps away from permanent GP field
• One point covers four riders before European Speedway decider
• Riss ends ten-year wait for third Long Track title
• 2027 Ice Speedway dates confirmed
• WSX British GP cancelled as investment talks continue
• Honda’s 2026 MXGP dominance in numbers
• Triumph celebrate MX2 title at Hinckley HQ
• Australia ninth in both Trial des Nations divisions
• Spain makes it 22 straight at Trial des Nations
• Bristow returns as Britain regains women’s Nations crown
• TrialGP expands to eight rounds for 2027
• NSW wins MA Motocross State Challenge
• Donovan claims three Australian Track titles in Ayr
• 2026 Racing Calendars
• 2027 Racing Calendars

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Australian Junior Track Championships this weekend!

Riders from as far away as Townsville in the north and Albury-Wodonga in the south will descend on the Central Coast of New South Wales this weekend (October 3 and 4) for 2026 MSC MOTO Australian Junior Track Championships meeting. Over 120 riders have entered to contest ten championship classes and three support classes.

There will be plenty of new names as champions this year with some 2025 champions now having moved in to the senior ranks while three of last year’s winners will be back chasing honours in an older age bracket or on a bigger machine.

Jed Fyffe scored a win and second place respectively in the 13 to Under 16 two- and four-stroke classes last year and his form this year as the current frontrunner in the Flat Track Nationals series entitles him to favoritism this year despite a classy line-up of well credentialed contenders.

The likes of Hugh Hope-Hodgetts and Hayden Duggan from Forbes, Tommy Wright from Albury-Wodonga, Nate Jaeger from Gunnedah, and Queenslanders Kai Moran and Ryke Haller are all expected to be prominent as will host club rider Levi Meyn who as an impressive winner of the Central Coast Junior Cup back in June.

Any fans thinking that junior racing would not be worth watching should remember that many of the competitors this weekend already have impressive records and fans can be in awe that young riders show such skill and poise on the track.

Even the Younger age brackets, starting with the 7 to Under 9s, riding on smaller capacity machines are just as watchable as the older juniors.

Significantly over the past 25 years junior title meetings have seen riders like World champions like Casey Stoner Remy Gardiner, Darcy Ward and Chris Holder, current performers on the world road racing stage like Jack Miller, Senna Agius and Joel Kelso and speedway stars like Brady Kurtz, Rohan Tungate and Sam Masters in action.

More recently Australian Superbike frontrunner Cameron Dunker, recently crowned inaugural FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup champion Archie McDonald and dual American Flat Track champion Tom Drane have done their ‘apprenticeship’ coming through the dirt track ranks.

So the action this weekend may well feature riders who go on carve out significant careers on not only the national stage but even the world stage over the next decade or so.

The classes with bigger entry lists will be decided over four rounds of heats (either two or three heats per round) then a repechage and a final while smaller entry classes will be decided on points over five rounds.

Action gets under way on Saturday morning with practice at 9 am followed by the start of racing, while on Sunday there will be a Parade Lap and National Anthem at 9.30 am followed by a resumption of on-track action.

The Central Coast Junior Motor Cycle club track is at Allen Park, Debenham Road North Somersby, near Gosford with the entry fee for spectators this weekend just $10 per vehicle.

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Rally

Sanders takes narrow W2RC lead into Rallye du Maroc

Daniel Sanders heads into Rallye du Maroc with only three points separating him from Tosha Schareina and six covering the leading three riders in the World Rally-Raid Championship.

The Australian moved into the championship lead with successive victories in Portugal and Argentina. Morocco offers the chance to make it three in a row at the one rally he did not win during his dominant 2025 season, when Schareina beat him to the top step.

The 27th Rallye du Maroc runs from September 28 to October 3 as the fourth and penultimate round of the 2026 championship. The programme comprises an 18-kilometre prologue at Agadir on September 28, followed by five stages from September 29 to October 3. The announced motorcycle route covers 2637 kilometres, including 1530 against the clock, before the title fight concludes in Abu Dhabi.

From Agadir, the rally heads inland towards Zagora, with four loops based around the desert bivouac. Broken tracks, mountain terrain, dunes and demanding navigation make Morocco a significant championship contest and an important test ahead of the 2027 Dakar.

Schareina has finished on the podium at all three rounds, following third at Dakar with second in Portugal and Argentina, but is still chasing his first win of the season. Sanders’ KTM team-mate Luciano Benavides is six points behind the Australian, keeping the reigning Dakar winner firmly in contention.

Ricky Brabec remains in the fight, 13 points off the lead in fourth. Honda says this will be his final Rallye du Maroc appearance on two wheels, adding another incentive to improve on his four previous third places at the event. Adrien Van Beveren, fifth in the championship, arrives with a new two-year Honda contract and updated machinery following the team’s summer development work.

Skyler Howes brings another point of interest as he makes the ZXMOTO Joyride Factory Rally Team’s W2RC debut. The 2022 Morocco winner signed only weeks before the event and regards the rally as a competitive test to gather data for Dakar. Ignacio Cornejo will be Hero MotoSports’ sole RallyGP representative following Ross Branch’s injury, while Edgar Canet continues his first RallyGP season after winning last year’s Rally2 title.

In Rally2, Honda’s Martim Ventura leads the World Cup after three consecutive podiums and victory in Argentina. Toni Mulec and Preston Campbell remain his closest championship rivals, while Bruno Crivilin makes his Morocco debut after finishing second on his first World Cup appearance at the Desafío Ruta 40.

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Hard Enduro

Kabakchiev wins Roof as one tenth separates Lettenbichler and Young

Teodor Kabakchiev won the Roof of Africa for Sherco, while Manuel Lettenbichler edged Wade Young to second by just 0.1 seconds after three days of racing in Lesotho.

Kabakchiev moved ahead during Friday’s long mountain stage and retained control through Saturday’s more technical finale, completing the event in just under ten hours and winning by a little under three minutes.

Lettenbichler recovered 38.4 seconds on Young over the final day, enough to overturn the overnight deficit by the smallest of margins. Matthew Green finished fourth, while defending winner James Moore recovered to fifth after mechanical trouble on Friday had ended his chances of retaining the title.

Moore had won Thursday’s time trial, while a five-minute penalty immediately put Mitch Brightmore on the back foot. Billy Bolt missed the event following knee surgery.

Sea to Sky in Turkey on October 8-10 and Hixpania in Spain on October 23-25 are the remaining rounds.

Full Roof of Africa report and results

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SMX

Prado takes SMX title as Deegan wins Missouri finale

Jorge Prado secured the 450 SuperMotocross world title at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, with a 5-1 scorecard giving him second overall behind Haiden Deegan’s 1-2.

Prado held off Deegan by 1.731 seconds in the final moto to finish the championship on 158 points, seven ahead of the Yamaha rider. Hunter Lawrence went 3-3 for third overall and third in the standings on 136.

The final totals underline the importance of the regular-season seeding: Prado and Deegan each earned 136 points across the three SMX events. Prado’s 22 starting points against Deegan’s 15 accounted for the entire championship margin.

Deegan won two of the three rounds and set the fastest lap in both Missouri motos. However, simply passing Prado in the decider would not have been enough: with the other positions unchanged, Prado would still have taken the title by one point.

Full SMX finale report, results and final standings

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Kitchen crowned as Davies sweeps 250 finale

Levi Kitchen secured his first professional championship with a pair of second places at the SMX finale, delivering Pro Circuit Kawasaki its first title since 2019 and its first SuperMotocross crown.

Cole Davies won both motos, but Kitchen’s 2-2 was enough to convert a three-point advantage into a 24-point championship victory over Ryder DiFrancesco. Kitchen finished on 153 points, with DiFrancesco on 129 and Davies just one further back.

Davies recovered 30 of the 31 points separating him from DiFrancesco before the finale. The Kiwi also set the fastest lap in both races, including a second-moto best more than a second quicker than anyone else’s, before winning that race by 6.449 seconds.

Landen Gordon’s 6-3 secured third overall. Julien Beaumer finished sixth with 4-9, ahead of DiFrancesco’s 3-10, while Australia’s Kayden Minear went 11-12 for 13th overall and tenth in the championship.

250 SMX race reports, results and championship points

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Cannon second in inaugural WMX Invitational

Charli Cannon finished second in the inaugural WMX Invitational at the SMX finale, recovering from an opening-lap scare to challenge winner Lachlan Turner on the final lap.

The Australian drew alongside Turner but lost the opportunity through a rhythm section, crossing the line 1.964 seconds behind the Yamaha rider. Hannah Hodges completed the podium for Triumph.

Cannon recorded the fastest lap of the race on lap seven of eight, her 1m24.713s bettering Turner’s best by 0.421 seconds. Fellow Australians Taylah McCutcheon and Tayla Jones finished 11th and 12th respectively.

WMX Invitational report and complete results

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Rockstar Husqvarna concludes SMX programme with championship silver

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing has confirmed that the Missouri finale marked the conclusion of its SuperMotocross World Championship programme.

Ryder DiFrancesco gave the team a championship podium on its final appearance together, finishing second in the 250SMX standings after entering the decider only three points off the lead. A difficult start in moto two left him fighting through the field to tenth, with his 3-10 placing him seventh overall.

Daxton Bennick ended the 250 championship seventh. In 450SMX, R.J. Hampshire went 6-6 for sixth overall and seventh in the series, while Malcolm Stewart finished ninth in both the finale and championship.

The announcement brings the long-running team’s SMX campaign to a close, with DiFrancesco’s silver providing a final championship result for the organisation.

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Tomac and Ferrandis sign off at SMX finale

Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis made their final professional race appearances at the Missouri SMX finale.

Tomac completed his last outing with 13-11 finishes for 12th overall. Ferrandis recovered from completing only four laps in the opening moto to finish eighth in the decider, placing 15th overall.

Their farewells came on the same evening that Jorge Prado and Levi Kitchen claimed their first SMX titles.

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MXoN

Beaumer replaces Hymas in Team USA for MXoN

Julien Beaumer has been called into Team USA for the Motocross of Nations at Ernée in France on October 2-4, replacing the injured Chance Hymas.

The Red Bull KTM rider will contest the MXGP class at MXoN, as confirmed by the AMA. He joins Cooper Webb and newly crowned 250SMX champion Levi Kitchen in the American line-up, with AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier managing the team.

Hymas was ruled out after injuring his wrist in practice ahead of the SMX finale. Beaumer heads to France after finishing fourth in the 250SMX championship, following his runner-up result in this year’s 250 Pro Motocross series.

The late call-up requires a rapid transition from his regular 250 campaign to the MXGP class at the Nations. The United States is chasing a 24th Nations victory after finishing second last year.

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Supermoto

France completes Supermoto Nations double

France won both the senior and junior Supermoto of Nations titles on the streets of Sankt Wendel in Germany.

Steve Bonnal’s victory in the second senior moto helped France overturn the Czech Republic’s early advantage and secure a 14th title. Bonnal, Sylvain Bidart and Raphael Payet finished on 24 points, two clear of the Czech team, with Germany third on 31 and Italy fourth on 35.

Home favourite Marc-Reiner Schmidt won the opening moto and finished second to Bonnal in race two, but France’s combined results decided the team contest.

Melvin Viola swept the junior races, with Gabin Pernat and Adrien Sarda completing the winning French line-up. France finished on 14 points to Germany’s 25 and Switzerland’s 37, while Italy was fourth.

It was the first edition of the Nations event held on a street circuit.

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Speedway

Gillman lands 2027 Speedway GP double-header

Speedway GP will return to Australia for the first time in a decade, with Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway hosting the final two rounds of the 2027 championship on October 29-30.

The double-header concludes an 11-round season and brings the title run-in back to Australia ten years after Jason Doyle secured his world crown in Melbourne.

Gillman will become Australia’s third GP venue after Sydney and Melbourne. The calendar also includes returning rounds at Donji Kraljevec and Warsaw, while Ipswich makes its GP debut on August 14.

Brady Kurtz, Max Fricke and Rohan Tungate have already secured places in the 2027 field. Gillman ticket details are still to be announced.

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Lambert takes world title as Kurtz adds bronze

Robert Lambert won the Torun Speedway GP to secure his first individual world title, defeating Brady Kurtz and Bartosz Zmarzlik in a final featuring all three championship contenders.

Lambert finished on 162 points, two ahead of Zmarzlik and five clear of Kurtz. The Australian’s second place on the night delivered bronze, adding to the silver he claimed in his debut GP season.

The Briton’s title charge gathered momentum over the second half of the season. He finished first or second at each of the final six GPs, overturning a 23-point deficit to Kurtz after round four.

Max Fricke finished ninth at Torun to secure seventh in the championship and the last automatic qualification place for 2027, two points ahead of Kacper Woryna.

Torun report, heat analysis and final Speedway GP standings

Doyle steps away from permanent GP field

Jason Doyle has elected to step away from the permanent Speedway GP line-up for 2027, while continuing his league career and keeping the door open to wild-card appearances.

The 2017 World Champion completed his 115th GP at Torun, matching Leigh Adams on the series’ all-time appearance list. He finished tenth on the night and ninth in the championship.

Doyle has also raised the possibility of pursuing the Speedway European Championship, with his decision leaving open a future return to GP competition.

More on Doyle’s plans in our Speedway news round-up

One point covers four riders before European Speedway decider

The Speedway European Championship concludes at Pardubice on Friday, October 2, with four riders separated by a single point.

Leon Madsen and Kacper Woryna share the lead on 34, with Michael Jepsen Jensen and Maciej Janowski on 33. Patryk Dudek remains in contention on 30.

The Polish league title will also be decided this weekend. Torun takes a 55-35 advantage into the return leg at Wroclaw on October 4, bringing world champion Robert Lambert and bronze medallist Brady Kurtz into opposition again.

Riss ends ten-year wait for third Long Track title

Erik Riss secured his third FIM Long Track world title at Marmande, adding the 2026 crown to those he won in 2014 and 2016.

The German arrived with a ten-point lead but suffered a mechanical problem while leading his fifth heat, losing the chance to qualify directly for the Grand Final. He recovered by winning Heat 21, securing his place in the final and clinching the championship.

Chris Harris won the Grand Final to take championship bronze, while runner-up Dave Meijerink secured a career-best world silver.

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2027 Ice Speedway dates confirmed

The 2027 FIM Ice Speedway World Championship will begin with a qualifier at Malilla in Sweden on January 23, followed by four finals across two weekends.

Inzell in Germany hosts the opening finals on March 13-14, with Heerenveen in the Netherlands staging the concluding rounds on April 3-4.

The Ice Speedway of Nations returns on February 20 at Ornskoldsvik in Sweden. Eight riders from the January qualifier will join the previous season’s top five, two permanent wild cards and one local wild card in the individual finals.

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WSX

WSX British GP cancelled as investment talks continue

World Supercross has cancelled its October 10 British GP at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, with promoter SX Global citing the time required to secure new investment.

The announcement came just 18 days before the scheduled second round, following the Calgary opener won by Cooper Webb in SX1 and Max Anstie in SX2. SX Global says investment discussions are progressing positively, but has not identified the prospective investors or given a deadline for completing a deal.

The November 21 Gold Coast round and December 5 Christchurch finale remain listed on the official website, although neither event is specifically addressed in the statement. No revised calendar or firm return date was provided.

A joint statement from the World Supercross teams backed the promoter’s efforts and said they remained committed and ready to race when the championship returns.

British GP ticket holders will receive automatic refunds through Ticketmaster to their original payment method, with processing expected to take 14 to 21 days.

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MXGP

Honda’s 2026 MXGP dominance in numbers

Jeffrey Herlings’ first season with Honda HRC PETRONAS delivered the 2026 MXGP crown, but the Dutchman’s sixth world title was only part of an imposing set of statistics for the team.

Honda HRC PETRONAS won 14 of the 19 Grands Prix, featured on the podium at 18 rounds and claimed 26 of the 57 available podium places. Its riders also won 23 of the 38 championship motos and 12 qualification races, finishing first, fourth and seventh in the championship.

Herlings led the charge with 13 GP victories, taking his career tally to a record 125. He won 22 motos, claimed 16 GP podiums and finished in the top three in 35 of the 38 Sunday races. His final haul of 973 points left him 168 clear of his nearest challenger, having secured the title with seven points-scoring races remaining.

The team’s late-season run was particularly emphatic, sweeping all 24 qualification races and championship motos from qualifying at round 12 through to the final moto in Australia. Across the season, Honda HRC PETRONAS riders led 374 of the 685 racing laps, with Herlings accounting for 328.

Tom Vialle contributed a GP victory in Switzerland, nine podiums and qualification wins at both the Argentine opener and Australian finale. He also topped the FOX Holeshot standings with 12, ahead of Herlings on nine, giving the pair 21 of the season’s 38 holeshots.

Ruben Fernandez added a German GP podium and victory in the British qualification race, ensuring all three team riders won at least one race during the campaign. Honda HRC PETRONAS was also the only team with two different overall GP winners.

Honda secured the Manufacturers Award by 170 points, collecting 1063 from a possible 1140. Herlings, Vialle, Fernandez and Motoblouz Honda SR rider Kevin Horgmo all contributed, making Honda the only manufacturer with four riders adding to its tally.

Triumph celebrate MX2 title at Hinckley HQ

Triumph welcomed FIM MX2 Motocross World Champion Guillem Farres, runner-up Camden McLellan, and the Triumph Factory Racing MX2 team, to its headquarters in Hinckley, Leicestershire, following an outstanding season, marking just three years since debuting in the series and off-road segment.

Farres and McLellan won 11 of 19 Grands Prix throughout the year, with either one rider or both finishing on the podium at all but one of the world championship events.

2026 has culminated in Triumph clinching a 1-2 finish in the championship standings, whilst also winning the prestigious FIM MX2 Motocross Manufacturers Championship title. Farres and McLellan finished the season with 21 moto wins between them and 26 podium finishes, including eight double podiums and four 1-2 finishes, demonstrating the consistently strong performance of the Triumph TF 250-X. This is the first time since 1965 a British manufacturer has won a Motocross World Championship.

Guillem, Camden, and the team were given a tour of the factory and facility with time to celebrate with Triumph’s management and staff from throughout the company, Triumph’s journey into off-road and first world championship for the brand.

Guillem was presented with a special certificate before being shown where his bike will be placed in the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience centre and where his name will be etched into stone on Triumph’s Walk of Legends. This was followed by an evening of entertainment with a traditional British Fish and Chip supper served to all in attendance.

Guillem Farres

“It was really special to come to Hinckley and celebrate this championship with everyone at Triumph. To see so many people from the factory there and to understand how much this result means to the whole company was an amazing experience. We’ve worked incredibly hard all season, and to finish the year as MX2 World Champion, with Camden second and Triumph winning the Manufacturers’ Championship, makes it even more special. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved together and excited to see what comes next for Triumph Factory Racing.”

Camden McLellan

“Coming to Hinckley and celebrating with everyone at Triumph was a really cool way to finish the season. To see how much support there is behind the race team and how proud everyone is of what we’ve achieved makes you appreciate just how big this result is. Finishing second in the MX2 championship and helping Triumph secure the Manufacturers’ title has been an incredible year for all of us. I’m really proud to have played a part in it, and now I’m already looking forward to coming back stronger next year and fighting for the world title.”

Ian Kimber – Triumph Head of Global Racing Programmes

“It’s been really special to be able to welcome the Triumph Factory Racing MX2 team to the home of Triumph. It sounds cliché, but Triumph is like a family, and our race teams are part of that, so when we win, we win together. To welcome them back for everyone to celebrate our first world championship title is a moment to mark a very prestigious accolade. The fact that we could do that with Camden joining as Vice-World Champion as well, whilst also knowing we took the team and manufacturer championship makes this even more incredible with everything we’ve all achieved together.”

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Trials

Australia ninth in both Trial des Nations divisions

Australia finished ninth in both the International Trophy and Challenge des Nations at Arteixo in Spain, with two teenage debutants gaining their first experience of the annual teams event.

Connor Hogan and Ben Walling completed the International Trophy on 114 marks, with lap scores of 53 and 61. The pair finished three marks behind Ireland and seven ahead of the Czech Republic.

Neil Price’s injury withdrawal left Australia as the only International Trophy nation fielding two riders. With the best two scores counting at each section, Hogan and Walling had no third rider’s score to fall back on. It was Hogan’s ninth TdN appearance and the first for 18-year-old Western Australian Walling.

Jenna Lupo and 15-year-old Mitchell Teale placed ninth in the mixed-gender Challenge on 188 marks, combining lap totals of 89 and 99. Lupo was making her sixth TdN appearance, while Australian Youth champion Teale was another newcomer.

Norway won the International Trophy after finishing level with Germany on six marks and prevailing on countback, with Japan third on 14. Germany took the Challenge on 21 ahead of Spain on 28 and the Czech Republic on 42.

Full Trial des Nations results

Spain makes it 22 straight at Trial des Nations

Toni Bou, Gabriel Marcelli and Jaime Busto delivered Spain’s 22nd consecutive men’s Trial des Nations victory and 32nd overall, controlling the contest on home ground at Arteixo.

The Spanish trio completed the opening lap on eight marks, already 19 clear of Great Britain. Rain made the granite sections more difficult on lap two, but Spain added only 19 to finish on 27, comfortably ahead of Britain’s 65.

Harry Hemingway, George Hemingway and Harry Turner secured a second successive British silver medal with a team averaging under 20 years of age. Italy recovered from a difficult first lap to beat France to bronze by a single mark, 94 to 95.

Bou has now been part of 21 winning Spanish teams, while Marcelli has four victories from four appearances. Their attention next turns to the opening round of the 2027 X-Trial World Championship in Madrid on November 28.

Bristow returns as Britain regains women’s Nations crown

Emma Bristow’s return to international competition helped Great Britain regain the women’s Trial des Nations title, with the ten-time TrialGP Women’s champion joining Alice Minta and Kaytlyn Adshead to defeat defending champion Italy.

Italy led at halfway on two marks, with Britain on four. The decisive change came at sections 12 and 13 on the second lap, where the Italians conceded nine marks while Britain added just one.

Both teams then cleaned the final section, leaving Britain on seven and Italy on 14. Spain completed the podium on 50, ahead of France and Germany.

It was Britain’s 11th women’s Nations victory and third in four years. Bristow had last competed at this level when the same British trio won the event in 2024.

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TrialGP expands to eight rounds for 2027

The provisional 2027 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship calendar features eight rounds across eight countries and three continents, with two days of points-scoring competition at every stop. The season is scheduled to open at Benahavís in Spain on April 16-18 and conclude at La Bresse in France on September 17-19.

Among the highlights is a return to Sequatchie in Tennessee on May 21-23, the venue that last hosted the championship in 2013 when Adam Raga won both days. Japan’s Motegi follows on June 4-6, while Fiumalbo in Italy will make its championship debut on June 25-27. La Bresse returns for the first time since 2012.

TrialGP and Trial2 will contest all eight rounds. TrialGP Women will feature at seven, missing only Andorra, making it the longest season yet for the premier women’s class. Junior Trial3 will contest five rounds, sitting out the USA, Japan and France, while Trial2 Women will race in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Great Britain and France.

The FIM Trial des Nations follows on September 25-26 at Cahors in France, which hosted the 2026 TrialGP of France. The team event will feature one day of competition within that weekend.

2027 TrialGP provisional calendar

All dates are provisional.

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NSW wins MA Motocross State Challenge

New South Wales claimed the 2026 MA Motocross State Challenge at Darwin’s Hidden Valley, with a dominant MX85 squad and a narrow MX3 team victory combining to put the NSW Tailwhips ahead of defending champions Queensland.

The second running of the event featured four motos apiece for MX85 and MX3 across September 18-19, as part of the MXGP of Australia meeting. With the best five results from each state or territory counting in each moto, and the lowest combined score winning, NSW finished on 284 points, Queensland on 427 and South Australia on 661.

World junior champion Blake Bohannon led the NSW charge with four MX85 victories aboard his Yamaha, while team-mate Liam Millard made it a NSW one-two in every moto on his GASGAS.

Bohannon won the opening three races by 26.714, 35.642 and 27.304 seconds before Millard narrowed the margin to 13.701 seconds in the finale. Bohannon also set the fastest lap of the final moto, a 1m47.891s on lap two.

Queensland’s Sidney Stephenson completed the MX85 overall podium with 3-4-3-8 results, ahead of South Australian Bodhi Austin, who claimed third in the final race. Brax Pollard rounded out the top five, with fellow NSW riders Archie Black seventh and Oli Chandler eighth helping their state dominate the class tally, 93 points to Queensland’s 234.

Western Australia’s Ryder Matthews-Taylor was similarly dominant in MX3, the 17-year-old Husqvarna rider sweeping all four motos. His first three victories came by more than 20 seconds, although Victorian Jobe Dunne closed to within 3.234 seconds in the final encounter.

Dunne’s 3-2-3-2 results secured second overall ahead of Queensland’s Hayden Downie, whose 2-3-2-3 scorecard also totalled 10 points. Dunne’s better final-race result settled the tie, while he also clocked the fastest lap of that moto at 1m42.797s.

NSW’s strength in depth delivered the MX3 team honours despite having no rider on the individual podium. Drew Kremer led the squad in fourth overall with 6-5-4-4 finishes, supported by Justin McHugh in sixth and Ritchie Lawler eighth. Peter Wolfe also contributed fourth places in the opening two motos. NSW edged Queensland by just two points, 191 to 193, with Western Australia third on 325.

Across both classes, Western Australia took fourth overall ahead of Victoria on the tie-break after both finished on 826 points. Northern Territory placed sixth and Tasmania seventh.

MA Motocross State Challenge Team Results

MX85 Overall Top Five

MX3 Overall Top Five

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Donovan claims three Australian Track titles in Ayr

Neiko Donovan claimed half of the six national titles on offer at the 2026 Australian Senior Track Championship, winning Pro 250, Pro 450 and MX Open at Ayr’s Brandon Sports Reserve on September 19-20. Hosted by Ayr Motorcycle Club, the event brought four solo championships, plus sidecar and ATV titles, to the 530-metre north Queensland track.

Defending Pro 450 champion Ronan Jacobs was among six riders to win heats, but Donovan took command in the final, clearing away to finish 21.344 seconds ahead of Lucas Quinn, with Damien Koppe third. Quinn’s runner-up finish repeated his result from 2025.

Donovan also won the MX Open final ahead of Brayden Bradford and Cooper Andersen, while his Pro 250 crown came courtesy of three wins from five races in the points-based contest. Paolo D’Amato-Barbaro and Daniel Garard each claimed a race win on their way to second and third overall.

Latiya Hyde secured the Pro Open Women’s title in a much closer finish, edging Mia Blackford by just 0.339 seconds, with Claire Day completing the podium. Blackford’s silver medal came as she stepped into the senior ranks following a successful junior career. Hyde, Blackford and Day had all won heats, along with Grace Hudson and Brittaney O’Brien.

Len Quagliata delivered a clean sweep in ATV Open, winning all five races to take the championship ahead of Peter Ready and Gerard Land.

Sidecars returned to the championship after missing the 2025 event, with Matthew Davies and Wayne O’Meley winning the final ahead of Cameron O’Meley and Seth Horrocks. The 2024 champions, Shaun and Darren Fien, rounded out the podium.