Recapping the Australian ProMX finale from QLD Moto Park

Penrite 2024 Australian ProMX Motocross Championship
Round Eight – QLD Moto Park

It was all about Honda Racing at round eight of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship held at Queensland Moto Park over the weekend.  Kyle Webster (Thor MX1), Jake Cannon (MAXXIS MX3) and Charli Cannon (EZILIFT MXW) joined Brodie Connolly (Pirelli MX2) at the top of their respective classes.

In the tightest title fight in Australian motocross history, Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Webster claimed the MX1 crown on countback after his arch-rival Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) was able to draw level on 382 points by dominating Sunday’s racing.

Across all classes, race fans were treated to some of the most intense action of the season around the fast, technical QMP circuit, bringing a thrilling conclusion to this year’s eight-round series.

Thor MX1

Even by his usual qualifying standards, CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Jed Beaton threw down a searing lap-time that was leagues ahead of the rest of the field during the Thor MX1 qualifying.

Beaton’s 1m52.338s lap at the end of the session was almost 1.8s quicker than that of series leader Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), setting the stage for a tense championship showdown.

Off the back of a disappointing result last weekend at Gympie, Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team’s Todd Waters rebounded with the third-fastest time, jumping ahead of Kirk Gibbs (GASGAS Racing Team) and Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) late in the session.

Luke Clout (Empire Kawasaki), Zac Watson (Husqvarna), Maximus Purvis (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha Racing), Wilson Todd (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) and Caleb Ward (Husqvarna) also guaranteed their spots in the AMX Superstores Top 10 Pole Shootout.

Thor MX1 Moto One

The excitement started early on race day when Maximus Purvis broke Beaton’s AMX Superstores Top 10 Pole Shootout streak. The Kiwi stunning the field by posting a 1m47.729s lap-time, more than half a second quicker than Luke Clout.

Kirk Gibbs logged an impressive final lap to claim P3, edging ahead of Beaton by 0.26s, with Nathan Crawford claiming P5.

There was plenty of action in the opening MX1 moto, as Beaton took the win and closed the gap on the championship leader.

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Clout took the WP Holeshot, but a surging Purvis carved past him for the lead in the opening laps. Several laps later, Purvis then suffered a huge crash, allowing Clout to briefly retake the lead.

Beaton fought his way from P6 on the opening lap to eventually pass Clout and ride away to an 8.6-second win, with Clout second and Webster bravely riding through the pain to finish P3.

Wilson Todd did a great job of protecting Webster from a late, hard charge from Gibbs to hold onto P4 and ensure Webster maintained some handy points going into the final moto, while Gibbs would finish P5.

Thor MX1 Race One Results

Thor MX1 Moto Two

With everything to play for in the final moto, Webster grabbed the holeshot, but Beaton wasted no time getting past and stretching out a commanding 8.9-second lead by the time he crossed the finish-line.

Riding through the pain, Webster found himself going backwards as Clout, Gibbs and Purvis overtook him, but he gritted his teeth and stayed ahead of Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team) to secure Honda’s first MX1 championship in decades – and a first under the management of team owner Yarrive Konsky.

A hard-charging Gibbs claimed second, with Clout third, and Purvis fourth. For the round, Beaton took a perfect 50 points, with Clout second and Gibbs third.

Kyle Webster – 2024 MX1 Champion (P4)

“That took everything I had. I’m disappointed about the mistake in qualifying; we’re still not sure what exactly happened to my hand, but it’s really swollen and kept going numb. I did what I had to do to secure the championship. Of course, I would have liked a better position in race 2. I caught up to the guys in 3rd and 4th but didn’t want to risk tangling with one of them. I did what was necessary, and I’m so relieved and grateful for everyone’s efforts. I love this team, the people, Honda, and all of our sponsors. This is very special.”

Jed Beaton – P1

“It’s disappointing that I didn’t get the championship win and I could look back and find a heap of things that could make a difference, but in the end, this is how we finished and I feel I can hold my head high. I knew I was up against it, but I wasn’t going to roll over and winning races was my only hope, so that’s what I did. Congratulations to Kyle, he has been a great rival this year and he had to work for it today, so well done to him and his team. Thank you to everyone at the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy team for their efforts this year. As a group of people, we never stopped trying to be better and we fought it out until the end.”

Kirk Gibbs – P3

“In the first race I got a bad start, but I pushed through to fifth within a handful of laps and in the end I was credited fourth. My start to the second moto was better and I felt really good, but once I got myself into second I didn’t want to risk it and rode safely to the end. I was happy with that, to walk away and finish on a good note. All in all, I’m happy with my series, and four podiums is the most I’ve had in a while!”

Todd Waters – P6

“QMP has never been a track that I’ve got along with and today it was as fast and as technical as I’ve ever seen it. I started the weekend well, but I crashed in both of my qualifying laps in the Top 10 Pole Shootout, then I crashed again in the first race. The second moto I got into a good position early, then just focused on keeping up on two wheels and trying to put in a clean race to finish the year. Looking back on the season, I’m definitely not happy with how it finished up. At the same time, having to race, run the team, parent and run my own business has been a lot to juggle. We’ve made some good progress, though, and going forward we’ve got some great systems in place.”

Nathan Crawford – P8

“Things didn’t go my way again today, but looking at the big picture, there are still plenty of things to be proud of – I was one of only three guys to win races this year and I finished third in the points. It’s made me even more determined to be stronger again next year.”

Thor MX1 Race Two Results

Thor MX1 Round Points

Thor MX1 Championship Points

Pirelli MX2

He might’ve already won the Pirelli MX2 championship, but Brodie Connolly wasn’t going to take things easy for the final motos. The Polyflor Honda Racing rider jumped to the top of the qualifying timesheets early, then as soon as anyone looked like challenging his time, he quickly responded. The end result was a fastest lap of 1m55.446s, almost 0.9s quicker than Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing).

A trio of MX2 podium hopefuls claimed the remaining top five placings, as KTM Racing Team’s Kayden Minear finished the session third-quickest, followed by Noah Ferguson (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) and Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing).

Rhys Budd (Raceline Husaqvarna Racing Team), Reid Taylor (Empire Kawasaki), Alex Larwood (Froth Honda Racing), Cambell Williams (MotoGo Yamaha) and Haruki Yokoyama (Honda) completed the top 10.

Pirelli MX2 Moto One

Brodie Connolly won the opening race, but there was plenty of action behind the Polyflor Honda Racing rider as racers vied for valuable series points.

Ryder Kingsford took the holeshot, but came under Connolly’s pressure early on.

Kingsford determinedly hung onto P2, finishing 3.6s behind New Zealand’s Connolly, and two seconds ahead of a hard-charging Alex Larwood, who recovered well from an early error.

Kayden Minear made a last-lap pass on Noah Ferguson to claim P4 and snatch an extra couple of crucial points in the championship fight.

Pirelli MX2 Race One Results

Pirelli MX2 Moto Two

In the final MX2 moto of the season, Jayce Cosford was awarded the holeshot, but Connolly pushed himself into the lead within a handful of corners and continued to push the pace, stretching out a 9.5-second lead before the final chequered flag fell.

Cosford put in a solid race to finish a lonely second, as Minear got the better of Larwood and Kaleb Barham to finish third. Larwood and Barham finished their season with a P4 and P5 result.

Flanking Connolly on the round podium were Minear and Larwood, while Connolly finished the championship on 369 points, with Minear second (279) and Kingsford (271) third.

Brodie Connolly – P1

“It’s been a dream year. I made a lot of changes, and it’s all paid off. I need to thank the families who supported me, the team, Polyflor, and Honda. I didn’t know if this would ever happen, and I’m so happy it has. I’m just so appreciative of everyone.”

Kayden Minear – P2

“Looking back on it all, I’ve had an awesome season. It started off rough and I rode the first couple of rounds still recovering from injury. We pushed through everything and we got challenged a lot, but to see how far I’ve come since then has been amazing! Two good starts put me in a good spot today. I focused on my riding, not the championship, and I feel like I rode really well and finished the season strong.”

Ryder Kingsford – P4

“I didn’t ride great in that last race and didn’t have the pace to get to the front,” Kingsford explains, “but overall it was a much better weekend than last week and I was at least back in the fight and able to finish the year with third which is a good reward for the myself and the team. After a few years with injury and some racing missed with Covid, this became a good learning year for me and I gained a lot from it. I can already see the things I need to improve and where I can be a better rider and racer.”

Jayce Cosford – P5

“My goal was a podium today and felt I was capable of getting it done as my speed was good in practice and qualifying. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a great start in moto one and then was caught in a crash where I had no where to go. But happy to bounce back in the last one and finish the championship strongly. Thanks to the team for all their efforts and Joel who swings off the pit board every race.”

Kaleb Barham – P6

“Good day for me overall, although I would love to have a better start in race one. I thought I jumped pretty good but got a pinched off and lost some spots. My championship was interrupted with a wrist injury which hurt me in the points but there were plenty of good moments to go along with it and as a team, we never stopped working.”

Jack Mather – P7

“All in all it was a good weekend and I’m happy with how the season finished for me. Qualifying didn’t quite go to plan, but to finish with two good seventh-place results in the two motos and finish 10th in the championship was a solid rookie season for me. I learnt a lot the whole way through and I’m glad I could finish the season strong and healthy.”

Rhys Budd – P9

“It’s a special feeling being a dad now and I wanted to have a strong weekend, but it just wasn’t quite there. Even though I got a bad start to moto one, I was happy with my riding, especially on a track that was hard to pass on. In moto two I got a better start and tried to click off laps, but I felt like I got a flat rear tyre, so I pulled off to check it. I lost a few positions and didn’t feel completely comfortable out there, even though my pace was still good. I wanted to finish the championship with a bang, but I’m healthy, heading home safe, and ready to start preparing for the supercross season.”

Pirelli MX2 Race Two Results

Pirelli MX2 Round Points

Pirelli MX2 Championship Points

Maxxis MX3

GASGAS Racing Team-supported racer Ky Woods threw down a blistering MAXXIS MX3 qualifying time to claim pole position ahead of the final motos.

Having already given the field a time to chase early on, Woods stopped the clock with a 1m56.014s lap towards the end of his session, more than 1.2s quicker than Deacon Paice’s best time of 1m57.29s in group one.

Mongrel Boots Honda Racing’s new series red plate-holder Jake Cannon registered the third-fastest time once the two groups were merged together, followed by Kayd Kingsford (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha Racing).

KTM rider Jackson Fuller and WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha Racing’s Kobe Drew filled the remaining top five places.

Previous championship leader, Koby Hantis (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha Racing) could only manage the seventh-fastest time, behind Jet Alsop (KTM) in P6.

Maxxis MX3 Moto One

Top qualifier Woods continued his run of hot form with a good win in the opening moto. KTM rider Jackson Fuller jumped to the front of the pack and led about half the moto, before Woods used some great momentum through the rollers to take the lead and eventually win by 5.6 seconds.

Behind Fuller, Kayd Kingsford (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha) and KTM-mounted Paice had relatively quiet races on their way to P3 and P4 respectively. In comparison, leader Cannon had an eventful moto, tumbling from fourth to 10th early on, then digging deep to charge back to a P5 finish.

Cannon still earned good points over his nearest title rival Koby Hantis, as the WBR Bulk Nutrients Racing rider fought from outside the top 20 to finish P9.

Maxxis MX3 Race One Results

Maxxis MX3 Moto Two

Fuller again got the jump off the gate for the second MX3 moto, but slid out soon afterward and let Woods by for the lead. Woods won by 5.2 seconds from Paice, with Cannon doing more than enough to claim the MX3 title with a third-place finish.

Hantis did everything he could to bring the fight to Cannon, but had to settle for P4, as Kingsford completed the top five.

A third overall was enough for Jake Cannon to successfully claim the MAXXIS MX3 championship, as Ky Woods put together a perfect 1-1 scorecard to win the final round from Deacon Paice.

In the final championship standings, Cannon stood on top with 324 points, with Hantis second (316) and Kingsford third (287).

Jake Cannon – 2024 MX3 Champion (P3 – Round)

“This team is amazing—they never stopped believing in me, and I’m thrilled to win my first MX3 championship. This championship, the trip to America—it’s all been a dream come true. I’m so thankful to everyone involved.”

Kayd Kingsford – P4

“Kobe Drew and I were pretty close on points for the final spot on the podium, but he had a rough day and I was able to get on the box. It’s been a busy year for me with a lot of changes but happy to end out the year in third and learn more about racing. WBR have been awesome, and the Whitten family put in a huge effort.”

Koby Hantis – P6

“Today the goal was to just give it my all and let the cards fall where they fall. I tried to ride my hardest, but I just didn’t have the speed today and Jake did enough to get the win, so congrats to him. But I want to thank the WBR Yamaha team who gave me a life line at the start of the season and their support throughout the year has been amazing.”

Maxxis MX3 Race Two Results

Maxxis MX3 Round Points

Maxxis MX3 Championship Points

EziLift MXW

SCT Logistics Honda Racing’s Charli Cannon successfully defended her MAXXIS MXW crown with a race to spare and remained on target to complete a perfect season.

In qualifying, Cannon put down a 2m04.236s lap-time, but was pushed hard for most of the session by Empire Kawasaki’s Taylah McCutcheon, who finished just 0.6s further back. Husqvarna rider Taylor Thompson locked down the third-quickest time, over 6.5s off the pace of McCutcheon.

Victorian Emma Milesevic (Honda) and New Zealand’s Karaitiana Horne (Kawasaki) finished qualifying fourth and fifth respectively, trailed by MXW regular front-runners Madi Simpson (Honda) and Danielle McDonald (Yamaha).

EziLift MXW Moto One

Saturday’s championship-winning MXW race was all one-way traffic for Cannon, as she grabbed the holeshot and relentlessly built her lead throughout the 15-minute plus one lap moto.

In a race that saw limited passing near the front of the field, Cannon cruised to a 21.8-second victory over Thompson, who fended off a late-race challenge from McCutcheon to finish runner-up.

McDonald crossed the line in P4 and Milesevic fifth, as Tahlia O’Hare (KTM), Simpson, Horne, Darci Whalley (KTM) and Emily Lambert (GASGAS) filled the top 10.

EziLift MXW Race One Results

EziLift MXW Moto Two

Drama in the final EZILIFT MXW moto saw Taylah McCutcheon steal the round win, on track Charli Cannon crossed the line first, but a start-gate infringement cost her the moto and round win – and her goal of a perfect season.

Honda rider Madi Simpson grabbed the holeshot and led through the early turns, before Cannon jumped her way into the lead. Cannon took the win on track, but ultimately McCutcheon was awarded the race win after working her way past Taylor Thompson and Simpson, claiming the round victory on countback in the process.

Husqvarna-supported Thompson was awarded P2 for the moto, with Cannon relegated to P3. Early leader Simpson completed her season with P4 result, followed by Tahlia O’Hare (KTM) in fifth.

For the round, McCutcheon stood atop the podium on countback from Cannon, with Thompson just one point further back in third.

The final day’s racing confirmed Thompson and JGR Yamaha Offroad Team regular Danielle McDonald would finish second and third in the overall standings.

Charli Cannon – 2024 WMX Champion

“It was awesome to finish every race in front. The bike was flawless, and everything was just amazing. I’ve really enjoyed this season, and I’m looking forward to the future. I want to thank Honda, SCT, all of the team sponsors, my family, and my personal sponsors.”

EziLift MXW Race Two Results

EziLift MXW Round Points

EziLift MXW Cup Points

KTM Group MX65 Futures

KTM-mounted Kye Sproule took top spot in qualifying with an impressive time of 2m27.271, which was more than five-and-a-half seconds quicker than series leader Blake Bohannon (Yamaha), in second. Victoria’s Mason Ezergailis (KTM), was third-fastest, another three seconds further back.

Sproule would claim the holeshot of the first KTM Group MX65 Futures moto, but Bohannon was able to get past him and take the lead on the opening lap, then pull away to take the win by 11.4 seconds from Sproule.

Queenslander Sidney Stephenson (GASGAS) finished third, while Ezergailis and Ethan Wolfe finished a distant P4 and P5. The sixth and final moto of the MX65 Futures series will be held tomorrow.

Stephenson grabbed the holeshot in moto two, but Mason Ezergailis (KTM) took over leading duties for most of the race, before Stephenson was able to swing past late in the session to then win by 4.37 seconds.

Moto one race-winner, Bohannon held down fourth for most of the race, but made a late pass on Ethan Wolfe (Husqvarna) to finish third, as Kye Sproule (KTM) crossed the line in P5.

For the third time in as many rounds, the round points were decided on countback, with Stephenson’s second moto win seeing him take honours from Bohannon, while Ezergailis took the final spot on the podium.

Bohannon topped the series standings with 139 points, ahead of Ezergailis (116) and Sproule (112).

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race One

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race Two

KTM Group MX65 Futures Points

MXV Veterans

Older guys, new machinery. That was the theme of the MX Vets racing as two Stark Vargs topped the 30-39 Years and 40-Plus divisions, at the hands of Luke Reardon and Mike Sleeter.

Warning signals sounded early when Queensland’s Reardon destroyed the 30-39 field in qualifying by almost 10 full seconds. He set a time of 2m03.537s, putting daylight between himself and Codey Russ (Yamaha), as Trent Loder (Yamaha) finished the session third-quickest.

Kawasaki rider Corey Vanderlei topped the 40-Plus group with a 2m10.298s lap-time, beating Sleeter and Mathew Fish (KTM) for gate-pick honours.

In the first MXV moto, Reardon claimed the holeshot and went on to comfortably take both the 30-39 and combined wins. Riding a good, steady race, Russ finished P2, while Loder finished on the moto podium. Charles Brett (GASGAS) and Christopher Couch (KTM) wrapped up their first moto in P4 and P5.

In the 40-Plus division, Vanderlei grabbed the holeshot, but Sleeter worked his way through the pack to take control of the race. However, despite crossing the line in P1, Sleeter was relegated two positions due to a start-line infringement.

That meant Yamaha rider Dean Freer would take the moto win, followed by Fish, with Sleeter third. Vanderlei crossed the line in P4 and Sam Lyttle (Honda) fifth.

Reardon again dominated the second moto from gate-drop to chequered flag, taking a 1m21s win over Russ, with Loder crossing the line a further 10 seconds back. Brett and Mitchell McReadie (Honda), completed the top five.

In the 40-Plus division, Vanderlei again beat everyone to the first turn, but Sleeter hit the front before half a lap was run and stretched out a huge lead. He’d work his way all the way up to P5 in the combined placings before time ran out, while Vanderlei got the better of Fish to take second. Moto one winner Freer finished in P4, and Lyttle in P5.

In the final standings, Reardon claimed a perfect 50 points to take the MXV 30-39 victory, with Russ second (44) and Loder third (40). In the MXV 40-Plus class, Sleeter’s second-moto win saw him claim the overall victory on 45 points, with Freer second (43) and Fish third (42).

MX Vets 30-39 / 40+ Race One

MX Vets 30-39 / 40+ Race Two

MX Vets 30-39 Points

MX Vets 40+ Points