Australian ProMX round up from Round Seven at MX Farm

Penrite 2024 Australian ProMX Motocross Championship
Round Seven – MX Farm, Gympie

Honda Racing had a weekend to remember at the seventh and penultimate round of the Australian ProMX Motocross Championship held at MX Farm in Gympie.  Brodie Connolly wrapped up the Pirelli MX2 series with a round to spare, while Thor MX1 championship leader Kyle Webster extended his lead to a more comfortable 14 points.

Completing the trifecta for the team, Jake Cannon snatched the MAXXIS MX3 red plate after a day of tight racing around the Queensland circuit.

In the junior ranks Yamaha’s Blake Bohannon edged out Sidney Stephenson in the KTM Group MX65 Futures.

Thor MX1

Jed Beaton continued his perfect streak of collecting Top 10 Pole Shootout AMX cheques by logging a laptime of 1m 51.805s, besting second-fastest Gibbs by almost 0.75s.

Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout finished the session third-quickest, half a second ahead of Kiwi Maximus Purvis (Yamaha), and Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team).

Kyle Webster’s title chances received a huge shot in the arm after he looked a 2.8-second win in the opening MX1 moto. Jed Beaton had to scramble to sixth after going down in a first-turn crash and remounting in last position.

Clout beat the field to the first turn, but crashed before a lap was done, allowing Gibbs to take control of the race. Gibbs too slid out, Webster then snatched the lead and went on to take the moto win.

Clout recovered from his early mistake to claim runner-up, while Crawford put in a great performance to come from 15th early on right through the pack to finish third.

Gibbs also bounced back from his crash to cross the line in fourth, ahead of seasoned legend Brett Metcalfe (GO24 Penrite Racing Team).

Purvis was awarded the holeshot and led the opening laps of race two, but an unforced error saw him go off-track which allowed Beaton – who’d already worked his way past Webster early on – to take control of the race.

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Beaton went on to win by 3.7 seconds over Webster.  Gibbs was forced to settle for third after piling the pressure on Webster for most of the moto. Purvis and Clout completed the last race of the day in P4 and P5 respectively.

A 1-2 result was more than enough for Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Webster to take the round win and extend his championship points lead.

Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) was second overall for the round, while the experienced Kirk Gibbs (GASGAS Racing Team) earned another round podium finish.

A moto two victory from Beaton ensured he minimised the championship points loss from the first race, and gets to carry plenty of confidence into the next weekend’s final round.

In the points chase, Webster now holds a 14-point lead over Beaton (346 to 332), while Crawford remains third (275). It all goes down to the wire next weekend at QLD Moto Park.

Kyle Webster – P1

“The weekend was solid—we extended our points gap, but we need to be mindful that there are still 50 points up for grabs next weekend. I’m happy with my ride in both motos and I’m looking forward to the final round.”

Jed Beaton – P2

“I have nothing left to lose now, fourteen points will be a hard gap to chase down in one round, but all I can do is win the final two races and hope for a couple of things to go my way behind me. My riding is good, and the team have the bike running awesome, so its just all out for race wins at QMP and see where the cards fall. There was a bit going on in that first turn in race one and I know it felt like the rider in front of me just hit the brakes and all but stopped and left me no place to go. I must have copped a hit on the elbow as it felt pretty weird for a few laps, but I manged to shake it off and get back as many points as I could. I’m disappointed with what happened today because I felt that should have been a 1-1 day for me, but I will move on and get set for next weekend.”

Kirk Gibbs – P3

“It feels good to be on the podium again, but to be honest, I wanted to take the win. It’s been five years since I’ve won an overall and I wanted to put everything into today. Unfortunately, the first moto cost me – I was out front and threw it away. When I got in the lead, I thought I’d ride at 90 percent because it was so slick… I didn’t even push into the turn, but the front-end was gone before I could save it. The second moto, I was battling with both championship contenders and putting the heat on the red plate-holder, but didn’t want to make it aggressive, so I settled for P3. I feel my riding was good, but the track was quite hard to race on. I’m happy with the podium, although at the same time, I feel it could’ve been more.”

Todd Waters – P7

“What a day that was. It was slick out there, especially for our opening moto when they put a lot of water on the track. I got into a good position early, but when I tried to make a pass back on a rider, he stalled it in the corner and I went down. It was a really disappointing moment for me. In the second moto I got an average start and just rode around in that position. It was frustrating, as I know I’ve got a lot more to give.”

Nathan Crawford – P9

“I don’t have a lot to say, really. I had high expectations for today and the day started well – I was able to make a lot of passes to finish third in the opening moto. The second race was one of those ones where nothing goes right. I crashed twice, hurt my wrist and had to work hard just to earn some points. It was a really disappointing result in the end.”

Wilson Todd – P10

“I’ve had two weeks on the bike in four months, and I just wanted to get back to racing. I knew it would be tough, but we’ll keep building towards Supercross.”

Thor MX1 Race One Results

Thor MX1 Race Two Results

Thor MX1 Round Points

Thor MX1 Championship Points

Pirelli MX2

Brodie Connolly made a statement early by putting in a searing qualifying time to take pole position and his choice of the gate-picks. Connolly’s time of 1m56.603 around a heavy track was almost 0.8s quicker than second-placed Cambell Williams (MotoGo Yamaha). Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) was third quickest. Rhy Budd and Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) completed the top five qualifying spots.

A leaderboard shake-up in the opening MX2 moto saw Connolly land a killer blow to his rivals, and all but secure the 2024 championship.

It was Williams who jumped into early lead by grabbing the holeshot, but two laps later he bobbled in a rutted turn and allowed Connolly to take the lead and walk away with a 3.363-second victory.

MX Farm regulars Williams and Jack Kukas (Husqvarna) put in the rides of their careers to stay within sight of Connolly and finish on the moto podium. Behind them, Jack Mather (Raceline Husqvarna Racing) also chalked up his best MX2 result with a hard-fought P4, ahead of Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Jayce Cosford.

Championship hopefuls Kingsford and Noah Ferguson (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) had a torrid time of it, finishing the opening moto 11th and 12th respectively.

It was Husqvarna-mounted Brock Flynn who snatched the holeshot in race two, but he was quickly shuffled back by Connolly and Budd, who then went on to finish the moto first and second.

Larwood put in a gritty performance to move from 15th to third on a track that was difficult to pass on, beating Ferguson and Minear to the line.

Connolly claimed the 2024 MX2 championship by winning moto two, and was crowned at the rolling MX Farm circuit, extending Honda’s domination of the class for another year. Rounding out the podium for the day were Rhys Budd (Raceline Husqvarna Racing) and Froth Honda Racing’s Alex Larwood.

With 319 points, Connolly has an unsurmountable 78-point lead over Minear (214) but Ferguson is just one point further back, with Kingsford also potentially in the running for an overall podium in the championship.

Brodie Connolly – 2024 MX2 Champion

“It’s just awesome; people don’t see what goes into this. Two years ago, I didn’t even have a full-time ride. Thanks to everyone at Honda, Polyflor, and all our sponsors for believing in me. Last year was a learning experience—I didn’t know how to eat or train properly, and I made a lot of errors. This year has been different. I moved in with the Townsend family, who provided the stability I needed to focus solely on racing. Ross Beaton has been a great trainer, and Yarrive and the team share the same goals I have. I’m pumped and proud to represent my country. It’s going to be a busy few months with MXGP in China, MXON, Australian Supercross, and possibly other international races. I’m just loving riding my Polyflor Honda CRF250R.”

Rhys Budd – P2

“It’s been a long time, but it feels amazing to be back on the box in P2. I’m really happy with the way I rode in moto two. I was really close to getting my first career win in ProMX, and it was great to stick it to the championship leader for 25 minutes. I’ve struggled with arm strength and arm-pump a lot this year, but we’ve been able to get on top of that now, and it feels good to almost land a moto win.”

Alex Larwood – P3

“It’s been a tough year—broken leg, setbacks—but these results are reassuring that we’re doing the right thing and moving forward.”

Jack Mather – P5

“My day started well and I had a decent qualifying. In the first moto, I had a good start, which was nice. I put myself in a good position and finished fourth, just shy of the podium. The second moto I got another good start but went down with another rider, and had to fight my way back from 15th to seventh. Finishing one point off the podium today has started to fuel the fire. The past few rounds have been up and down, so it’s great to have a decent result and something to build off for the final round.”

Kayden Minear – P6

“Today was up and down. It was a very tricky track to pass on, but I felt really good on the bike all day. I’m not stoked with my end result, as I don’t believe it showed how good I was riding. Taking the positives, I’ve moved into second in the championship and I’m excited to get down to business next weekend at QMP.”

Noah Ferguson – P7

“Seventh overall today isn’t where I need to be. I have the speed to run up front, but bad starts and mistakes hurt my chances. I’m one point off second overall, and I’ll go all out in the final round to take second in this championship.”

Charli Cannon, despite battling the flu, rode in preparation for next weekend, where she aims to wrap up the women’s championship.

Charli Cannon

“It’s always tough racing against the men; it’s even harder when you’re sick, but I wasn’t going to waste this chance to race and be better prepared for next weekend.”

Pirelli MX2 Race One Results

Pirelli MX2 Race Two Results

Pirelli MX2 Round Points

Pirelli MX2 Championship Points

Maxxis MX3

Cannon topped the qualifying session, with his 1m58.707s lap almost 0.45s faster than that of second-placed Kingsford. GASGAS-supported rider Ky Woods claimed third-quickest time, ahead of Seth Burchell (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha), and KTM rider Finley Manson.

It was Kingsford who claimed the holeshot in race one, but Cannon applied the blowtorch and made a good early pass to take the lead. Kingsford stayed close all race, but despite a desperate last-corner attempt at the lead, he crossed the line 0.54s behind Cannon.

Jackson Fuller (KTM) finished with an impressive third, ahead of Hantis and his team-mate, Burchell, who had put in a late charge to work his way into the top five.

When it came to race two, KTM rider Deacon Paice hit the front before Cannon and Hantis quickly relegated him to second as the two contenders went toe-to-toe for the win and series lead.

Cannon would end up taking the victory by 1.9s. Burchell made a late pass on Paice to finish a distant third, while Ky Woods crossed the line in fifth.

The result meant the MAXXIS MX3 class has a new championship leader, with Mongrel Boots Honda Racing’s Cannon taking another round win with a perfect 1-1 score. Previous series leader Koby Hantis and his WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha team-mate Kayd Kingsford took the remaining round podium spots.

In the championship points, Cannon now has a three-point lead over Hantis, with Kobe Drew (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha) third, a further 18 points back.

Jake Cannon – P1

“More lessons were learned this weekend, and I feel my riding continues to improve. I really like QMP and can’t wait to chase hard for this championship for Honda and our sponsors.”

Koby Hantis – P2

“I struggled a bit in that first moto today and just couldn’t get onto the back of the front three, but it was much better in moto two and I was on Jake the whole race. I spent the whole race looking for a way past, but I never quite got close enough to make it happen. It’s three points now, so its still wide open. My focus is just to ride my best and put myself in the best positions and give it everything I can on the day. I’m looking forward to it.”

Kayd Kingsford – P4

“Today was pretty good and its always nice to end the day on the podium. Moto one was good, and I was really close to getting Jake at the end, but my start in moto two wasn’t great and had to make up time on a track that is pretty hard to pass.”

Maxxis MX3 Race One Results

Maxxis MX3 Race Two Results

Maxxis MX3 Round Points

Maxxis MX3 Championship Points

KTM Group MX65 Futures

Yamaha rider Blake Bohannon grabbed a second-round win on countback after an entertaining day of racing in the KTM Group MX65 Futures class.

Sidney Stephenson (GASGAS) stole with the holeshot, but Victorian Lewis-Jay Carafa inherited the lead on the opening lap. Stephenson didn’t back down and again took control of the race a lap later, and went on to win by 3.72s.

Bohannon set the quickest lap of the race on his way to a runner-up result, with KTM rider Mason Ezergailis third. KTM riders Kye Sproule and Archie Black came home fourth and fifth, with Carafa fading the early lead to finish sixth.

In the second moto, Stephenson again got a great start. It was short-lived though, as Bohannon capitalised on an early mistake by the leader to take the lead and a 2.5s winning margin. Behind Stephenson finished Sproule, Ezergailis and Black.

Heading into the final round at QMP next weekend, Bohannon leads Ezergailis (94 points to 76), with Sproule just two points further back.

Blake Bohannon

“It’s cool to get the win here and race at the ProMX. The track was in good condition and its tough making some of the jumps on the 65, but I had fun racing with the guys and can’t wait for next weekend at QMP.”

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race One Results

KTM Group MX65 Futures Race Two Results

KTM Group MX65 Futures Round Points

KTM Group MX65 Futures Series Points