We’re six rounds into the 2025 Penrite ProMX Championship so far, with two weekends of racing upcoming to decide the champions across each category. After a major shake-up yesterday with the news of MX1 leader Jed Beaton bowing out due to injury, MotoOnline answers some of the current questions in Q&A before the penultimate race is staged next Sunday in Toowoomba.

Image: Foremost Media.

Q: What happened to the MX1 championship leader, Jed Beaton?

A: It never ceases to amaze us the spectrum of possibility and outcome when it comes to motocross and supercross racing, and it’s exactly this factor that makes it one of the most exciting sports in the world. The unpredictability has us on the edge of our seats at all times, however, with an immense upside comes an equally brutal downside, and this made itself known yesterday when news broke that current MX1 red plate holder Beaton endured a practice incident and a subsequent broken femur, ruling him out for the season. As the Monster Energy CDR Yamaha team owner Craig Dack appropriately explained, ‘Even after nearly 50 years of racing and management, the highs and lows of our sport still hit hard.’ It’s a sentiment shared by everyone in the industry, as shown by the outpouring of support in the time since for the 27-year-old. That’s what happened, it’s a massive bummer, and we wish Jed a speedy recovery.

Q: How does this shape the complexion of this year’s MX1 championship?

A: Following on from the above passage, this is why you never give up, which is especially true in this sport. Too often, we associate championship winners purely with speed, and while that’s a necessary prerequisite, it’s not the whole picture, and a shoutout is due here to KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford. He’s experienced some pretty sizeable deficits inflicted by both Beaton and defending champion Kyle Webster this season, however, the Queenslander has kept his head up, unwavering in his determination and as a result sits only 15 points behind Webster with two rounds remaining. In other words, this means he’s right in the thick of it, especially if he posts a strong Toowoomba result. Equally, kudos needs to go to Boost Mobile Honda’s Webster, who could’ve easily sat out round five in Warwick after sustaining a back injury in the lead-up, but pushing through the pain has proven critical with the situation that is now before us. Beaton’s absence throws the MX1 title wide-open with two rounds remaining, with Webster and Crawford now emerging as the leading contenders.

Q: Has Brodie Connolly shifted to another gear in MX2?

A: Yeah, he has. The defending MX2 champion likely didn’t anticipate such a vigorous challenge from Ryder Kingsford (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha) early in the season, although at the same time, the number one probably had something left in the tank, which just needed the right factors to align for him to uncork that speed consistently. Since Traralgon’s fourth round, he has won five of six motos, dropping only one race at Warwick due to a first-turn incident. We were wondering who would genuinely challenge Connolly this year, and though things looked a little tighter across the opening rounds, it’s now starting to head in the direction we had expected, and that’s that the Kiwi sensation would be in a league of his own in 2025.

Image: Foremost Media.

Q: Who is hot and who is not at this stage in the year?

A: Queensland privateer Zac Watson has been hot all season aboard his Triumph machinery, and after six rounds, he sits a super-impressive P5 in the MX1 class standings. If this type of performance doesn’t garner the attention of the factory teams, then we don’t know what will, as both consistency and speed have been on display from the number eight so far this season. Who is not so hot right now is Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout, who collected this title convincingly in 2021. There were higher expectations entering his second year with the Team Green program, however, his KX looked like he’d courted a wild stallion in the pastures of Canberra for the sixth round, and he struggled to hold it steady through the choppy conditions. This could likely be due to how he likes his bike set up, but the supercross specialist is probably eyeing the indoor series and stoked for a fresh start, as we know he’s always a force in the more technical, tighter discipline.

Q: Is Wilson Todd officially back to form?

A: We’d say a return to the MX1 podium in Canberra means that Wilson Todd is officially back to form, as the multi-time MX2 champion overcomes a year-long battle with injuries to return to where he should be. When he claimed his last 250 title in 2023, Honda Racing team owner Yarrive Konsky said something to the effect of Todd being family to the Victorian-based team, and that he’d always have a home with the outfit. It’s safe to say this sentiment was put to the test over the ensuing 18 months, with Honda having stuck it out with Todd through the lowest of lows, so it’s pretty cool to see them triumph together in such a fashion. He’s an interesting character, Wilson Todd, who has been consistently linked to a return to the quarter-litre category since moving up to MX1, which is a pretty random situation and uncommon at that. His response? The 27-year-old indicated that he doesn’t mind what class he races, explaining that he’s happy to work with the team on what they need at any given point in time.

Q: Who’s in the fight for the final position on the MX2 podium?

A: We’ve got a three-way battle for the final step on the MX2 podium, with KTM Racing Team duo Noah Ferguson and Byron Dennis in positions three and five, while Warwick winner Alex Larwood (NFAL Honda) is sandwiched in between the two. Ferguson has been the fastest of this trio, having claimed four of six podiums throughout the season, however, he only holds a one-point advantage over Larwood, with Dennis a further 14 markers back. This is a young group of riders who’ll no doubt be after bragging rights leaving this year’s ProMX campaign, and with Connolly tipped to exit the MX2 category next year, they’ll also want to establish that they are next in line for the championship. Kingsford in P2 actually lays claim to this title so far, although taking momentum into next season will be high on the agenda for these contenders.

Image: Foremost Media.

Q: Is Kayd Kingsford a rider we should watch for the future?

A: Another question we had on our minds entering 2025 was, who was going to emerge as the next star in Australian motocross? The MX3 division is a great proving ground for this – put the nation’s fastest young talent together in an up-and-coming class and let them go at it, and see who reigns supreme. Well, Honda Racing’s Kayd Kingsford has answered the bell here, holding a 43-point advantage over Ky Woods (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha). This result, combined with Ryder’s success in MX2, can tell us a lot about the Kingsford family and their program, as this level of success doesn’t happen by accident. They’ve got the early-career formula dialled in, and if both riders were early investments on the stock market, they’d be a good buy for future yields. Keep watch on these two – Kayd, particularly from this point of standpoint – as they rocket through the Australian ranks over the coming years.

Q: What can we expect from Aaron Tanti?

A: As one door closes, another opens. This is an unorthodox way to use this saying, but as Monster Energy CDR Yamaha’s Beaton bows out to injury, teammate Aaron Tanti walks back through the factory Yamaha semi doors, likely ready to compete in Toowoomba. Six months since his neck injury, Tanti seems reasonably confident that he’ll be able to complete both motos comfortably, albeit maybe not at race pace. Anyway, the idea behind this return is that he’ll notch some gate drops before the Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX), to acclimate to both the race intensity and being in proximity of the competition. Could you imagine going into supercross with no gate drops, and pretty much entering that level of intensity off the couch? That would be gnarly, so yeah, good call from Tanti and the team here. Just don’t read too much into the results across the final two ProMX rounds, as this isn’t the ultimate goal.