It’s been an eventful 12 months for West Australian teenager Kayden Minear, who went from a P2 finish in the MX2 class of Penrite ProMX last year to taking on some of the world’s best with his Pro Motocross debut at the Thunder Valley National in 2025. What has life looked like for Minear within that time? This Five Questions feature delves into his journey so far.

Image: Octopi Media.

Kayden, a lot has happened in the last 12 months for you. Give us the rundown on what has occurred from your point of view.

Yeah, the last 12 months have been a rollercoaster! I had a solid season with P2 in ProMX last year, and then came over to America and had that standout ride at the Ironman combine with second overall, which opened a few eyes and led to the ride with Star Racing Yamaha. That was pretty cool, and then I moved over fully in late November, and we got straight into supercross training, which was a whole other level for me. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake and broke my collarbone, then I got surgery, and right after surgery, it got infected. I flew back to Australia and got another surgery in Brisbane, got the infection cleaned up, and then back to racing some Loretta Lynns qualifiers, before Hangtown’s moto combine went really well this year. We finished with a 1-1 there, which was another eye opener, and that led to an opportunity to go pro two weekends later. I rode really well in those races, but I was still a little underprepared and not quite fit enough to go the whole distance yet. High Point came around, and I ended up snapping my UCL joint off the bone in qualifying, which was a bummer. A few ligaments were snapped as well, so there was no other option than [to get] surgery, which takes us to where we are now. We’re a month post-operation, and I’m a lot further ahead than where I thought I would be – I’m starting to get a lot more mobility back into it, and so hopefully not too long before I am back on the bike.

So last year’s Ironman combine race really kicked all of this off, right? Was that event a pivotal one for you?

Definitely. After that race, it opened a few eyes, and Star came to a mutual contact of mine and said that they’d like to give me an opportunity. I went down and test rode the bike, and they liked how I looked on it, I really enjoyed riding it, so I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I’ve loved the arrangement the team has down here at the farm, it’s not a group for the weak, that’s for sure. You’re grinding every day, but I live for that grind, that’s what pushes me to be better. I’ve had a lot of new things to learn – it’s been an experience – but I’m loving it. As for the bike, my first impression of riding it was that I was blown away that they could make a 250 so fast…they’ve really got that thing dialled in, and they’re still testing every day, trying to develop it, and make it better for each race. I think that is why it’s so good, is because they put so much effort and resources into developing it and don’t get stagnant on what they have.

For sure, we’ve all heard really good things about all of that. And how about life in America, making that switch, and then also the intensity of the racing there? Especially in Pro Motocross, it looks like the difference between a 20th and a fifth is literally a start…

It’s been a pretty easy transition to get over here. I tell all my friends back in Australia that the US is just a bigger version of Australia, really. It’s been pretty easy, I’m enjoying it over here, but still getting used to it. The events themselves are surreal – especially the pro ones, you grow up watching it on television and this is the ultimate dream, right? Pulling up is so surreal, the tracks are so much bigger and better than what it looks like on TV, and then lining up with riders you’ve watched your whole life is wild, plus getting out there and battling with them. My first pro race actually, I walked in and was like, ‘Dude, there’s [Levi] Kitchen, I’ve watched him forever,’ and then I was kind of like, ‘Damn, man, I need to focus, I’m racing these guys!’ It’s pretty funny, I’m out there battling guys that I have been watching on TV for years. Thankfully, I hate losing, so switching to that racer’s mindset isn’t too tough. But the speed in general is so gnarly…we’re holding these 250s wide open everywhere, it comes down to split seconds of letting off the gas that makes the difference, and that’s really crazy. In Australia, you kind of have three to five people who run a serious speed, whereas here it’s the top 20, and the difference between your finishing position is like you said, just where you start.

Image: Octopi Media.

I could imagine that would be a crazy experience. Your team as well, beyond the 250s, has some big names. Have you had any experiences with Eli Tomac or Cooper Webb?

Yeah, it’s pretty funny actually, my first day on the bike, our team trainer Gareth Swanepoel said, ‘Just go out there, feel the bike out and find a flow.’ I said, ‘No worries,’ then the next minute, Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, Christian Craig – the best of the best were out there and ripping around me, and I was like, ‘Dude, this is crazy.’ What an experience that was. So yeah, having all of those guys around is pretty next level. The work ethic they have is unbelievable, and when you see it firsthand, you can see why they are as good as they are.

That’s a baptism of fire right there! So, future plans, you’re kind of in limbo currently between amateur and pro, do you know what the future holds, racing-wise?

I’m not 100 percent sure at the moment, it really comes down to what the team wants me to do. My goal is to go pro, I think I showed some really good speed when I went pro this year, so hopefully the team gives me that opportunity to show my talents on the professional stage next year for sure. Like I said the thumb injury feels pretty good currently, so we’ve been speaking with the team, and if we’re further ahead than we thought, I’ll jump back in and do those last pro races [of this season], but we just have to wait and see. I’m not on the bike yet, so a lot of it will come down to how it feels riding, so at the moment, that’s just a waiting game.

Awesome, well, all the best with the injury recovery, and thank you for the chat.

No worries at all, thank you!