Image: Octopi Media.

Sweltering hot conditions created a difficult Pro Motocross outing for the Australian-based Honda Racing contingent at Ironman, with reigning ProMX champions Kyle Webster and Brodie Connolly largely affected by the heat in their first of three scheduled 2025 appearances.

Riders were met with over 30-degree temperatures for the ninth round of the US season in Indiana, with the team arriving just one week after clinching the domestic titles during winter at home.

The conditions saw Webster ultimately opt out of 450MX moto two altogether after qualifying in 12th and then taking an eventual 19th-place result in the opening race after climbing to as high as 10th early on.

Webster has turned his attention to Unadilla and Budds Creek, before returning to Crawfordsville in October to defend the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations (MXoN) title with Team Australia alongside the Lawrence brothers.

“In moto one, I pushed into the top 10 before the heat hit me hard around the 20-minute mark,” Webster reflected. “Back home, it’s been 8-15 degrees, [but] here it was over 30 with high humidity, and my body just wasn’t ready for that shock. We made the call to sit out the second moto, save energy, and stick to our bigger plan.”

As for Connolly, the two-time Australian MX2 champion qualified P22 in the 250MX division, before posting a 26-22 moto scorecard for 27th overall. It was an underwhelming debut for the New Zealander in America, but there were positives to take from the weekend.

“Well, it wasn’t much, but it’s a start,” Connolly commented. “The heat was no joke – my body felt like a soggy noodle after about 15 minutes into the motos. It’s always gnarly jumping straight off a plane from the other side of the world and racing, but I need a few more days to acclimatise and we should be alright.”

Honda Racing Australia team director, Yarrive Konsky, added: “Coming straight from winter racing in Australia to this kind of heat was always going to be a challenge. We had no time on the bikes here, no time to acclimatise, and the conditions were extreme, but this trip is about more than one weekend – it’s about learning, adapting, and preparing for what’s next.”

For newly-crowned MX3 class champion Kayd Kingsford, a fractured wrist sustained in practice created an uphill battle for him in the SMX Next Scouting Moto Combine, as the teenager put in a gritty performance across the two-race format with two 12th-place finishes earning him 11th overall.

A 2-2 scorecard for four-time Australian MXW champion Charli Cannon – in her fourth start of the year with Quad Lock Honda in the American championship – elevated her to second in the WMX standings, with a flat rear tyre at the beginning of race two hampering her ability to challenge defending series champion Lachlan Turner.