It’s been over two decades since the Motocross World Championship was staged in Australia, with the events of the early 2000s at Broadford deeply etched in history. Fast-forward 24 years, and we quietly find ourselves on the eve of the next chapter of MXGP down under – the question we raise though, is this 2025 return being undervalued?

The 500cc grand prix held at the Victorian venue of Broadford in 2000 was largely responsible for propelling the international careers of both the late Andrew McFarlane and Michael Byrne, who competed as wildcards at the front of the field and earned third and fourth place positions in the opening moto. McFarlane was P4 overall after a spectacular performance.

This was in front of a reported 15,000 fans, who lined the fences to see Belgian legend Joel Smets complete a 1-1 sweep of the weekend, and later go on to capture his fourth – and final – world title that year following a convincing season.

As for McFarlane and Byrne, they’d earn the attention of both Europe and the United States for 2001, with the former joining the factory Rinaldi Yamaha organisation to contest the 500cc division in Europe, while the latter headed Stateside as part of the Edge Kawasaki team, finishing ninth as a rookie in the premier class of AMA Supercross on a KX250.

Image: Supplied.

The 2001 running of the Australian GP was equally consequential, as this time a young Chad Reed was on the line in the 250cc class, having signed a new deal with Kawasaki to contest the entire world championship season that year. He finished sixth – on his way to runner-up in the standings – while McFarlane earned second overall to then teammate Stefan Everts in class.

Why the brief trip down memory lane, then? It relives the significance of what these two events meant to domestic competition, as the visit of the European series played a defining role in the expansion of Australian talent heading – and succeeding – abroad in the years to follow. Keep in mind that this occurred in a largely analogue world, so there was no cruising Instagram to watch clips of a high-flying Reed at the time.

As we transport 20-plus years into the future, it’s safe to say that a lot has changed, and as a result, this has an impact on how the return of the MXGP is perceived by fans, riders, and teams alike. With the introduction of social media, it is no longer as pivotal for riders to line up and shine at this race to be recognised, as a variety of added communication avenues are open.

Mix that with a thriving AUSX Supercross Championship, which requires preparation time, and we find ourselves in a situation where many of the top Australian regulars are prioritising other races and events, which compromises the level of depth our wildcards will add as ProMX champions Kyle Webster (focusing on MXoN) and Brodie Connolly (gearing up for AUSX) will be absent altogether. And that matters.

Image: Foremost Media.

Plus, with the options that both the AUSX Open inside Marvel Stadium and Queensland’s round of World Supercross at Cbus Super Stadium present for the Australian audience, it’ll be intriguing to see just how many people make the trek to Hidden Valley to see the stars of MXGP in action. Early indications are that sales have been promising, but time will tell the story either way.

As a nation, we are spoiled for choice in terms of who we’d like to see and where. Do you want to see the Lawrence brothers and Cole Davies race supercross in the comfort of downtown Melbourne? Do you want to catch the possibility of Eli Tomac being in Red Bull KTM colours on the shores of the Gold Coast? Or how about witnessing Dutch superstar Jeffrey Herlings make his first-ever start in Australia? It’s a lot to consider in a short amount of time.

These international races all indirectly impact each other, since attending all three would come at a hefty cost. Therefore, along with the absence of riders in certain instances, we may also see fans dispersed over the range of racing pending their interests, compromising the numbers that would attend if there was a singular, headlining act, as was the case back in the day.

Enough eyeballs are on our national ProMX series in the modern era, meaning that – unlike Reed, Byrne or McFarlane – it’s not an absolute must to contest the MXGP event for international recognition, even if it could help in the bigger picture. Winning races/championships will likely land in front of someone noteworthy, not to mention the global connections that our teams now enjoy.

Image: Foremost Media.

The good news on the local front is that Charli Cannon has finally been announced for WMX, and the likes of Zac Watson, Levi Rogers, or youthful KTM Racing Team prospect Byron Dennis – to name just a small group – have every chance of making their presence felt come the race weekend.

Undervalued? It appears so, but not without reason. Still, whether Australia has a large amount of top-tier wildcard entries – and the 25 or so that will be in Darwin across the categories will be well-supported regardless – or not, if you’re an MXGP supporter, it’s clearly a must-attend weekend in the Top End come September 19-21 with world championships on the line.