From the sand of the Dakar Rally, to the dirt of ProMX to the burning rubber of the Australian Superbikes, there’s a host of .
For the last two seasons, the MX1 class has been the benefit of Yamaha and the factory CDR Yamaha Team, with Luke Clout and Aaron Tanti, respectively, claiming the titles in 2021 and 2022. But this year, the Blu Cru’s dominance is under severe threat with three rounds remaining.
Buoyed by extremely strong results in recent rounds, Honda sees itself staring down the barrel of winning its first Australian Motocross Championship in the top tier since Craig Anderson in 2006 and the first under the ProMX moniker.
All of this is mostly attributable to Australian international performer, Jed Beaton. Since returning home from the United States earlier this year, Beaton has been a pillar of consistency for Honda Racing Australia.
His solitary race win in Maitland is backed up by a multitude of top-five finishes that sees him on 172 points, one point clear of the man he replaced this season, Dean Ferris. The former Honda rider, who finished runner-up last year, is enjoying the freedom of racing as a privateer aboard a Yamaha with the most race wins of any rider, six in total. Oddly enough, he could be the salvation for Yamaha in their quest for a third consecutive championship.
Dean Ferris sits only one point adrift of Jed Beaton, leading the Yamaha challenge. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
In MX2, Honda maintains a stranglehold on the top step courtesy of defending champion, Wilson Todd. Todd heads into this weekend’s sixth round aiming to potentially extend the 37 point he has over KTM’s Nathan Crawford. The latter is still on a mission to claw back the points he lost from his disqualification during the opening round in Wonthaggi, as well as a DNF from Moto 1 at the third round in Wodonga.
On the plus side, he is currently the winningest rider of the class this year and if Todd has a catastrophic round, a collection of wins will bring him right back up the top.
Honda's Wilson Todd is hoping to extend his lead over KTM's Nathan Crawford in MX2. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
Byron Dennis leads the way in MX3 for GasGas. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
Come join the celebrations this Sunday with live action of MX1, MX2 and MX3 on SBS from 1pm AEST and simulcast on SBS On Demand, where you can catch up on all previous rounds and seasons of ProMX.
