Aussie Focus

ProMX MX1 field hopes to hunt down Beaton and Honda at this weekend’s Retro Round

With only 28 points separating the top five in ProMX MX1, the stakes of winning the 2023 title fight will go up a number of notches this Sunday as the ProMX Championship visits Toowoomba for the first time in the annual ‘Retro Round’.

MX1 Moto 2

Honda's Jed Beaton holds a slim one point lead heading into this weekend's sixth round of ProMX MX1. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones

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.
MX1 Moto 1
Dean Ferris sits only one point adrift of Jed Beaton, leading the Yamaha challenge. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
Though don’t tell the factory team that! They want either Clout or Tanti in prime place to take out a third consecutive title for Craig Dack-run team. Defending champion Tanti sits third on 163, nine points adrift of the Honda rider, whilst 2021 champion Clout is only 28 behind Beaton on 144. Splitting the pair is KTM Australia's Kirk Gibbs, who is only 18 points adrift of Beaton on 154.

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.
MX2 Moto 1
Honda's Wilson Todd is hoping to extend his lead over KTM's Nathan Crawford in MX2. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
In MX3, a four-way fight is brewing for the top prize, with Byron Dennis still leading the way for GasGas on 186 points. Husqvarna’s Jack Mather remains within reach on 164 points, 22 points further adrift. Yamaha’s Jake Cannon and Kawasaki’s Campbell Williams are the only other riders that remain within reach of challenging for the championship in third and fourth place respectively.
MX3 Moto 1
Byron Dennis leads the way in MX3 for GasGas. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
This weekend’s sixth round is also the second annual ‘Retro Round’, which is a light hearted celebration of the history of motocross in Australia. It’s an appreciation that is echoed by SBS' history, covering the sport across various forms for more than 40 years with the lineage going back to the much-celebrated days of Mr Motocross of the early 1980s.

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.

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Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
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4 min read
Published 23 June 2023 3:41pm
Updated 23 June 2023 5:16pm
By Conor McNally
Source: SBS


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