Image: Foremost Media.

Current national MX1 points-leader Jed Beaton is down to ‘fine-tuning’ the updated new 2026 YZ450F since debuting it outdoors with a commanding double victory at Wonthaggi.

Beaton and his Monster Energy CDR Yamaha team set the early tone on development in the pre-season upon his return from last year’s season-ending leg injury, with the process proving extremely smooth since.

“Yeah, obviously [the 2026] is pretty good,” Beaton told MotoOnline. “You know, it hasn’t changed dramatically since last year, so it’s all pretty similar really. With my injury at the end of last year, sort of when I got back on the bike, it was pretty much straight into testing.

“Before Christmas we tested, which was mainly just getting that base set-up right to have a solid pre-season – riding a bike that you know is good for the pre-season, instead of trying to chop and change – so then you can just focus on riding and improving yourself instead of the bike.

“I think we were pretty smart to do it that way. As I said, I don’t think it’s changed a crazy amount – it’s just a few little things, so yeah, we’re still fine-tuning the one percent things and getting more and more comfy.”

“We started off with the ’25 base setting, and then just fine-tuned it a little bit from there,” he continued. “Engine-wise, it was a little bit different, but we’ve just been slowly testing that and, you know, making steps to the way that we want it.

“I was chasing a little bit more bottom-end, so we changed cams and stuff like that for power delivery, and like where you actually want it compared to, say, riding it and where it is – it’s all about just making it more personal.”

The limited variation in surfaces and circuits across the eight-round ProMX calendar means extensive track-by-track testing isn’t required, with the 28-year-old Beaton instead establishing a base setting that translates well across each event.

“I mean, every year I’ve sort of done a few days testing on hard-pack and sand, so I never really changed my setting going from one to the other,” he added. “Wonthaggi, it’s loamy, but it’s not really like deep sand as such, so you can still sort of get away with the same set-up.

“Especially for most of the tracks we race on that are a little bit sandy, say like Gillman and stuff, it’s [still] a pretty firm base. So you generally stay with the same setup [across the surfaces], and it seems to work well all round.”

Beaton leads the MX1 standings after a convincing Wonthaggi sweep, with round two of ProMX at Canberra – where he also went 1-1 last year before cruelly being ruled out of title contention – set for this weekend.