Image: Foremost Media.

KTM Racing Team has signalled its intention to sit out the opening round of the 2026 Boost Mobile AUSX Supercross Championship in Townsville on October 3, citing calendar clashes and sanctioning circumstances as the reasons behind its absence.

With the Townsville opener falling on the same date as both the KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) in Shepparton and the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in France, the Kyle Blunden-managed team said significant resources had already been committed for that weekend.

It was for this reason that Motorcycling Australia (MA) previously indicated that the Queensland Country Bank Stadium event would not count towards this year’s MA-sanctioned Australian Supercross Championship – but will still feature as round one of the ‘AUSX’ series – further reinforcing KTM Australia’s decision to have its official team miss round one.

“The way the 2026 AUSX calendar has come to light publicly, and the way in which it has been pushed and pulled through the media, a simple yes or no answer is not going to be sufficient when it comes to our team’s participation – there have been a few twists and turns in this one,” Blunden told MotoOnline.

“In saying that, our position is clear – our pro racing program supports the Australian championships – that is the case in motocross and in off-road, and is no different in supercross. At this stage, and from the information currently at hand, this is not the case for Townsville. If something was to change and Townsville was to become part of the Australian Supercross Championship, then yes, our team would be there in full capacity.”

The strain on resources is a major factor, with KTM not only serving as the naming-rights sponsor of AJMX, but also fielding a fully-supported roster across its KTM, GASGAS, and Raceline-led Husqvarna junior programs, in addition to supporting several dealer-backed riders.

In addition, current MX2 rider Dylan Walsh has previously represented both New Zealand and Great Britain at MXoN, and should he – or any rider from the wider group – earn selection again in 2026, it would place further demands on the Australian organisation’s resources.

There is a possibility that select KTM Racing Team riders – including the full-time line-up of Walsh, Byron Dennis and Zac Watson at this point – could appear in Townsville without the full team in attendance. It’s unclear if these decisions will also impact the outsourced Raceline Husqvarna TDUB Racing Team, which is yet to firm its AUSX roster.

“There are a few factors behind where we have landed on this,” continued Blunden. “The first is the clash with the KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship. We have a lot of infrastructure, staff and support in place at the KTM AJMX to look after our KTM, GASGAS and Raceline Husqvarna Junior Racing Team riders, along with the many families and dealers who support that event.

“The same weekend also clashes with the Motocross of Nations, with rider applications and selections still pending across several countries. For any team that ends up with a rider selected for MXoN – which is ultimately the Olympics of our sport – it adds a lot of complexity around travel, preparation and team resources. Nevertheless, this is also a contracted race for our riders should they be fortunate to be selected.

“We are still assessing Townsville on a case-by-case basis when it comes to whether any individual riders attend, and we will make those decisions once all of the information comes to light. But from a team point of view, we plan to kick off our 2026 supercross campaign at the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship – wherever that may be.”

KTM Australia has also confirmed that, as a result of its longstanding commercial commitment to the AJMX event, the brand has elected to pause its commercial support of the entire AUSX championship for the 2026 season.