With just over a month remaining until the opening gate drop of the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship at Wonthaggi, a wave of rider movement is finally beginning to take shape, with several leading teams unveiling updated rosters ahead of the new season. This Q&A feature breaks down the primary changes that you can look forward to.

Image: Supplied.

Q: What is Kawasaki’s new split-team arrangement entering ProMX 2026?

A: There has been a sizeable change for Team Green in Australia this year, as Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki withdrew from the MX2 division altogether at the conclusion of 2025, opting to focus on the premier 450 ranks. They’ve enlisted the services of four-time ProMX MX1 champion Dean Ferris, who returns from an extended hiatus to compete on the KX450 alongside emerging Queenslander Brad West. As for Kawasaki’s official MX2 effort, that will now be operated by Gold Coast-based JPM 360 Developments, with Jayce Cosford and Ryan Alexanderson aboard KX250 machinery, as well as MXW contender Taylah McCutcheon. Finally, motocross legend Brett Metcalfe’s GO24 Team Green Kawasaki program has closed its doors for 2026, with Metcalfe instead leading Joe Rascal Racing’s Ducati dealer team, which is set to contest both the Finke and Hattah desert races this year, before debuting in AUSX Supercross with the newly-introduced Desmo450 MX.

Q: Has Yamaha made any major changes from last season?

A: A big shake-up for the Yamaha squad in 2026 comes in surrendering long-time rider Ryder Kingsford to arch-rivals Honda Racing, after the 20-year-old had spent his career to date with BLU CRU. The domestic motocross scene largely oscillates between Honda and Yamaha as front-runners, with Ryder representative of what seemed a blue challenger for many years to come, meaning the loss of the New South Welshman has to sting. This is a consequence of the domestic Honda team’s connection with Quad Lock Honda in both the United States and World Supercross (WSX), with a pathway there for capable new talent – think Brodie Connolly, who has shifted to America – to pursue international interests. Yamaha Motor Australia is responding to this challenge, however, underscored by their latest rider announcement, which features a healthy mixture of Australians and internationals. Noah Ferguson joins the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha roster, joined by two-time IA2 Japanese champion Souya Nakajima, while double American WMX champion Lachlan ‘Lala’ Turner will race the entire MXW class schedule, signing for both the 2026 and 2027 seasons. In MX1, it’s business as usual for Craig Dack’s Monster Energy CDR Yamaha team, with riders Jed Beaton and Aaron Tanti both on multi-year contracts that run through next year.

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Q: Who makes up the KTM Racing Team roster then?

A: KTM Racing Team will again be spearheaded by last year’s MX1 runner-up Nathan Crawford, who will return to the gates after sitting out the entire AUSX Supercross Championship in 2025 due to injury. Joining Crawford on the second KTM 450 SX-F will be Zac Watson, who gets a well-earned start on a factory team after an exceptional ProMX campaign last year, which saw the 21-year-old record P5 in the overall standings. MX2 will see experienced international Dylan Walsh contest the full outdoor fixture in Australia onboard the 250 SX-F after he achieved success in AUSX last year, claiming fourth overall in SX1. Lastly, 19-year-old Byron Dennis returns to KTM for a second-successive term, with the highly-rated former MX3 winner set to build upon fifth overall in the MX2 points one year ago.

Q: Can the Kingsfords – alongside Larwood – pick up where Connolly left off at Honda?

A: Absolutely, they can. These brothers, combined with the powerhouse Yarrive Konsky-led Honda Racing effort, spell problems for the rest of the field. Again. Both Kingsfords display a seriousness and application towards their racing that commands respect – they’re always looking to improve and appear analytical of their performances, which aligns well with the team’s approach. We saw how much performance was extracted out of Kayd as MX3 champion last year, while Ryder was the only real title-challenger to defending champion Connolly throughout the MX2 season. Again, this is problematic for the rest of the field, and for their sake, hopefully they have an answer for this ultra-fast pairing, otherwise we’re going to be seeing a lot of the CRF250R up front. The same applies to South Australian Alex Larwood, who too was much-improved in 2025, and only needs to find a bit more consistency to be a genuine threat. It’ll be an interesting battle within the MX2 ranks this year, with Kayd a rookie, Ryder coming off a pre-season injury, and Larwood looking to take that next step himself. Add in the absence of Connolly, and the 250 division is wide-open for any rider who wants to take the mantle. Plus, MX1 will see Kyle Webster back to defend again alongside Wilson Todd, and Charli Cannon holds the number one plate in MXW.

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Q: Where has Todd Waters’ Raceline Husqvarna team been in silly season talk?

A: It’s been relatively quiet on the Raceline Husqvarna team front, with it appearing that team owner/rider Todd Waters will be the sole representative in the MX1 category aboard the FC 450, while Reid Taylor – who was part of the team in SX2 last year – will line up in the 250 class. That leaves last year’s MX1 recruit Regan Duffy out of the equation, with the Western Australian set to field his own Berry Sweet-backed Yamaha program with support from the manufacturer in MX1 alongside Sonny Pellicano. So, not a lot of movement here by all indications for a team that experienced its share of musical chairs last year, with the Gold Coast-based operation appearing set for a two-rider pairing.

Q: Should we expect to see Ducati and Triumph field official teams outdoors?

A: We don’t expect to see any official Ducati presence in the ProMX series, at least for this year, with the aforementioned dealer-backed Joe Rascal Racing team not expected to formally launch until AUSX later in the year. As for Triumph, last season did have both Winner Racing and Rising Motorsports equipped with TF machinery, although there’s been no word from Winner, and, unfortunately, Rising – which was instrumental in Watson’s rise – has since closed its race team doors. That leaves immense question marks surrounding Triumph’s place on the grid come the season-opener. Italian manufacturer Beta will also make a return to the ProMX start line this year, with Cody O’Loan piloting an RX 450 in the MX1 division, looking to better a P11 overall result from last year.