Although the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship largely delivered expected results at the front, there were still a number of surprises across MX1 and MX2. Hear more from the leading riders of each category in this Reaction feature.

MX1

Image: Foremost Media.

P1 | Jed Beaton (Monster Energy CDR Yamaha):
Great day for the team and I. Since coming back from my injury, there has been a lot of work put in, and it was nice to see it show up at round one. This track is a tough one, so if your fitness isn’t up to scratch or your bike isn’t good, it gets exposed here. Sov really happy with the work the team and I have done and now we move onto round two and try and do it again.

P2 | Kyle Webster (NFAL Honda Racing):
Feeling like a banged up second hand lawn mower after the weekend. Not the way we wanted to start the season but happy to come away with second on the day considering. Big thanks to my team and everyone who makes it possible.

P3 | Dean Ferris (Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki):
I’m stoked to leave Wonthaggi with 2-3 moto scores and P3 overall to kick off ProMX. The vibes at the Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki team truck were so much fun and it felt great to be back! We know what we need to work on heading into Canberra and I’m ready to get to work. Thanks to all of the fans, industry and my sponsors for all of the support this weekend.

P4 | Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna TDUB Racing Team):
I felt good at round one! We’ve been working hard on the bike to get it set up for me and we’ve found what I need to be able to ride fast. Moto one, I was P2 off the start, and there’s Dean [Ferris] and I together, before [Jed] Beaton made quick work of us, and then [Aaron] Tanti got past me. I was on him all moto trying to get him back, but he and I were probably doing the same lap-times – I’d be quite a bit faster than him over the finish area, and then he’d pull from me over the other side of the track, so it was an interesting race. That gave me a little bit of confidence for moto two, but my start wasn’t as good, and I sort of came through with some good passes and closed the gap on Ferris, then we came into a heap of lapped riders. I need to be fitter and faster, but overall, it was a good first round for us. I was stoked to get P4 – I wanted a podium, but I let that one slip away from me. I feel alive again and we’re keen to go racing this year.

P5 | Aaron Tanti (Monster Energy CDR Yamaha):
Race one was solid from start to finish, just needed to be a little better at the end as I was in third and would liked to have held onto it but got passed by Kyle Webster in the last couple of laps so that was a bit frustrating. Then in race two, I fell off in the second corner and was right at the pack of the bag. I picked up and got going and just tried to work my way forward but also had to be patient as it’s so chaotic back there. I got through to seventh and was able to salvage some decent points for the round. I leave here healthy and well placed in the series, so happy with the start of the year and looking to improve when we go to Canberra for round two.

P6 | Wilson Todd (NFAL Honda Racing):
Spent the day in the pain cave, but there is lots better coming soon, you can be sure about that. Thanks to the [team] for giving 110 percent for me.

P7 | Luke Zielinski (Yamaha):
Good way to kick off the ProMX season for me! Felt comfortable on the track all weekend! 6-8 moto scores for seventh overall and being the first privateer. Happy with my riding considering I’ve had a few rough weeks leading in to this race. First moto, I had a horrible start and came back from well outside the top 20 to sixth which I was happy with. I was totally unsure what to expect leading in after missing all of motocross last year. Hopefully keep some consistency this year and build from these results! Big shoutout to Ford Dale and Kirk Gibbs for the help this pre season and Two.O Motorsports for getting the bike dialled in!

P8 | Zac Watson (KTM Racing Team):
Wonthaggi wasn’t too bad in the end! I had a big crash on Saturday morning, so I was a little bit sore, but I managed to get a good time in the pole shootout on Sunday. I had a slow start to moto one – I got shuffled back a bit after Kyle Webster went down in the first turn – but I managed to get back to 10th. And then I got a much better start in moto two and I was able to bring it home in fifth, which was a positive way to end my first weekend with the KTM Racing Team. At the end of the day, it ended up pretty solid for the opener and we’ll build from here.

MX2

Image: Foremost Media.

P1 | Alex Larwood (NFAL Honda Racing):
That’s round one complete! Super stoked on how my day turned out, was able to get off to two great starts and come away with my first 1-1 with a comfortable gap. Couldn’t have asked for a better day! Massive thanks to the team for all the work during the pre season.

P2 | Byron Dennis (KTM Racing Team):
We achieved solid results here at round one of ProMX in Wonthaggi! I’m pretty happy to come away with second place overall – we worked really hard over the off-season, made a lot of improvements, and I’m really happy with where both myself and the bike are. This one feels good and I’m excited to keep pushing throughout the season ahead.

P3 | Dylan Walsh (KTM Racing Team):
It was good to end the weekend on the podium. I wanted more, but I missed the mark a bit on setup for the motos. We ride this track a lot, so I had an idea in my head about how the track was going to be, but it wasn’t that way at all. We’ll make some adjustments for the next one and come out swinging!

P4 | Kayd Kingsford (NFAL Honda Racing):
My MX2 debut went well! I showed what I am capable of but unfortunately a few things in and out of my control in moto two held me back from a podium.
I’m excited for Canberra now!

P5 | Noah Ferguson (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha):
There was a bit going on over the weekend and I certainly improved my passing skills as I had to come from the back in both motos. But really happy to race it to the end of both motos and get the best points I could on a track that hasn’t been one of my better ones. Thank you the team for their hard work on the weekend and I caused them plenty of grief, but they were on top of things and awesome to have such great support.

P6 | Ryder Kingsford (NFAL Honda Racing):
First one done – P6. Knew it was going to be a tough weekend with limited bike time in the pre-season, as well as learning a new bike. Definitely not the weekend I’d hope for but happy it’s over and done with now and me and the team can put our heads down and get to work for Canberra.

P7 | Koby Hantis (Yamaha):
That’s the first round in the books, 8-8 moto scores for seventh overall in my MX2 debut. Decent start, keen to build on it. Thanks to everyone in my corner!

P8 | Rhys Budd (MotoCoach Elite Racing Honda):
11-6 results for P8 overall, missed the mark a little with moto one but we made some adjustments for moto two to finish closer to the front. Wonthaggi is always a tough one for me so I’m looking forward to get into some hard pack for round two at Canberra. Thank you to the team for a solid first hit out!