Honda riders take the major spoils at Murray Bridge ProMX

Penrite 2024 Australian ProMX Motocross Championship
Round Five – Murray Bridge, SA

The Australian Motocross Championship hit Murray Bridge for the first time in five years over the weekend for round five of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores.

The 1.6km track is renowned for being one of the toughest in the country to master – beneath the loamy top layer lies a hard base that can catch out even the savviest of racers – while its combination of wide-open straights, high-speed rollers, sweeping berms and tight sections will test the mettle of Australia’s best.

Kyle Webster topped MX1 qualifying ahead of Nathan Crawford and Jed Beaton.  Kirk Gibbs was fourth quickest in the 20-minute session ahead of local here and much loved veteran Shane Metcalfe.

In MX2, Brodie Connoly showed the best early pace ahead of local talent Alex Larwood.

It was all guns firing for the Cannon siblings on Sunday morning with Jake topping MX3 qualifying while Charli was more than a second quicker than the best of the rest in the MXW category.

That made it an all-Honda affair on the top of the qualifying leaderboards in all categories. That was until Jed Beaton got the better of Kyle Webster in the AMX Superstores MX1 Superpole Shootout to put a Yamaha back on top of the MX1 timing sheets.

Thor MX1 Race One

Kyle Webster took a convincing wire-to-wire win in the opening Thor MX1 moto, eventually finishing with a 9.57-second margin.

In contrast, Jed Beaton had to scramble his way through the pack from outside the top 10, but after elbowing his way into P2, he couldn’t make any real inroads into Webster’s lead and settled for second place.

GASGAS Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs made a late-race pass on Metcalfe for the final step on the podium, while Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) limited the damage from a P9 start to finish fifth.

Thor MX1 Race One Results

Thor MX1 Race Two

Webster completed a statement double-victory weekend by claiming the second moto by 5.9 seconds over arch-rival Beaton.

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A great start by Gibbs saw him grab the holeshot, but Webster wasted no time moving to the front and holding a two- to three-second gap overall Beaton for most of the race, before extending that buffer in the final laps.

Gibbs finished a well-earned third behind Beaton – and P3 for the round – ahead of Crawford, with international Honda guest Lars van Berkel putting in an impressive fifth-place performance.

Thor MX1 Race Two Results

Thor MX1 Round

The double-moto sweep means Webster has stretched out a seven-point lead over Beaton in the point standings (252 points to 245), while Crawford remains third on 210.

Thor MX1 Round Points

Thor MX1 Championship Points

Pirelli MX2 Race One

In the opening MX2 moto, series leader Connolly overcame a P8 start to win by a comfortable 19 seconds. Husqvarna-mounted Brock Flynn tore off the start to grab the holeshot and led for three laps, but a spectacular tangle between himself and Minear during a battle for the lead opened the door for Connolly to take charge.

The Kiwi clocked off consistent, fast laps to take the win over Larwood, who also had to work hard to get past the early front-runners. Budd crossed the line in third after holding off a relentless battle from Flynn, while Minear staged a remarkable comeback from his heavy crash to finish P5.

Pirelli MX2 Race One Results

Pirelli MX2 Race Two

The second MX2 moto win went to Larwood, who put in a relaxed, devastatingly-fast performance on his way to the round victory.

Connolly scored the holeshot, but dropped his bike in the second turn and allowed Larwood to power past and grab a memorable moto – and round – win by 8.44 seconds. Red plate-holder Connolly rapidly worked his way from 25th back into P2, but even he couldn’t match Larwood’s speed and had to settle for the runner-up spot.

Slightly further back, Minear held off a fierce late-moto attack from a fast-finishing Kingsford to take third, as Budd finished his day with a solid P5.

Pirelli MX2 Race Two Results

Pirelli MX2 Round

In the championship standings, Connolly has again extended his points lead to 30 points over Kingsford (222 points to 192), with Ferguson just two points further back.

Pirelli MX2 Round Points

Pirelli MX2 Championship Points

Maxxis MX3 Race One

In the opening MX3 hit-out, Woods moved into the lead past holeshot winner Deacon Paice (KTM) on the first lap, then kept the hammer down for most of the race, eventually taking the win by 5.628 seconds.

Cannon worked his way through the pack and charged all the way to the chequered flag, making a last-lap pass on WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s Kobe Drew to take the runner-up result. Hantis also worked his way forward from a mid-pack start to finish a solid P4, followed across the line by Jet Alsop (KTM).

Maxxis MX3 Race One Results

Maxxis MX3 Race Two

Woods again claimed the win in the second and final MX3 moto of the day, making short work of holeshot winner Deegan Rose (Husqvarna) and taking the chequered flag by 2.7 seconds.

WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha’s Kayd Kingsford put a first-moto mechanical DNF behind him to finish runner-up, getting the better of Cannon early on, then pushing hard to close the gap on Woods.

Hantis, who still owns the red plate, overcame a P10 start to finish fourth, with Seth Burchell (WBR Bulk Nutrients Yamaha) completing the top five.

Maxxis MX3 Race Two Results

Maxxis MX3 Round

In the MX3 points chase, Hantis leads with 206 points, but Cannon has jumped from fourth to second (194), relegating Drew (192) to third in the standings.

Maxxis MX3 Round Points

Maxxis MX3 Championship Points

EziLift MXW Race One

Charli Cannon secured the holeshot, then quickly left the rest of the field in her wake, eventually crossing the line almost 45 seconds ahead of Thompson.

Emma Milesevic (Honda) overcame an early fall, then a fierce battle with Danielle McDonald (JGR Yamaha Off Road Racing), to take the final spot on the podium. McDonald fought her way to P4 ahead of Tahlia O’Hare (KTM).

EziLift MXW Race One Results

EziLift MXW Race Two

Cannon’s strong form saw her also take the second moto win, quickly dispatching New Zealand’s Karaitiana Horne (Kawasaki) and winning by 26.65 seconds.

Milesevic made a late pass on Thompson while working through lapped riders to claim the runner-up spot, while McDonald withstood late pressure from Horne to come home in fourth.

EziLift MXW Race Two Results

EziLift MXW Round

Cannon took the round win, with Milesevic finishing second overall on countback from Thompson. The talented Honda rider sits on a perfect 100 points at the halfway point of the MXW championship, leading Thompson (86 points) and McDonald (76).

EziLift MXW Round Points

EziLift MXW Championship Points