With the 2016 Australian Supercross Championship set to kick off this weekend in Jimboomba, Queensland, MotoOnline.com.au gathered opinions of select industry insiders to hear their predictions for the upcoming season in both the SX1 and SX2 categories.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Don Nicholas (Pirelli product manager):
SX1 – 1. Wil Hahn 2. Todd Waters 3. Kade Mosig
Why – I feel that Will Hahn will be hard to beat, he’s my pick. But I think a couple of dark horses will be Todd Waters and Kade Mosig. Both of their preparations have been really strong and they’ll be carrying some good speed into the series.

SX2 – 1. Jimmy Decotis 2. Gavin Faith 3. Dylan Wills
Why – I’m split between Jimmy Decotis and Gavin Faith, but I’m leaning towards Decotis out of the two. Dylan Wills is a rider who I think is going to show some good pace in 2016 and I’m really excited to see Josh Cachia back on the bike. He’s electrifying for everyone at the races, so I’m really keen to see how he goes this year. I feel Decotis is pretty strong, he showed he had the pace last year, but I do think Faith is going to give him a bit of a run for his money.

Jess Heaney (GAS Imports marketing manager):
SX1 – 1. Dan Reardon 2. Justin Brayton 3. Wil Hahn
Why – Obviously Reardon was a standout last year and I think having the extra time off during the second-half of the motocross season due to injury, supercross is all he would have been focusing on and training for. Lawson Bopping could also be a wildcard, he’s had a lot of time off and it will be interesting to see how he goes when he returns to racing.

SX2 – 1. Jimmy Decotis 2. Hayden Mellross 3. Gavin Faith
Why – I think Decotis is going to be a weapon and he will come back to claim his title again. Faith rode well last year in the SX1 class and I believe he will do very well on return to the SX2 class. I think with Mellross he did pretty well in supercross while he was over in America, so I’m assuming he’s going to do well at home.

Scott Bannan (Jimboomba/Toowoomba promoter):
SX1 – 1. Dan Reardon 2. Justin Brayton 3. Wil Hahn
Why – There’s so many guys, it’s really hard. But I think Dan Reardon will be right up there along with Justin Brayton, Wil Hahn and Todd Waters also. I saw Waters rider the other day and he was ridiculously fast, I know people don’t think he will be, but he was off the planet. I think Reardon is going to step it right up because he knows if he wins again he’ll have a shot at a ride in America, so I think Reardon may just twist that throttle and show the Yanks up.

SX2 – 1. Wade Hunter 2. Jimmy Decotis 3. Lewis Woods
Why – I think Wade Hunter might upset a few people, I’ve seen him doing things on his 250 that 450 riders weren’t doing – and that was on a stock bike. Now that Serco Yamaha have worked with him and dialled in his supercross bikes, I think he might shine through. Even someone like Lewis Woods, I think he might stick his head in. I feel that Gavin Faith will be hard to beat on the indoor tracks because he’s used to those events and he likes to bang. Riders like Hunter, Woods and Jimmy Decotis like the open style tracks and I think these guys have Faith covered all day.

Johnny McLean (Lusty Industries owner):
SX1 – 1. Dan Reardon 2. Kyle Peters 3. Kade Mosig
Why – I think Dan Reardon will be hard to beat, he may not be firing out of the gate at the first round, but as he continues on during the season and gets back into racing, I think another title will be his. The experience he has, the headspace he’s in, he just knows how to win and knows exactly what to do.

SX2 – 1. Josh Cachia 2. Gavin Faith 3. Jimmy Decotis
Why – I think Josh Cachia is fired up and his fitness is better than ever. He’s done more riding than ever recently and it’s more fun for him now – he’s had a second wind in his racing career. He hasn’t raced in the last two seasons, but again, he knows what to do in order to win and he’s been there racing in the US. I think he’ll blow the cobwebs out on the first round and see where he needs to be, and I think he has the aggression and ability to beat guys like Decotis and bring it home overall.

Image: Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media).

Alex Gobert (Foremost Media director):
SX1 – 1. Justin Brayton 2. Dan Reardon 3. Wil Hahn
Why – For a long time Brayton has been at the elite level of American supercross and he will be solid all season long. As long as he can apply his skillset and experience to the Australian tracks I’m sure he will be in the frame for victory on any given weekend, although it’ll be hard to top Reardon, that’s for sure. And right there with them, Hahn could be the surprise factor as long as he remains healthy.

SX2 – 1. Jimmy Decotis 2. Gavin Faith 3. Hayden Mellross
Why – Between Decotis and Faith, they’ve won a collection of number one plates for Honda and chances are they will do it again in 2016. Who will be better out of those two remains to be seen, but for now, I’m tipping the defending champion (he’s been on a Honda all year). As for third, it’s hard to pick, but Mellross was great in the US this season and he seems to have a lot of confidence on his side.

Adam Spence (Foremost Media production manager):
SX1 – 1. Dan Reardon 2. Justin Brayton 3. Kyle Peters
Why – The premier class is stacked for 2016 with a mixture of domestic and international talent. Defending champion, Dan Reardon, will be hard to beat this year, but in saying that, there’s a few riders that definitely can beat him. In terms of overall championship consistency, Reardon is the rider I expect to be right there each and every round, but you can expect serious speed out of riders such as Todd Waters, Lawson Bopping, Kade Mosig, Justin Brayton, Wil Hahn and Kyle Peters. It’s awesome to see such a talent-filled class for 2016 and picking a clear favourite is really quite a tough task!

SX2 – 1. Gavin Faith 2. Jimmy Decotis 3. Hayden Mellross
Why – Having former SX2 champion, Gavin Faith, step back down to the class along with defending champion, Jimmy Decotis, returning for the 2016 season already means we’ll have a serious title battle on our hands. Then you throw in the likes of Hayden Mellross, Jackson Richardson, Dylan Wills, Josh Cachia, Wade Hunter, Wilson Todd and more – that’s a seriously talented field of riders. It’s going to be a hard-fought battle with a long list of riders battling up front, but at the end of the day, the most experienced and consistent riders will emerge.

Jeremy Hammer (Foremost Media content coordinator):
SX1 – 1. Wil Hahn 2. Dan Reardon 3. Justin Brayton
Why – A former Monster Energy Supercross 250SX East champion, Wil Hahn is a proven winner and is going to be tough to beat in the premier category. Although he is coming off a few injuries, he is one of the only top America’s coming over that will be familiar with their bike. Dan Reardon will be equally as good, while I think Justin Brayton will come on strong following the first round as he becomes more acquainted with the Honda.

SX2 – 1. Jimmy Decotis 2. Hayden Mellross 3. Jackson Richardson
Why – Decotis’ is a clear favourite for title, he was very dominant last year and will no doubt bring that same form into the 2016 series. Mellross had some strong finishes in America earlier this year, and after speaking with him during the week he seems really confident in himself leading into Jimboomba this weekend. A late addition to Serco Yamaha and 2015 runner-up Jackson Richardson will also be a strong contender, however he will need to gel with the Yamaha rather quickly and also maintain the same consistency that he had last year.