Image: Foremost Media.

Kyle Webster has gritted his way through injury to clinch a maiden MX1 crown at Queensland Moto Park’s 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship finale, the Honda Racing rider awarded the title on count-back after finishing equal on points with round winner Jed Beaton.

CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Beaton looked to capitalise on Webster’s misfortune and overcome a 14-point margin, as the points leader injured his hand during yesterday’s qualifying session before being cleared by the Racesafe medical team.

Moto one saw Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout storm to the holeshot and early lead with Webster in tow, while Beaton found himself deeper in the field. Pole Shootout winner Maximus Purvis (WBR Yamaha) held down P3 in the early stages, initially making his move on Webster before passing Clout for the lead.

He would control the race for the next few laps before a high-speed crash saw him throw away the lead – and a shot at the overall podium – allowing Clout to inherit the lead. Meanwhile, Beaton had charged his way into second, moving by Clout on lap eight to run home with the race win.

Webster hung on for third followed by Kirk Gibbs (GasGas Racing Team) and Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team), while the top 10 was completed by Hamish Harwood (KTM), Wilson Todd (Honda Racing), Zachary Watson (Husqvarna), Joel Evans (Yamaha), and Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing).

With just nine points separating Beaton and Webster, the championship would come down to the wire in the final moto of the year. Webster started strongly, scoring yet another holeshot, although Beaton trailed and eventually made an easy pass in the opening laps.

Webster clearly struggled with his hand injury, dropping a number of positions in the coming laps to where he was at risk of losing the title, however, he prevailed, finishing in exactly the final position that would allow him to wrap up the championship.

Beaton did everything he could, winning the second moto ahead of Gibbs, Clout and Purvis, while Webster crossed the line in fifth. Sixth through to 10th was taken out by Waters, Todd, Caleb Ward (Husqvarna), Watson, and Harwood.

Overall, Beaton secured victory with a clean sweep, joined on the podium by Clout and Gibbs, while the standings saw Webster and Beaton finish equal on 382 points – the Western Australian awarded the title on count-back, which is decided by the rider with the most wins of the season. Crawford narrowly held onto P3 in the championship standings.

The opening MX2 moto saw Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) storm to the holeshot with Husqvarna-mounted Broc Flynn in tow, although the Western Australian would go down halfway through the opening lap.

MX2 champion Brodie Connolly capitalised to steal second followed by Honda Racing teammate Alex Larwood, the duo then pursuing Kingsford for the top spot. Connolly moved by the Yamaha rider on lap three, while Larwood went down a lap later.

Connolly charged to yet another win, while a mixture of passes inside the top three ultimately saw Kingsford and Larwood settle for second and third respectively. Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) and Noah Ferguson (Honda Racing) completed the top five, followed by Haruki Yokoyama (Honda), Jack Mather (Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing), Kaleb Barham (Yamalube Yamaha Racing), Rhys Budd (Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing), and Jack Kukas (Husqvarna).

Race two was a showcase of what we’ve seen all year, as Connolly took the early lead and never looked back on his way to yet another clean sweep. There was plenty to play for inside the top three of the standings, and Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) shook things up by charging to P2.

Minear crossed the line in third ahead of Larwood and Barham, while Kingsford, Mather, Cambell Williams (Motogo Yamaha), Budd, and Yokoyama completed the top 10. Overall it was Connolly from Minear and Larwood, while the standings saw New Zealand’s Connolly finish with a 90-point margin as he wrapped up the title last week in Gympie. Minear promoted himself to the runner-up spot, as Kingsford locked out the top three.

Detailed results