The 2025 Penrite ProMX Championship commences this weekend for round one at the southern Victorian venue of Wonthaggi, with a range of riders setting their sights on title success. From championship favourites to under-the-radar wildcards, the series features a mixture of riders intent on making their mark this year. Three Things takes a closer look at the contenders for 2025.

Image: Foremost Media.

The favourites

It’s no secret that there are favourites heading into the new season, with defending champions and Honda Racing teammates Kyle Webster and Brodie Connolly atop this list in their respective classes, alongside Monster Energy CDR Yamaha’s Jed Beaton. Webster and Beaton emphatically landed on the same tally of points after an all-out slugfest that characterised last year’s MX1 championship, which resulted in an 81-point margin over the third-placed Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) by season’s end. For Connolly, it was a similar story, who held a 90-point advantage over the now US-based Kayden Minear after eight rounds of racing. It’s for this reason that they are the favourites, and it’s up to the rest of the field to disrupt this narrative and prevent the trio from running away in their respective divisions.

Image: Foremost Media.

The disruptors

The disruptors are those who have a legitimate chance at shaking up the established order at the top, given they’re locked in and up for the challenge. This is no easy task, however, and it will take the absolute best versions of these riders to make a dent in the favourites’ momentum. In MX1, both Crawford and Luke Clout (Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki) are these riders. Finishing P3 in last year’s MX1 standings, the only direction from here is up for the now number three of Crawford, who will either make that leap into the bubble at the top or remain as a contender from third place down. As for Clout, he has won this title before, so it’s logical that he will want to return to the mix and chase victory. Again, it’ll require the very best out of these riders, who’ll need to fully apply themselves and draw on all resources to challenge the Webster/Beaton freight train at the front. In MX2, both Yamaha prospect Ryder Kingsford and Alex Larwood (Honda Racing) are these riders considered the disruptors. And the story is the same – for these two to mount a serious challenge to the juggernaut that is Connolly, they’ll need to be ready to give it everything and some.

Image: Foremost Media.

The wildcards
As with most series, there are one or two riders who can get in there and challenge – perhaps not consistently – so are considered dark horses coming in. Was Dean Ferris thought to be a genuine title threat after multiple seasons away in 2023? Probably not. And yet, Ferris shook up the ProMX paddock by claiming the premier class championship on a largely independent Yamaha. For this year in MX1, it’s Maximus Purvis (Monster Energy CDR Yamaha) who is the class wildcard. Sure, he’s on one of the top teams and has just wrapped up the New Zealand Motocross Championship in the premier category, although that’s what makes this proposition so exciting. What is his potential? And where does he stack up? Purvis is a true wildcard. In MX2, although a bit of a class veteran by now, Noah Ferguson (KTM Racing Team) is on the wildcard list, too. Similar to Purvis, we all know that Ferguson is super-fast and very talented, however, all eyes will be on whether the Queenslander can convert his front-running speed to title contention, as the time is now. And there is certainly a list of riders who won’t be impressed with not featuring in this feature, however, consider them as wildcards too, if you will, and it’s up to them to prove whether this position is valid or not.