Image: Foremost Media.

Defending Australian MX1 champion Aaron Tanti says that training for SX2 ahead of next weekend’s World Supercross Championship (WSX) opener ‘hasn’t been a distraction at all’, as he balances those preparations and fighting for a second-straight Penrite ProMX crown domestically.

This is not the first time Tanti has transitioned between the 250 and 450, since he rode the YZ250F in last year’s WSX series, while contending for the Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) on his regular YZ450F.

Tanti managed to take some popular victories as he worked between the two bikes last season, including P1 in an SX2 race and third overall at the final round of WSX in Melbourne, as well as a wire-to-wire win on the 450 the following week at the Adelaide AUSX round over five-time champion Justin Brayton (Honda Racing). However, this time he faces the added challenge of racing motocross and supercross on consecutive weekends, as well as riding his new generation YZ450F that is vastly different to the current YZ250F.

“Straight after the [ProMX] round this weekend in Toowoomba, I fly out to England to race WSX the following weekend,” Tanti told MotoOnline. “In all honesty, I’ve actually been enjoying the crossover and riding the different disciplines. Supercross is a lot different intensity, so if anything, it’s actually helping me a little with that and some corner speed. But, I’m enjoying it, it’s a fresh little change mid-season.

“We’ve been grinding motocross since January and we’re over halfway through the year now – sometimes it just becomes a little stale. At the end of the day, I’m still training and doing a lot of the same stuff, so it hasn’t been a distraction at all. I just keep my head down and keep riding. I can change between the two different disciplines quite comfortably and I don’t really have an issue jumping between them. Obviously, the bikes are quite different now, but I can jump on each one and be comfortable within a couple of laps. So, I’m enjoying it, it’s been fun.”

Round six of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship takes place this Sunday, 25 June, in Toowoomba and the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team rider has clawed his way back up the leaderboard following a DNF at the third round in Wodonga. He now sits third overall in the premier class standings, nine points behind series leader Jed Beaton (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) with three rounds remaining in the series.

Birmingham’s opening round of WSX next Saturday, 1 July, at the World Supercross British Grand Prix could become the sole WSX event to actually crossover between the two series, with increasing speculation suggesting that France’s second round scheduled for 22 July is currently up in the air. The final two rounds of ProMX will take place in mid-August, before Singapore’s third stop of WSX is due for 30 September.