After five rounds across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia to date in 2024, the Penrite ProMX Championship now heads to the Sunshine State for the last few rounds of the series. This Three Things feature sets the scene as we head to Toowoomba this Sunday.

Image: Foremost Media.

Where we’re at

Toowoomba signals the sixth round of the eight-round championship, but it’s the first time this year that the series has ventured north of the NSW border. It also heralds the start of a three-round burst in Queensland to wrap up 2024. Queensland is the traditional end-point for the Australian Motocross Championship, but 2024 will look a little different now that the sandy Coolum circuit has sadly closed. Instead, three hard-pack tracks – Toowoomba, Gympie (MX Farm) and Queensland Moto Park (QMP) are on offer, which could favour NSW and locally-based racers. From a season perspective, one of the biggest talking points is Yarrive Konsky’s Honda Racing camp, as they position themselves to potentially sweep the regular categories – Kyle Webster narrowly leads MX1, Brodie Connolly is controlling MX2, Jake Cannon is making big gains towards the top of the MX3 field, and Charli Cannon is dominating MXW. While this would be an incredible achievement to pull off, the real prize Honda is aiming for is that elusive MX1 title – never lifting the trophy under the current regime. While Webster currently leads the MX1 standings, he only holds a seven-point margin over his main rival, Jed Beaton. The two have battled it out all season, but Webster has gained the upper hand of late and is slowly stretching out a small buffer. Things are a lot more comfortable for Connolly in the MX2 class, with the New Zealander holding a 30-point series lead. After a difficult round at Maitland that saw him lose more than half of his then 36-point margin, Connolly quickly bounced back at Murray Bridge and re-established his advantage heading into the final stretch. In MX3, WBR Yamaha Bulk Nutrients’ Koby Hantis currently controls a 12-point lead, but is looking nervously over his shoulder as Cannon quickly closes in.

Image: Foremost Media.

Who to watch for

The obvious battle that everyone will be watching is between Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Webster and CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Beaton. There might only be seven points in it, but the Yamaha team can no longer assume they have the upper-hand on hard-pack tracks. As such, they’ll be throwing everything that these final three rounds to wrestle back the ascendency. But keep an eye on KTM Racing Team’s Nathan Crawford, because not only does he have home ground advantage and the benefit of local knowledge heading into the final stretch of the series, but he’s the only rider to have beaten Webster and Beaton this year. Meanwhile, three former MX1 champions – GasGas Racing Team’s Kirk Gibbs, Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team’s Todd Waters and Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout – will also enjoy a string of local rounds at tracks they know intimately, and will no doubt be eager to capitalise on that fact. Defending MX1 champion Dean Ferris won’t be on the starting grid, at least for Toowoomba. The CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider’s hand hasn’t yet healed properly and he’s currently still sidelined. In the MX2 class, the primary focus will be on whether Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) and Noah Ferguson (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) can reign in Polyflor Honda Racing’s Connolly. Ferguson and Kingsford both thrive on hard-pack tracks (Kingsford won at Maitland when Connolly faltered), and Queensland-born Ferguson is extremely familiar with the remaining three locations, too. If they want to have any say in the final outcome of the championship, they need to keep Connolly in check. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team’s Rhys Budd and Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Jayce Cosford, who are both based in Queensland, while Froth Honda Racing’s Alex Larwood is enjoying a strong run of form after returning from his early-season leg injury.

Image: Foremost Media.

Why Toowoomba matters

Finishing with three rounds in Queensland feels like it’s almost giving this year’s ProMX championship a reboot, and that fresh start begins on Sunday at Echo Valley. The hard-pack specialists will certainly be relishing an opportunity to finish the season strongly across Toowoomba, MX Farm and QMP, which is significantly different to wrapping up in the dark sands of Coolum Pines. Strong results at Toowoomba will generate confidence and momentum heading into the final two rounds – lose ground at round six and it could be a case of too little, too late. As such, Sunday’s shaping up to be a crucial round of the title-chase for all classes, but particularly MX1. Another round win to Webster could see him potentially extend his lead to double digits for the first time this year, but if Beaton can gain ground, the current seven-point lead could become significantly less. For MX2-leading Connolly, Toowoomba will be all about relieving pressure – if he can control proceedings, he’ll be able to cruise through the final two rounds and claim the title, having done all the hard work at the front-end of the season. In MX3, the pressure is on Hantis to win if he wants to keep Cannon at bay in the run towards QMP. If the Yamaha rider can maintain or widen his 12-point lead this weekend, his job becomes that much easier with just four motos remaining.