Round six of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship in Toowoomba delivered an action-packed day of racing with plenty of storylines. We’ve compiled the direct takes from riders in this Quotebook feature.

MX1

Image: Foremost Media.

Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team) – First overall:
I had to make a stand this round and stay in the fight. If the points got out to thirteen with four races to go, then all Kyle had to do was follow me around at the last two rounds and he would have won. I wasn’t about to let that happen, so the goal today was to either get some points back or at the very least, not let the gap get any bigger. The first race was a little disappointing. My arms tightened up a little and didn’t ride with a lot of flow, but race two was much better and it was good to get the race win and give the team a reward for all the effort they had been putting in. We have a couple of weeks between now and the final two rounds which are both in Queensland. It’s back to work again and try and build on how we left here today as I know this will come down to the final race between myself and Kyle [Webster], but I’m loving the challenge.

Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) – Second overall:
Race one was one of the best races of my career, the bike, the team, everything was working well, and things just clicked. In race two, I got a terrible start and had to come from sixth to second. I couldn’t push too hard as a crash would have resulted in a much worse position, so I just settled. Equal on overall points but second on the day due to countback is fine with me. I knew this weekend was going to be one of the hardest rounds for me. I don’t think I have ever been on the podium in Toowoomba.

Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team) – Third overall:
I’m happy with my riding in practice, but in superpole I was just rushing it a little bit. I rode really well in moto one and there were times I was consistently the fastest on track and matching those top guys – I’m kicking myself as I had a little crash in that moto and had to fight my way back to third. I wanted a good start to the second moto and I ripped the holeshot. I led a couple of laps, but found myself settling into a pace that was a bit off those guys and ended up third. The track was tricky, because it was one of those days where it felt like there was high risk out there, especially with the sun position in that final race. I’m stoked to be back on the podium and look to finish out the next two rounds on the podium as well. I’d like to tick off an overall, that’s the aim, so we’ll see how we go!

Kirk Gibbs (GasGas Racing Team) – Fourth overall:
Overall, I’m happy with how I rode today, but on paper the results don’t show that. My first race was good, but at the start of the second moto there were all these ruts going into the second turn and I got shuffled right back. I managed to get myself back to fifth, but then I pushed into a turn too hard and blew through it. Being in a taller gear in the mud, the bike stalled and it took a while for me to get going again. I fought back to P8, but the track was really difficult today – there were ruts right into the base of the up ramps, then you were landing into more ruts, so you had to basically pick a line in the air and line yourself up. It was pretty gnarly!

Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team) – Fifth overall:
Toowoomba’s always super-challenging for me, as I’m not a hard-pack rider. I’ve been working hard on the bike and feeling more comfortable on it, but I didn’t get the best start to the first moto. I caught up to third and I felt I had speed, but I couldn’t make any passes happen. In the second moto, I got a good start and was in P2, but the track was baked and it was just scary at that point – I didn’t have the extra push the front guys were running. Overall, we’re making progress, and I had some fight this weekend. I’m looking forward to the last two rounds, getting myself further up there and battling with the guys up front.

MX2

Image: Foremost Media.

Brodie Connolly (Polyflor Honda Racing) – First overall:
I was smart in race one and took second. I didn’t want to push it and make a mistake. I was getting good communication on the pit board. In race two, I didn’t let up – I had one goal – to win the race and take the overall. A 54-point advantage is nice, but my goal is to wrap the championship up as quickly as I can, so I will be going all out in round seven to wrap this up. But I won’t do anything to jeopardise my chances to represent New Zealand in the Des Nations, something I hope I am picked to do.

Noah Ferguson (Boost Mobile Honda Racing) – 10th overall:
I have had some terrible rounds that are affecting my position, and I need to make some changes if I am going to see improvement. The team and I have chatted, and we will work on improving my results.

Alex Larwood (Terrafirma Equipment Sales Honda Racing) – Fifth overall:
I need better starts, it’s simple. If I don’t fix my starts, I am going to struggle to race up front.

Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – Third overall:
It’s a cross between relief and happiness. I always put in during the week and I feel like my riding during the week was always pretty good, but I never have been able to turn that into a result, so to finally get on the box was a combination of those two emotions as I knew I could do it, I just found it hard to get it done. But it’s cool because the team kept working and believing in me so having them all at the podium was a nice moment and hope we have a few more of them before the season is out.

Kaleb Barham (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – Fourth overall:
I saw Brodie got the lead on lap one so I maybe panicked a little and tried to rush a rutty corner entry and just overbalanced and went down, which was frustrating, but I’m happy with how I rode all day. I gave it everything that I had in both races and can leave here saying I left it all on the table. This is now the benchmark of what I can achieve and the effort I need to give every time I race and with two rounds left to go, hopefully, I can get on the podium and finish the championship strongly.

Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) – Ninth overall:
I just wanted to get through the round and stay in the points hunt. But, I was doing it tough in that first one with a crash at the start, then another fell directly in front of me a lap later costing me plenty of positions, so it didn’t start well. But race two was much better and I rode better so it was nice the finish the day on a good note. I ran third for a lot of that race but just didn’t want to push the injury anymore so I took the common sense approach and got as many points as possible. With a few weeks between now and the final two rounds, hopefully, my ankle can keep getting better and I will be back to full strength by round seven at MX Farm.

Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) – Sixth overall:
Today the track was probably the gnarliest I’ve ever ridden at Toowoomba, but the bike felt good all day. I’m not satisfied with my riding, though. I just struggled in the last moto and I didn’t find a flow. It took a while and my fastest laps were at the end, but the track was just really tough and easy to make mistakes on. We’ve got to fix the problems I had today and make sure we’re better at MX Farm.

Rhys Budd (Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team) – Eighth overall:
Today started decently and I was sixth-fastest in qualifying, but the times were quite close towards the front. I struggled with the starts and wasn’t quite comfortable getting off the mesh today, but somehow I managed to come around the first turn near the top-five in each moto and felt pretty good for the first couple of laps. I just had a couple of tip-overs early in the motos, which made it hard, and I ended up fighting just inside the top 10 in both races. We’ll get back to work and get ready for Gympie.

Jack Mather (Raceline Husqvarna Racing) – 11th overall:
Today was pretty solid. The starts weren’t great, but I was able to fight through the pack to two top 10s on what ended up being a very technical track. I’m happy with my riding, so I’m looking forward to a track we’re more familiar with at MX Farm.