In this 2024 edition of our MotoOnline AUS Awards, we name the leading performers and storylines of the past season in a reflection of domestic and international competition. These are done purely for editorial purposes, pieced together from an Australian perspective via what we witnessed during the year both locally and abroad.

Image: Foremost Media.

National rider of the year – Kyle Webster:
What a year it’s been for Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster. The Victoria-based Western Australian has enjoyed the season of his career as he claimed the Australian ProMX Championship in MX1 on countback from season-long rival Jed Beaton, then played an instrumental role in helping make history as part of the Australian team that finally won the Motocross of Nations (MXoN). Webster was devastatingly consistent for the entire ProMX championship and had built a comfortable 14-point lead heading into QMP’s final round, but a crash in practice saw him tear a ligament in his hand. Battling the pain and swelling, Webster gritted out a 3-5 result for fourth overall, while Beaton went 1-1 to tie up the points – by winning more motos over the course of the season, Webster was crowned champion.

International Rider of the Year – Jett Lawrence:
It didn’t all go Jett Lawrence’s way this year, but you can’t argue with the fact he was crowned the AMA 450 Supercross champion, the SMX world champion, and played a huge role in helping Australia claim the Chamberlain Trophy at MXoN. The Team Honda HRC Progressive rider continues to set the standard on the world’s biggest stage, winning the Monster Energy AMA Supercross title as a rookie by 15 points over Cooper Webb and returning from a thumb injury to win two of the three SMX Playoffs to successfully defend his crown. Several weeks later he went against the world’s best racers at the MXoN and comfortably won his first outing, then was narrowly beaten by Tim Gajser in the second to top the MX Open class standings and overall. It was only the Pro Motocross Championship where he came up short, since despite a huge crash at Hangtown, Lawrence fought himself back into the points lead, but a practice crash midway through the series saw him withdraw with an injured thumb.

Off-road Rider of the Year – Daniel Milner:
There’s not much left for Daniel Milner to achieve, but this year he returned to Australian soil and made history by securing a record-equalling fifth Outright title in the 2024 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). Milner, who’s spent recent seasons in EnduroGP, surprised many when he announced he was returning to Australia this year to spearhead his own KTM DM31 Racing Team alongside young Kiwi Tom Buxton. Despite the best efforts of Jonte Reynders and Kyron Bacon, Milner was in a class of his own all year and was on track to wrap the overall and E2 titles up early, but a shoulder injury saw him pull out of the Kingston SE rounds, then manage the pain and points buffer across the final round rounds in Nowra. As well as now having 10 national class championships to his name, Milner has equalled Toby Price’s record of five Outrights, cementing himself as one of the greats in Australian off-road racing.

Rookie of the year – Brodie Connolly:
While Polyflor Honda Racing rider Brodie Connolly had previously raced ProMX, he’d never raced supercross in Australia before, but you never would have guessed it with the form he displayed across all five rounds. Buoyed by winning the MX2 championship outdoors, the New Zealander quickly established himself as title contender with his ability to get fast starts. Connolly played a pivotal role in Honda’s clean-sweep of the SX2 championship, and held down P2 until the final round at Melbourne when he was edged by his team-mate and series rival Cole Thompson. Considering it was Connolly’s first real attempt at supercross, he impressed many and established himself as a well-rounded racer.

Personality of the Year – Brett Metcalfe:
There was something special about the way Australian legend Brett Metcalfe wrapped up his final year of full-time racing. 2024 marked the 24th year as a professional racer for the number 24 and at the penultimate round of the ProMX championship, he formally announced it’d be his last. The 40-year-old made the most of his swansong motocross and supercross seasons, and seemed to enjoy soaking in each round, meeting fans and completing his last victory lap of the circuit. Unfortunately, it ended on a sour note after he was stretchered off the track at the final race of the final AUSX round at Melbourne, but was later cleared of any major injuries apart from a concussion, rib fractures and a bruised lung. The Penrite GO24 entry has enjoyed an incredible career that saw him race in the US for a decade, highlighted by runner-up honours in the 2010 AMA Pro Motocross 450MX series and representing Team Australia six times at the Motocross of Nations. He finished his 2024 season seventh in the ProMX standings and ninth in AUSX.

Image: Supplied.

Series of the Year – AUSX:
Season 2024 marked something of a milestone for the AUSX championship, as it expanded from three rounds last year to five stops, and the AUSX Open returned bigger and better than ever after a five-year hiatus. Each round of the championship was special in its own way – the two back-to-back rounds in Redcliffe marked the sport’s return to Queensland for the first time since 2019, the Wollongong round had a sensational backdrop at the oceanside Win Stadium, and Adelaide was held in conjunction with the Adelaide 500 Supercars event and exposed hundreds of thousands of spectators to the sport. As an exclamation mark, the AUSX Open would become the biggest supercross race in Australia’s history, as more than 43,000 fans converged on Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium to witness Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter and Jett Lawrence make their anticipated homecoming. It’s been a convincing turnaround for the previously embattled AUSX championship, and anticipation is already high to see what’s in store next year.

Most Anticipated Motocross Model – 2025 Honda CRF range:
It’s rare that a manufacturer will update its two marquee racing models at the same time, but that’s precisely what Honda’s offering this year with big upgrades to its CRF450R and CRF250R machines in 2025. On top of that, both categories will feature Works Editions. Both the CRF450R and CRF250R receive a more rigid chassis and engine updates. Both also receive updated suspension packages. The Works Edition (WE) models feature a long list of component upgrades, including a Hinson clutch basket and cover, Yoshimura exhaust, Twin Air filter, D.I.D DirtStar LT-X rims, Renthal Kevlar grips, Dunlop MX33 tyres and more.

Most Anticipated Enduro Model – 2025 Yamaha WR250F:
Yamaha’s WR250F is one of the most popular quarter-litre enduro machines on the market, and 2025 sees the bike receive a real overhaul. In line with recent motocross updates, it features a new bilateral beam frame that’s claimed to provide better handling, turning and impact absorption. The frame also sports new mounts for the cylinder head and front engine to lower the motor’s centre of gravity. A new air-flow management system directs clean air from various positions, while a new cam chain has been designed to reduce friction losses. Other changes include a shorter muffler, new electric starter, redesigned seat and narrower shrouds, repositioned bars, new 300mm fork, and refined shock settings for a smoother, more predictable ride.

Top Team – Honda Racing Australia:
This year has been nothing short of incredible for Yarrive Konsky’s Honda Racing team, and it’s hard to see their record-setting run of titles and series podiums being matched any time soon. As well as finally claiming the elusive Australian MX1 Championship – the first time Honda has won the title in decades – at the hands of Webster, Brodie Connolly dominated the MX2 class, Jake Cannon pulled off an inspired comeback to win MX3 and Charli Cannon was again the class of MXW. On top of that, Joey Savatgy and Dean Wilson finished 1-2 in the SX1 points chase in the Australian Supercross Championship, while Shane McElrath, Cole Thompson and Brodie Connolly locked out all three podium spots in SX2. There’s no question that Honda Racing has set an all-new benchmark for all other teams to chase, and they deserve all the accolades for their exceptional 2024.

Best Event – MXoN:
For Aussie fans, the 2024 Motocross of Nations (MXoN) was one of the greatest weekends ever, as the Australian team of Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence and Kyle Webster made history by winning the Chamberlain Trophy for the first time ever. After multiple years of being agonisingly close to claiming the win, this year saw all the pieces fall into place over a drizzly, overcast weekend at England’s Matterley Basin. Jett Lawrence was the best of the Australians with winning the first moto comfortably, then battling down to the wire with Tim Gajser for P2 in the final encounter. Hunter finished 4-8 in his first MXoN outing on a 450, while Webster finished 11-19 in his two motos in the MX2 field to establish himself as a threat in the 250cc category. It was an exceptionally special moment, not only for the three guys on top of the podium, but for all past and present Australian racers, as we finally claimed that elusive first victory.

Image: Octopi Media.

Hottest Topic – WSX resurrection:
After two difficult years of trying to launch the FIM World Supercross Championship, 2024 finally saw a more cohesive product brought to the table. The year began with radio silence from the SX Global team, but in mid-June a four-round schedule were announced for Vancouver, a double-header in Perth, and a return to Yas Island. The series would begin just four months later in October. Despite that mad scramble, the new, largely UK-based management group delivered on their promises of expanding and improving the series – at least from a pretty low starting point. Securing Eli Tomac to contest the WSX championship against two-time champion Ken Roczen was a coup and gave the series some added legitimacy at the high end, while the tracks – even the layout inside the super-tight Etihad Arena – were a step forward, and the new SuperFinal format was innovative in itself. It wasn’t perfect, but after Tomac and Shane McElrath clinched the WSX and 250SX titles, SX Global knows what it needs to do to again elevate the series in 2025.

Greatest disappointment – CDR Yamaha’s marquee signings:
Having comfortably secured the ProMX title on effectively a ‘privateer’ set-up in 2023, expectations were high that Dean Ferris would be a real contender for a record fifth title when he signed up to ride for his former team, CDR Yamaha Monster Energy this year, but it was a disappointing comeback to the team where he’d enjoyed so much success previously by winning three-straight MX1 championships between 2016-2018. He finished third at the Wonthaggi opener, then P5 at Horsham and P4 at Gillman. Before panic could set in, Ferris suffered a costly crash early in qualifying at Maitland and sat out the rest of the year. CDR then drafted multi-time champion Matt Moss in for AUSX, where many expected him to mount a serious challenge for the SX1 crown. Unfortunately, the ever-motivated veteran had a shocker of an AUSX season, with untimely crashes and bad luck seeing him finish a lowly 13th overall. Both signings made sense at the time, but things didn’t work out whatsoever with either.

Most Surprising Moment – Kayden Minear secures Star Racing deal:
At 17, Kayden Minear has shown plenty of promise over the past two years of ProMX and AUSX, particularly in 2024 when he finished runner-up in the MX2 championship and fourth overall – the highest-placed Australian – in the SX2 points. In late August the then KTM Racing Team rider headed to the US for a guest appearance at the Ironman Moto Combine, and impressed many with a moto victory and second overall. That result put his name firmly on the radar of team scouts and it wasn’t long before Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing came knocking with a contract to race Supercross Futures, Scouting Moto Combine and Loretta Lynn’s in 2025. The Western Australian’s official debut will be Glendale’s fourth round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship on February 1.

Social Standout – Shane McElrath:
If there’s one guy who’s found the ingredients for social media over the past 12 months, it’s 2024 AUSX 250SX champion Shane McElrath. His updates across all platforms are impressive and provide great insights into the lives of a professional racer –in particular, his YouTube vlogs after every race weekend, which are an excellent mix of race footage, personal interviews and updates after each race, as well as unseen behind-the-curtains clips. McElrath has showed Australians how it’s done this year, both on and off the track, and his socials have set a high benchmark.

Special Mention – Jed Beaton and Levi Townley:
It’s was an impressive year for both CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Jed Beaton and Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Levi Townley at opposite ends of the spectrum. Beaton might have again finished P2 in ProMX, but he refused to give up and took the title fight to the final lap of the final moto, incredibly finishing tied on points for the championship. In the closest title fight in Australian motocross history, Beaton lost on count-back to training partner Webster. Entering the AUSX, there were no expectations on him as the the former MXGP regular hadn’t raced supercross in over a decade, but Beaton improved with every round, finishing the year with two podiums at Wollongong and Melbourne and an impressive fourth overall in the SX1 points. The past 12 months were also huge for New Zealand talent Townley. The young Kiwi has chalked up ProMX race wins, won an 85cc Junior Motocross World Championship, clinched a Australian Junior Motocross Championship in his 125cc debut, and finished runner-up at the Yamaha bLU cRU YZ SuperFinale during the MXoN. Adding an exclamation mark on his year, the son of former MX2 world champion Ben Townley has signed a two-year deal with the MJC Yamaha Official EMX125 team to race the European championship beginning in 2025.