2025 ProMX again quickly boiled down to an epic arm-wrestle between Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster and Monster Energy CDR Yamaha’s Jed Beaton. Beaton found himself in the driver’s seat from the opening Wonthaggi round when Webster crashed out of the second moto, then opened up a commanding 29-point lead after Canberra’s sixth round. But disaster struck just before the two final Queensland stops when Beaton broke his femur in a training crash. Webster, 29, was quick to fill the breach and claimed back-to-back championships by 15 points over Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team).
ADB: Mate, congrats on successfully defending your crown this year. I know it wasn’t an easy one for you, but you still made it happen fairly comfortably.
KW: Yeah, the final round at QMP was still nerve-wracking regardless. I crashed there last year and I’ve still had issues with my hand ever since, as it gave me carpal tunnel syndrome. I’ve been able to manage it OK with cortisone, but it’s something I’ll need to get fixed at some point. So, I was still nervous going into that final round, as anything can happen. Take that start straight crash in the first moto that caught Clouty, Gibbsy and Waters – that sort of thing is out of your control, but can ruin your day really quickly.
ADB: Well, you avoided the chaos and only had to finish no worse than 11 points behind Crawford in that final moto. For a while there you were leading that last race. How were you feeling at that stage?
KW: It was cool to have a good battle with Wilson (Todd) for the win in that moto. It was probably the best-case scenario to have my team-mate right there with me. But the sun was going down, and there were a lot of hard edges and ruts that could catch you out, so I needed to be careful to not throw it all away. As it turned out, I made a mistake in the last turn when I crossed a rut and went wide, and Wilbur got up the inside of me for the win. I was actually stoked for him to get his first round win after his journey back from his injuries – it was a nice way to finish off the year.
ADB: Awesome. So, coming into 2025, everyone expected the championship to again come down to a battle between you and Jed. You guys train together constantly with Ross Beaton’s programme – is this one of those situations where iron sharpens iron?
KW: Yeah, I think we definitely help push each other along. It’s good for our speed and having that accountability on the track every day, and Ross is there to ensure everything’s going well. I really enjoy training with our group, and it often feels like race day is just another training day for us, where we’re both pushing each other around the track.
ADB: And Wonthaggi is one of those tracks that you’ve done a shit-load of laps around. But that opening round put you on the back foot from the get-go.
KW: I was going well there, winning the first moto, but yeah, in that second one I was on my head before I knew it and had to DNF the race. It was a bit of a bummer – this sport can be like that, it takes you from one extreme to the other so quickly.
ADB: Did panic set in at that stage? You two were so close, and suddenly you’re almost a full moto behind in points.
KW: Not necessarily panic, but it’s obviously not the best way to start a championship! There was still a lot of racing ahead of us, but it did change the script for me, as from that point on I needed to try and win as many races as possible. If that DNF had happened halfway through the year or at the end of the season, we would’ve been much worse off.
ADB: The next few rounds you were on it and you seemed to have the upper hand on Jed. Was that due to your new must-win-everything strategy?
KW: I was just trying to win as many races as possible. That’s always the goal, but I guess it was even more important for me to go out and execute after Wonthaggi. At the same time, I tried to not think about the championship too much, as I knew it was going to be a tough challenge to get myself back in contention. Those few rounds though, I felt I started to gel with everything really well – it was a good period where everything clicked.
ADB: You were also running a new bike this year, so I’m guessing there was a lot of testing going on to find the perfect set-up.
KW: Yeah, we did a lot of testing throughout the year. It’s so hard – there were some rounds where it felt like we were going in playing it by ear; you’re trying to adapt to the track conditions and how it’s breaking down throughout the day while still trying to perfect your bike set-up.
ADB: Then just as things were going well you had a big practice crash before Canberra. What happened?
KW: In June I had a big one. We were practising at Rosebud and I got kicked off a fast single, which busted me up pretty good. I ended up breaking my C7 and the transverse processes off my T1, tearing my SC joint and my AC joint on my left and right sides. The shoulder injury wasn’t a big tear, but it was enough to be a pain in the arse for a while.
ADB: Bloody hell! Considering that, you did pretty well at the next round at Warwick.
KW: Yeah, I wasn’t too bad at the start. I was told the transverse processes would be uncomfortable for a couple of weeks, but I was quite weak through my neck, shoulders and chest, and I had a lot of tension headaches for quite a while. Training was a bit up and down for a while, and I’ll admit that a bit of panic set in at that stage, just because Jed was riding so well. It might’ve been the adrenaline and everything, but everything still rolled well at Warwick. That next round at Canberra was a rough one, though. I was struggling with the pain and weakness, Jed was killing it, and I wasn’t gelling with the bike that weekend. It was probably the toughest weekend of the year and I ended the day fourth while Jed smashed everyone in both motos.
ADB: Then just when he’d pulled out a 29-point lead, Jed crashes out. I’m assuming you were there when it happened, seeing as it was during the week?
KW: Yeah, I was right there. He clipped his foot on an up-ramp during our warm-up, and it sent him over the bars. It wasn’t cool at all. I hate seeing that sort of thing, especially when it’s one of your good mates and someone you ride and train with every day.
ADB: It was only a week before Toowoomba, so suddenly you’re coming into the final two rounds with a manageable points lead. Did that add more pressure, or take the pressure off?
KW: A bit of both, I guess! Like, I had an OK points gap, but there was definitely more pressure added to try and close the championship out. And Toowoomba, if it’s muddy, there’s always the potential for disasters. It’s never easy, but I just tried my hardest to keep my head in the game like I had all year, and like I needed to do.
ADB: What was one of the biggest things you learnt this year?
KW: That’s a tough one. I guess just the importance of sticking with your goals regardless of the adversity. Getting hurt, trying to come to terms with the new bike… this sport hands you both good and bad situations. I think this year shows what happens when you really stick with it and stay in the hunt every weekend, even when things go wrong during a season. You’ve just got to be tenacious and keep sticking it out.
Brodie Connolly – Pirelli MX2 Champion
After comfortably winning the MX2 title in 2024, Polyflor Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly was the heavy favourite to go back-to-back and defend his crown this year. And the Kiwi from Tauranga didn’t disappoint. As he did last year, the 21-year-old clinched the title with a round to spare after successfully parrying the attacks of Ryder Kingsford (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha) and Noah Ferguson (KTM Racing Team) throughout the season.
ADB: Brodie, first up, mega congrats on another big, comfortable MX2 victory. Looking at the whole thing, what would you give yourself as a rating out of 10?
BC: Well, it can’t be a 10 because I didn’t win every race, but I think I was on the podium every round, won 13 of 16 races, and won every race I didn’t crash. So maybe an eight out of 10? It was a good season. There were a couple of little crashes and mistakes, but nothing too major.
ADB: You started the season pretty convincingly with a good win at Wonthaggi, but Ryder was right there. You guys train together a lot so I’m sure that came as no surprise, but it was pretty obvious he wanted to show he could run with you this year.
BC: Yeah, Ryder was solid that weekend. In the second moto I made a mistake all by myself and crashed, then he crashed as well, which allowed me to get back into the lead and go 1-1. It was good to start the year on a strong note and show everyone that I was still the guy to beat.
ADB: Then at Appin there was a bit of drama where you got penalised for running off the track, even though there was nowhere for you to go. How much did that light the fire in your belly?
BC: That whole situation pissed me off, to be honest. I was trying to come through the pack but Ryan Alexanderson pinched me off on a small straight into a turn and I had nowhere to go but around a peg. It was a weird situation, and one of those things that wasn’t intentional and I didn’t gain any positions from it. It cost me a lot of prizemoney and I was pretty frustrated about it for a couple of days, but then switched my mind to thinking there wasn’t much I could do about it, but to try and redeem myself at the next round.
ADB: At that next round at Gillman, you and Ryder went at it again and tied on the day, but from then on you turned the screws for the rest of the championship, although Noah came on strong at the end there. If you were to pick one of those guys to battle with, who would you choose?
BC: Ryder and I train together all the time, so I know we’re not going to kill each other, but I feel like Noah and I have quite a similar mentality and a more aggressive racing style. I know he’s not going to back down, and he’s going to throw everything at me, but I’m the same. It’s pretty cool racing against him, as you know he’s never going to give up.
ADB: How does this year’s title compare to last year? Does defending your title feel as special as winning your first one?
BC: This one felt nice, because I probably pushed a bit harder this year. It feels a bit more deserved, a bit more hard-earned, as there was a bit more pressure on me. The first year, you’re just trying to win, but this year it definitely felt like I had a massive target on my back. I probably felt more external pressure to win this year, but then there was less internal pressure from myself, because I was confident in my ability and knew I could do it, if that makes sense.
ADB: That’s a good way of putting it.
BC: Like, I remember the night before I wrapped up the championship last year, I was so nervous. I just had real weird feelings and my mind kept wandering all over the show, thinking about all the random shit that can go wrong, and was stressing myself out. This year I was a bit more relaxed – I knew what I had to do, and I could concentrate more on the job at hand. But both championships are pretty special.
ADB: And this year you wrapped the title up at one of the tracks that probably feels the most like a Kiwi track, at Toowoomba.
BC: I do like that track. We have quite a lot of hard, technical tracks at home, so I enjoyed closing it out there. It could’ve potentially been a real mudder there, and we watched some videos from the 2011 race there leading up to the weekend and man, we were kind of preparing for it to be a round of attrition. I’m stoked with the way it formed up, though. It was still probably the most challenging track of the year, but I enjoy those sorts of races.
ADB: So the pressure’s off going into the final round at QMP. What was the game plan – finish with a bang or take it easy?
BC: After having the pressure to win the championship all year, it felt like there was a bit of weight off the shoulders, so that was nice. I still wanted to go out and win both races, but had a bit of a shocker in the first moto and got third. The track was still a bit sloppy and I got real tight arms for the first time this year, then Noah and I came together while in a fun battle and I came off second-best. I wasn’t pissed off at him about it – it was just a racing incident.
ADB: But you were able to finish with a strong win on a track that was really cut up.
BC: Yeah, it’s always a tricky track late in the day. The sun comes down and creates a lot of shadows in the ruts, and the track has some soft spots, but it has a real hard base to it. I just tried to ride safe and smart and finish my season with a win.
ADB: What’s next for you? Are you planning on jumping up to MX1 next year or looking further afield?
BC: At this stage I’m really keen to get to America and race a full season over there, both supercross and motocross. Nothing’s been announced or anything yet, but that’s the plan right now. I’m really looking forward to that next challenge and taking my riding career to the next level. It should be fun.
Championship Standings
MX1
1 Kyle Webster (Honda) 315
2 Nathan Crawford (KTM) 300
3 Wilson Todd (Honda) 264
4 Jed Beaton (Yamaha) 257
5 Zachary Watson (Triumph) 224
6 Kirk Gibbs (KTM) 193
7 Levi Rogers (Yamaha) 179
8 Luke Clout (Kawasaki) 173
9 Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 162
10 Bryce Ognenis (Yamaha) 122
MX2
1 Brodie Connolly (Honda) 378
2 Ryder Kingsford (Yamaha) 329
3 Noah Ferguson (KTM) 304
4 Alex Larwood (Honda) 272
5 Byron Dennis (KTM) 257
6 Jayce Cosford (Yamaha) 199
7 Cobie Bourke (Honda) 179
8 Seth Burchell (Yamaha) 164
9 Rhys Budd (Kawasaki) 154
10 Kaleb Barham (Kawasaki) 138
