Four-time champion to join Empire Kawasaki as team focuses on MX1 title
Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki has locked in its 2026 rider roster with the marquee signing of four-time ProMX MX1 champion Dean Ferris. He will partner rising talent Brad West as the team shifts to an MX1-only focus and targets its first professional championship when the gates drop at Wonthaggi in March.
Ferris returns to full-time racing after stepping away mid-2024 due to injury and a team split, bringing with him one of the most decorated resumes in Australian motocross history: 69 moto wins, 32 overall victories, and four premier-class titles.
“I’m beyond thankful to be signing with Empire Kawasaki for the 2026 season. Everyone is aware of the phases I’ve had in my career and although I stepped away from racing in the middle of 2024 following my small injury and team split, I never officially retired and remained open to returning to racing on the right program for me. It has been a very organic process where I began to see what was available for 2026 and Empire Kawasaki were forthcoming with the intention to go after a ProMX Championship with me in 2026. To be able to reunite with Brad McAlpine, who was my crew chief for three of my MX1 Championships and is now the Empire Kawasaki Team Manager, is an amazing opportunity and I am already loving being on the KX450 and working with the team. I am aware of the current level in MX1 and under no illusions that I have a lot of work ahead of me, but with that being said, the feeling I have on the bike already makes me feel confident I will be competitive and challenge at the front of the field,” concluded Ferris.
Empire Kawasaki Team Owner Tyson Cherry said the team’s refocus and Ferris’s signing mark a significant step in its evolution.
“We have made a big push for 2026 and progressed our relationship with Kawasaki Australia, moving into a new focus as an MX1-only program. For us to sign a rider of Dean’s caliber elevates our entire program and it was such a great fit with Brad McAlpine having a rich history working with Dean across many of his championship years. It’s early days but Dean looks great on the bike and we are excited to work over the off-season and come out swinging at Wonthaggi.”
Ferris will debut aboard the KX450 for Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki at the ProMX opener in Wonthaggi on the weekend of March 21–22, 2026.
