By the time you read this, the gate at Wonthaggi will be about to drop, the 2026 ProMX season is starting to feel real. When we wrote this, team lists were finalised, bikes were getting their last pre-season “freshen-up”, and every rider in every class was telling anyone who’ll listen that they’re “fit, healthy and ready to go” (which usually means they’re carrying at least one injury that doesn’t show on Instagram).

The calendar is familiar — eight rounds across six months — but there are a couple of spicy details in there. Wonthaggi (March 21–22) and Queensland Moto Park (August 1–2) are the only two-day events again, with a string of one-day rounds in between. It’s largely east-coast focused, with the annual South Aussie stop at Gillman (May 10), and a big talking point: Conondale’s Green Park is back on the national map as a ProMX round (July 26).

And if you want a quick snapshot of where the benchmark sits heading into round one: MX1 has been Kyle Webster’s world lately (back-to-back 2024–2025 titles), MX2 has belonged to Brodie Connolly (2024–2025), MX3 was Kayd Kingsford last year (2025), and Charli Cannon has basically turned MXW into her personal highlight reel for four straight seasons (2022–2025).

To help cut through the pre-season noise, we grabbed former MX Nationals champ Kirk “Gibsy” Gibbs, now deep in the coaching trenches, to talk calendar, contenders, and what actually separates the top two from the “yeah-but” pack. And his biggest takeaway is simple: the sport’s getting deeper… but championships still punish anyone who isn’t properly put together from round one.

Gibbsy on the calendar

Before we got into who to watch in 2026, we asked Gibbsy if he thought we needed a few more rounds or a championship closer together, “It’s definitely long, but that’s in the way of being drawn out, I think… I think it should be 10 rounds… maybe five rounds with one every two weeks and then have a break in the middle… and then another five every two weeks.”

He also floated pushing the championship back slightly: “Not so early, like not March… just getting away from the heat a little bit.” For those in Queensland and the northern states.

That said, we like the traditional Queensland finish, the weather is really good up there that time of year and it has a good part vibe.

MX1 (450): The benchmarks

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the top of MX1 can flip fast when injuries arrive but when everyone’s upright and firing, the benchmark is brutal.

Gibbsy’s read on 2026 is blunt: “I’m sure those two boys… they’ve set the benchmark the last two years and I couldn’t really see anything different, especially heading to Wonthaggi round one.” The “two boys” are obvious: Kyle Webster and Jed Beaton.

Where it gets interesting is behind them. “Third through to seventh is going to be very tight… I feel like that’s the most interesting part of this series.” That puts Nathan Crawford, Wilson Todd, Aaron Tanti, Dean Ferris, Zach Watson and others right in the mix.

Why it’s a two-horse race

According to Gibbsy, it’s not one big thing, it’s everything done properly, consistently.

“I think that they [Beaton and Webster] have the whole package at the moment… maybe it’s a tiny bit of speed, maybe it’s a tiny bit of fitness… those boys have been at it for years and years and basically had minimal injuries.”“When you’re stacking days, you’re building… when you have injuries and you don’t stack those days, you’re trying to get back to where you were.”

Ferris, Watson and the consistency tax

The biggest news in the off-season was Dean Ferris’ return after a short-lived retirement. Ferris, a multi-time motocross champ will ride for Empire Kawasaki on a KX450. When asked how he thinks Ferris will go, Gibsy was respectful but realistic:

“I’ll never count Dean out… I’m sure he’ll have some great races… but do I think he’s going to beat those guys? Probably not… for the majority of it.”

A big unknown is new recruit Zach Watson stepping into a stronger KTM situation: “On his given day, he can be a top-three guy… it just depends how their off-season’s gone and whether they come into these early rounds firing.”

And what about Wilson Todd? If he can stay upright he will be a threat. “When you watch Wilson Todd, his speed is unbelievable… speed is not an issue. He just needs to get back to stacking his days.”

MX2 (250): A new Champ coming

MX2 has been the Brodie Connolly show in recent years, but 2026 feels like a reset.

Key names in the conversation include Ryder Kingsford, Cade Kingsford, Alex Larwood, Noah Ferguson, Dylan Walsh, Reed Taylor and Byron Dennis, plus a long list of riders capable of winning motos on the right day.

On paper, Ryder Kingsford should be the obvious pick. He comes in with momentum from last year, but the complication is the reset button, new team, new structure, new environment.

“Ryder would obviously be the pick going off last year,” Gibbs said. “But he’s changed teams. So can he transition in there and be the exact same rider, or if not better? That’s going to be very cool.”

Alongside him is Kade Kingsford, stepping up into the spotlight in what shapes as a genuine breakout year. “Kade stepping up is going to be interesting,” Gibbs said. “He’s a great starter, can ride very well. It’ll be cool to see where he slots in.”

The dynamic of the Kingsford brothers on the same Honda program adds another layer. They’ve been clear they’re competitive — they want to beat each other — but Gibbs sees both upside and potential tension. “It’ll be an interesting dynamic,” he said. “If they work well together, that’s perfect. But if they end up in a championship fight, someone’s got to give.”

It’s not Lawrence-level synergy yet, but the potential is obvious.

Then there are the riders who feel like they’ve been knocking for a while. Alex Larwood fits that bill perfectly. Talent has never been the question, health and momentum have. “He’s always been knocking on the door,” Gibbs said. “A little bit of injury. It’ll be interesting to see if he can start the year really strong and then stay there.” If Larwood can avoid playing catch-up early, he becomes dangerous very quickly.

Noah Ferguson is another name Gibbs circled. His late-season form last year didn’t go unnoticed. “Towards the tail end of the year, he was putting it together on that KTM,” Gibbs said. “If he can start the season well and keep that moving, he’s going to be very hard to beat.”

One of the most intriguing additions is Dylan Walsh, lining up on a KTM 250 SX-F. His Supercross performances raised eyebrows, but Gibbs is quick to separate disciplines. “I wouldn’t gauge the Supercross off that for him,” he said. “He’s a renowned 250 rider. I don’t think he’s as much of a 450 guy. He can throw a 250 around a lot better.”

Walsh is settled down south, training with familiar faces and riding alongside Jed Beaton — a detail Gibbs believes matters more than people realise. “I’ve seen him ride a 250F before and it was impressive,” he said. “I could definitely see him being very fast on that KTM.”

Beyond the headline names, MX2 keeps going. Reed Taylor, Byron Dennis, Jet Allstopp, Kai Woods — the list doesn’t thin out, it just keeps expanding. “Maybe it’s not five guys,” Gibbs said. “Maybe it’s seven or eight.”

That depth is exactly what makes this class so compelling — and so cruel. “This field feels like the one to watch,” Gibbs said. “It could be anyone on their day. It’s a really, really deep class.”

Australian motocross tends to move in waves. At times MX1 carries the intrigue, at others MX2 becomes the proving ground for the next generation. Right now, the pendulum has swung firmly toward the quarter-litre class. “We go through waves,” Gibbs said. “There was a time where 450 was stacked, then 250 fell away a bit. Now it’s well put together again, and there’s another wave coming through.”

MX3: a reset year

MX3 is reshuffled for 2026, with last year’s standout performers aging out of the class. “There’s going to be a big hole there for someone to fill,” Gibsy said.
“It’ll be good to see who steps up out of that younger junior group.”

Riders to watch include Jackson Fuller, Jack Deverson, Riley Burgess, Shackleton (if confirmed), Kiwi prospect Hayden Draper, and Seth Thomas stepping into MX3.

MXW: Charli Cannon remains the benchmark

Charli Cannon is still the standard in MXW, but the depth is improving and the pressure is slowly building. “I think Charlie will definitely have the upper hand here,” Gibsy said.
“Our tracks are different… she’s got the knowledge and experience.”

But the pathway to challenging her is clear: “Maybe they rip a start and Charlie pulls a bad one… lead for 10 or 15 minutes and build the confidence to take it to her.”

The 2026 ProMX calendar: the key dates

  • Rd1 – Wonthaggi, VIC: March 21–22 (two-day)
  • Rd2 – Canberra, ACT: April 19
  • Rd3 – Gillman, SA: May 10
  • Rd4 – Toowoomba, QLD: May 24
  • Rd5 – Appin, NSW: June 14
  • Rd6 – Traralgon, VIC: July 12
  • Rd7 – Conondale (Green Park), QLD: July 26
  • Rd8 – Queensland Moto Park, QLD: August 1–2 (two-day)