The opening half of the 2025 Penrite ProMX Championship has delivered an array of captivating storylines, with each category featuring its own unique landscape as four rounds remain. In this Top 10 feature, MotoOnline takes a closer look at the important angles to watch for during the season’s second half.

Image: Foremost Media.

1. Webster vs Beaton – again:
If you concede 25 points, the best time to do it has to be at the opener. It gives you time to plan and strategise as to what needs doing over the following seven rounds, which is the case in the Penrite ProMX MX1 class championship picture. For Boost Mobile Honda’s Kyle Webster, that strategy has been to win at all costs. He has since shrunk the points gap to Monster Energy CDR Yamaha’s Jed Beaton to 13, however, the question remains, will it be enough? These two are the class of the MX1 field, by quite a margin, so they’ll likely be playing with three points per moto, as thats the difference between first and second. Webster’s overall win in Traralgon was good, although he can’t afford to tie with Beaton, he needs the points towards the title. This puts Jed in a position of needing to win only one moto per weekend, because if they draw even from here on out, the crown will belong to the number 14.

2. Kingsford next in line:
Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha’s Ryder Kingsford has been impressive this year, remaining in contention for the MX2 class title in a championship many tipped to be a Brodie Connolly whitewash. The defending champion is still in his own league to an extent, we would say, although mistakes have kept him from growing his lead, coupled with a prepared Kingsford who has capitalised each time to remain in contention. Consequently, Kingsford is 10 markers out of the lead with four rounds left to contest, which is a solid position to be in to fight for this title down to the wire. Will Connolly click another gear – like he did in Traralgon – and inch away from the rest of the pack? Maybe. But any slip-up and history has shown this year that the number 21 will be ready to pounce if the opportunity arises.

3. The privateer resurgence:
Talk about impressive, what about the MX1 privateer pair of Zac Watson and Levi Rogers! Traralgon marked a standout performance for the Triumph-equipped Watson, who powered to a third-place finish in the second MX1 moto, making passes on a couple of high-profile racers in the process. The Queenslander sits P5 overall in the series standings, and is joined inside the top 10 by Caloundra Motorcycle Centre-backed Rogers, who is eighth onboard his YZ450F. Both of these riders have pitched a tent in the town centre of ‘Factory Rider Land’ – probably annoyingly so – becoming part of the furniture when it comes to battling for results towards the pointy end of the field. Yamaha-mounted Rogers experienced a challenging outing in Traralgon, but by all measures, they’ve been pretty consistent so far, too. It is not easy to one; make it to these ProMX rounds for these guys, but two; compete at the very highest level – so these performances are pretty remarkable at this point.

Image: Foremost Media.

4. Connolly’s authority:
We touched on Kingsford’s success, although it still feels like Polyflor Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly is just that cut above the rest. In some ways, his biggest nemesis so far has been himself, with a couple of unforced errors reflected in the points gap. What’s an asset to Connolly is his laid-back demeanour, with the talented New Zealander remaining measured and exuding an air of underlying confidence that when push comes to shove, he’ll get the job done. We think he will too, and given his outspoken aspirations of wanting to head Stateside, it’ll be interesting to see how this MX2 season will be viewed on his resume. Is more domination required to capture the eyes of the big teams overseas, or could he slot into the American-based Quad Lock Honda program, which is a sister team to the domestic Honda Racing outfit in Australia? It’s speculation at this point, but nevertheless, this title is still Brodie’s to lose.

5. Next steps of Crawford:
We detailed KTM Racing Team Nathan Crawford’s current plight in the MX1 category recently, as the number three is in a bit of a no man’s land when looking at the gap behind the leaders and then the fourth-placed riders and beyond. That’s not entirely true, as he has had competition from the likes of Luke Clout (Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki) and Wilson Todd (Honda Racing), but at the same time, he does have three third-place overall finishes in the four rounds completed. He didn’t mince his words on the podium at Traralgon, explaining that his current form feels like ‘failing.’ This remains a tough one to analyse, because it is this position that he could easily be expected to be, given the fact that the leaders have only gone from strength to strength after last year’s 81-point masterclass over the rest of the field. Not much can be done at this point in the series, although if the championship is the target, some off-season soul searching may be required to develop a strategy to take it to both Beaton and Webster in the future.

6. Honda’s MX3 and MXW form continues:
The Victorian-based Honda Racing program has remained the standard in both the MX3 and MXW categories, with riders Kayd Kingsford and Charli Cannon holding a healthy advantage atop both categories, respectively. It’s a neat thing to see just how much Honda invests in their riders, with recent KTM defector Jet Alsop being picked up as part of their Ride Red support program, and he has delivered a strong performance to sit P3 in MX3 currently. Returning to Kingsford, he has been solid and currently holds a 32-point lead in the series, while Cannon has a 26-point advantage in the MXW category. Developing the future stars of tomorrow, the Yarrive Konsky-led Honda organisation is providing heavy assistance in this area, and their position atop these classes reflects that.

7. Wilson Todd improving:
Finally, we may be starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel for Honda Racing mainstay Todd. It’s been a brutal couple of years for the multi-time MX2 class champion, with injury after injury stacking up, and delaying his opportunity to show what he is made of in MX1. Signs of progress are starting to arrive, though, with a strong Traralgon round that involved a late-race crash in the second moto out of a podium result, showing that the speed, fitness, and bike time are coming together. Interestingly, Todd is only 28 markers back from Crawford in the overall standings, and you’d have to think that a season podium would mean the world to both the Queenslander and his Honda Racing team, who have been on an emotional rollercoaster together since the beginning of 2024.

8. On the cusp:
This can be said for Monster Energy CDR Yamaha’s Maximus Purvis and KTM Racing Team’s Noah Ferguson, who each have speed to burn, but just need one more piece of the puzzle to come together in order to solidify their place on the championship tables. Ferguson is a little further along this journey than Purvis, as he sits third overall in the MX2 standings, but by his standards, he’d like to be closer to both Connolly and Kingsford. Consistency is the name of the game here, which can be said to a larger extent for Purvis, who has shown immense speed in MX1, but has been on the ground on more than a few occasions. He has the great Craig Dack in his corner for guidance, and converting this lightning-in-a-bottle pace to consistent front-runner finishes would certainly be high on their agenda.

9. Heading north:
The Queensland swing comes into full effect during the final four rounds of the season, with Canberra’s sixth round the only interruption to the Sunny State showdown. There is still a variety of terrain on offer from Wawick to the hardpack, sweeping ruts of Toowoomba, with the series concluding once more at the Queensland Moto Park, which is an hour’s west of the Gold Coast CBD. A lot of riders now call Queensland home, and so the conversation surrounding the home track advantage of Beaton and Webster at Wonthaggi now swings to an array of other riders entering these circuits, so it’ll be intriguing to watch whether the gap shrinks or remains the same between the QLD regulars and the Victorian contingent.

10. MX2 musical chairs:
We saw some mid-season musical chairs take place in the MX2 class, which is a pretty unique arrangement as these movements typically take place at the conclusion of a season. Rhys Budd made a high-profile exit from the Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing Team outfit, moving across to the Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki team as replacement for Cambell Williams, who hadn’t started the season due to injury. Williams was left on the outside looking in and has since received a lifeline with Brett Metcalfe’s GO24 Team Green, which also has backing from Penrite. As for the Todd Waters-run Husqvarna program, they drafted in support rider Jack Kukas from Gillman onwards, as they intend on completing the season together. It’s a lot to digest, particularly mid-year, so we’ll keep an eye out for how these riders perform in their updated guises.