It’s that time of year again when the top brass of Australian motocross put their heads together and assess the strongest roster for the Motocross of Nations (MXoN), which in 2025 will be held in the United States at Ironman Raceway this October. Two placements are locked in with the Lawrence brothers, but the question is this: Should Team Australia select Kyle Webster or Jed Beaton for the MX2 seat?

Firstly, some people will be annoyed by this, and if it’s roughly 50 percent Webster fans and 50 percent Beaton fans who think I have no idea what I’m talking about, then that’s probably mission accomplished. Both objective and subjective points of view exist for this predicament, and we’ll take a look at the former first.

Objectively, the simplest solution for the third position is to choose whoever is leading their respective series by a certain date. In the Beaton versus Webster argument, this makes things pretty easy, as Jed is the current points leader in the national MX1 class standings after five rounds, 15 markers ahead of the defending champion Webster.

This approach takes away any subjective theory, with Webster the front-runner out of the two at selection time last year, and hence, he received the call-up for the green and gold to ultimately play a crucial role in Team Australia’s first victory in the international event’s 78-year history.

Image: Foremost Media.

Again, this one is pretty clear-cut and, from my perspective, it makes sense because it’s almost as fair as it can get, and ensures that all parties are aware of the rundown. As for Beaton – a longtime regular and race winner during his extensive MX2 World Championship career that saw him rank as high as number four in the world during 2020 – he’s ready for his first-ever MXoN event, having missed out after being selected in 2016 due to a collarbone injury in the lead-up to Maggiora Park.

“Yeah, I think, if you get selected to go and represent your country, you’re not going to say no,” Beaton told MotoOnline following Warwick. “We both put in an application, and they’re going to choose who they think is best, and I’m happy to ride a 250. Obviously, with a 250, it’s a lot to do with equipment and what you can get, so I think if I get selected, everyone will have to organise that. At the end of the day, like I said, if you get selected, you’re not going to say no, and we’ll just see what comes of it. I’m keen to go.”

A closing note on the objective standpoint is that the Craig Dack-led Monster Energy CDR Yamaha team is well-connected overseas, with its WSX team earning the premier class crown with Eli Tomac and together with Star Racing last year, which suggests that sourcing a competitive YZ250F shouldn’t be any major issue in North America.

Moving into the subjective side is Webster, who helped lead Team Australia to its first-ever victory in the event at Matterly Basin last year, in what was a brilliant performance onboard a factory specification CRF250R with assistance from the Lawrences’ American-based Honda HRC Progressive team.

Image: Octopi Media.

The argument here is that last year’s MX1 ProMX champion helped earn the numbers one, two, and three for this year, and as a result, he should be able to represent them. And it’s another perspective that makes sense, no doubt.

Of course, there are plenty of die-hard Webster fans out there who would certainly agree with this line of thinking. It adds a layer of opinion into the dynamic, however, and if this is a continual dichotomy over the next few years, it introduces a complexity that could be averted with the ‘best-placed’ approach.

Nevertheless, an entry has been lodged by the Webster camp, and his participation remains in the balance. He too has been convincing in ProMX, despite crashing out of moto two at Wonthaggi’s opening round, with six moto wins over Beaton’s three, and he does have three overalls in comparison to Beaton’s two. The winning form is still there.

“I don’t know – they haven’t picked the team yet,” commented Webster when questioned if he was defending alongside the Lawrences. “Nations ain’t until the start of October, so I guess it’s about who’s going the best. No real indication has been given… I think they said they wanted to pick by this round [Warwick] or so, around this time.

Image: Octopi Media.

“I mean, it’s hard [because] we’re just matching each other every weekend. At the end of the day, the best team should go, so whether it’s Jed or me, we can’t tell at this stage. But yeah, it’s one of those things. I mean, Jed leads the points now, obviously.”

That’s the current lay of the land, with each rider expressing a desire to go and compete, with applications having been lodged and the process underway to decide who should pilot the number two MX2 bike come October 3-5 in Indiana.

It’s not a position to envy when it comes to selecting between these two riders – either Beaton or Webster, who are so evenly matched in all facets of their game. A strong case tilts in either direction, and until the next wave of Australian MX2 talent fully matures, it could be this way for the next few years to come.