Fresh from a breakout podium in the British round of the EMX250 European Championship, highly-rated Queenslander Jake Cannon is already displaying his capabilities internationally since joining Team Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki in 2025. Learn more about the 18-year-old prospect’s journey in this Conversation feature.

Image: Supplied.

Almost midway through the season now, so what’s the initial impression for you in EMX250?


It’s definitely different to Australia and just the racing is a lot more intense and, you know, you can’t really give anyone an inch because they will take it over here. So just adjusting to the racing side of things and the weather also, that I feel like I’m slowly getting there and, yeah, it’s just taking time.

You hear the narrative of moving to Europe and spending the time there, the difficulties away from the races, but then we, of course, see the highlights and good times when you do well. Have you been embracing it, enjoying it so far?

I got really lucky with where I’m staying. 
It’s kind of like my home – on the beach – so I definitely have the same vibe, which kind of is like home, so it’s definitely helped a lot also. And you know, training’s good. 
I’ve got a teammate that’s consistently up there in the EMX field as well, so it’s good training with him and knowing where the pace is at, so other than that, it’s just been finding in my feet, and, yeah, just working. I’ve been working hard this whole time and just waiting for it to pay off, really. It’s starting to, so I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and have fun doing that.

Do you feel like you’ve progressed as a rider, say, now compared to this time last year?

Yeah, I feel much more of a complete rider. 
Just in my racecraft also, I’ve learnt just to be a bit more smarter on the bike and race a bit more harder with other people, which I feel Australia doesn’t really do. But, no, I feel like I have gone to another level again. I’m just slowly chipping away and it’s all starting to come together.

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When you look at the season so far, there’s been some ups and some downs, so how would you summarise it as a whole?

So, the last few rounds have not gone my way. 
I’ve just been in a lot of carnage, either in the first corner or the first two laps, which have ruined any chance of a good overall position. I’ve always been coming from the back and just fighting the whole motos from last, really. It’s kind of been annoying and frustrating because my speed’s there, but I haven’t been able to show it and on paper it doesn’t look as good. I’ve just been in a rut and I’m happy to get out of that, and yeah, with my starts, I feel like I’m a good starter also, so I just have to get my qualifying better because at the moment, it hasn’t been going too well. I’ve got to sort that out and it should help me a lot more.

When you consider the P3 result on the podium there at Matterley Basin last weekend, a breakthrough result for you and a special achievement with your dad there and your sister Charli as well, was there a sense of reward?

For sure. It was honestly a really good day for me after a good weekend, because my qualifying was one of the best I’ve done also and I got two good starts. With my family there – also, mum was cheering me on back home and she definitely would have wanted to be here – it was just a good vibe, really, the whole weekend. It put me in a good mood and I had a good feeling on the track also. It was nothing like I thought, the track. 
It was really hard-packed, but I managed the conditions well, so… it was just an awesome weekend.

Does that does that give some light at the end of the tunnel? Knowing you can apply your potential in that environment…

It’s definitely a big boost in my confidence and knowing I can be up there running with the front boys, so it definitely plays a big part in my head. I knew it would come, just wasn’t sure when it would, and yeah, I just had to start believing in it also. 
But yes, definitely. It gives me a lot more confidence coming into the following rounds.

Image: Supplied.

You’re in a well-established team with Bud Racing and it appears to be a real family environment from the outside, so is that the way it actually is from your standpoint?

Yes, they are. 
It’s an awesome team and it’s literally like a big family, all joking around and enjoying it, which helps. It kind of eases the nerves a little bit also, and yeah, just a really good crew that I live really close to and it is a really good bike that I am on.

Do you consider this a learning year for you in EMX, preparing for a second stint in 2026?

Yeah, so this year was kind of just to find my feet and see where I’m at, but I also wanted to do good. I didn’t want to just waste it and not want to be up the front, even if next year is the year that I want to perform and do good. 
But this year also, I want to get some podiums, so this is just the start, really.

You’re also in the French MX2 series, so what’s that been like outside of your EMX commitments?

It’s still a stacked class, like the top eight riders are fast and the tracks are a bit different. 
They’re a bit more typical French tracks – lots to hills, really hard ground and, yeah, it’s wild, to be honest… Everyone’s going everywhere. It’s good, really good training for the EMX, and they do some pretty good prize money as well. I definitely want to do good for that! But either way, it’s a lot of fun.