Image: Foremost Media.

A return of the Lawrence brothers to the AUSX Open in 2026 remains up in the air, with both Jett and Hunter indicating post-race in Melbourne that they are considering an extended break during next year’s off-season that would rule them out of a third-straight appearance at home.

The pair have been the headline act for both 2024 and 2025 editions, with last year’s Marvel Stadium event marking the first time either had competed on home soil since Jett’s AUSX Open debut in 2019.

A brutal 31-race Monster Energy SMX World Championship calendar, combined with having contested an assortment of off-season races in recent years, has their participation for next year in doubt.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Jett told MotoOnline post-race. “As of right now, I don’t think we have it in the plans – just to give ourselves a break and not burn ourselves out. You know, the past five years of being a professional athlete, we’ve had two weeks off max at a time.

“This year, we’ve only had a week and a half off. We really enjoy doing these events because we have a lot of fun, but for next year, we’ll most likely relax and take some time off and recoup again.”

Elder brother Hunter late Saturday night also suggested that a return for 2026 wasn’t certain: “We’ll let [Jett] have this one – we’ll come back bigger and better next year or whenever that is. It’s just a refresh, when we get to come back here, racing with the guys and stuff. It’s epic.”

Last year saw Hunter Lawrence take the SX1 victory, before Jett managed to win his first AUSX Open this time around ahead of US-based AUSX points leader Dean Wilson and with Hunter completing the podium in third overall.

It’s understood that Honda will introduce a new generation CRF450R for 2027, which the Lawrences and Honda HRC Progressive will begin to directly develop during the later months of next year – further impacting their abilities to race internationally into November.

It is also unclear if they will defend the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) crown with Team Australia, fresh from winning their second Chamberlain Trophy in a row alongside national ProMX champion Kyle Webster at Ironman Raceway.