For Honda fans, if the opening round of the Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, at Wonthaggi in Victoria is any indication, the 2024 series is going to be one for the books.
Honda Racing has set the tone as the team to beat, as Kyle Webster claimed a double-moto victory in the premier Thor MX1 class, and Brodie Connolly and Noah Ferguson traded race wins and tied on points in Pirelli MX2.
In MAXXIS MX3 it was an all-WBR Yamaha Bulk Nutrients Racing podium led by Koby Hantis, while in EZILIFT MXW there was no denying defending two-time champion Charli Cannon in her official debut as part of Honda Racing.
Thor MX1
Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Kyle Webster lived up to the pre-season hype by claiming an emphatic victory and round win, flanked by CDR Yamaha Monster Energy’s Jed Beaton (second) and national number one Dean Ferris (third).
Beaton led the early charge with a blistering qualifying time in the AMX Superstores Top 10 Pole Shootout, setting a lap time that was 1.95s faster than Empire Kawasaki’s new pilot, Luke Clout. Honda pairing Webster (who led the regular qualifying session) and Wilson Todd finished the shootout ahead of KTM Racing Team’s fifth-placed Nathan Crawford.
When the gate dropped on the first MX1 race of the 2024 season, Webster surged off the line and grabbed an enormous WP Holeshot ahead of Todd and Clout. It only took a couple of laps for Beaton to muscle his way up to second, but Webster was able to hold the CDR signing at bay for the entire race to take the opening moto win.
A full 44 seconds behind Beaton was Todd, who had a reasonably lonely ride in third as he finished five seconds ahead of defending champion Ferris, who only got stronger as the race progressed. Clout finished the opening moto in P5.
In the final MX1 race of the day, Webster was awarded the holeshot, but he was quickly overtaken by Ferris, who tried to build a gap over the chasing field. Beaton put in a charge to get past both riders and into the lead, but it all came undone in the final stages of the race when a mistake around the rutted circuit saw the Yamaha rider fall into the clutches of Webster.
Webster pounced, passing Beaton and claiming both the moto and round win in the process. Beaton crossed the line two seconds later, while Ferris finished a distant third. Encouraging performances by class rookies Crawford and Todd saw them finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
Pirelli MX2
Polyflor Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly claimed the Pirelli MX2 class overall win courtesy of a 2-1 result from the two races, while Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Noah Ferguson and Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) finished the day on the round podium.
Kingsford put down a scorching lap to top qualifying by almost one second over Connolly, with MX2 rookies Jack Mather (Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team) and Byron Dennis (GASGAS Racing Team) starting their seasons strongly with third- and fourth-fastest lap times. Mather’s teammate Rhys Budd finished the session in P5.
Connolly scored the WP Holeshot in the opening MX2 moto and wasted no time stretching out an early lead. However, Ferguson put in a mammoth charge to close the gap and take the lead midway through the session. Connolly threw everything at him in the final laps, but Ferguson held on to take his first-career moto win in the class.
Teenager Dennis put in an impressive come-from-behind ride to finish on the podium in his first MX2 race, as he led Ryder Kingsford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) to the chequered flag. Froth Honda Racing’s Alex Larwood put a first-turn near miss behind him to come through the field and finish a hard-fought fifth.
Connolly grabbed the moto two holeshot and never looked back as he charged to a comfortable win. The Kiwi quickly established and managed a 12-second lead over the rest of the field, cruising to the overall ahead of Kingsford.
Around the chopped-up Wonthaggi circuit, moto one winner, Ferguson, put on a remarkable charge from the middle of the pack to finish third while another fast-finisher, Jayce Cosford (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) crossed the line in P4. Budd finished in fifth position.
MAXXIS MX3
It was a dream start to the MAXXIS MX3 class season for WBR Yamaha Bulk Nutrients Racing, as the team locked out all three podium spots after an unpredictable day of action. Koby Hantis came away from the opening round with the overall win, ahead of his teammates Kobe Drew and Kayd Kingsford.
In the opening race, GASGAS rider Ky Woods led the full 40-rider MX3 gate through the first turn with the WP Holeshot and was never headed as he powered to a seven-second win over Drew. KTM rider Jet Alsop put in a great come-from-behind effort to finish the moto third.
WBR riders ruled the roost in the second moto, with Hantis putting in a remarkable late-race charge past the front-runners to take an eight-second win over his teammates Kingsford and Drew. Moto one winner Woods crashed out of overall contention late in the session and DNF’d the race.
EZILIFT MXW
She might be with a new manufacturer, but SCT Logistics Honda Racing’s Charli Cannon has again established herself as the rider to beat in the EZILIFT MXW class, dominating both races to take the overall from Husqvarna rider Taylor Thompson and young off-road racing star Danielle McDonald (Yamaha JGR Ballard’s Off-Road Team).
When the gates dropped on the season-opening MXW moto, it was Taylor Thompson (Husqvarna) with the WP Holeshot, but defending champion Cannon powered quickly into the lead and set sail.
Cannon would comfortably win by more than 17 seconds over Thompson, while McDonald finished third, capitalising on a last-lap mistake from GASGAS Elliott Brothers Race Team’s Madison Healey.
Cannon scored the holeshot of the second race and put in a ruthless charge to dominate the MXW field by 20 seconds. Thompson again finished second, while McDonald fended off a fiery battle from Emma Milesevic (Nutrien Honda Racing) to take a hard-earned P3 result.
