The 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores (ProMX) is building towards a thrilling crescendo, with all eyes now turning to the challenging Loy Yang Park track in Traralgon for round six on Sunday, July 12.

Traralgon is an extremely pivotal round for a host of championship aspirants in Kawasaki MX1, Pirelli MX2, Maxxis MX3 and Ezilift MXW. And once again, spectators can expect bar-to-bar action on a track famed for its dramatic gradient changes, punchy straights and relentless rhythm sections.

Thanks to a superb season where few riders have managed to lay a glove on him, MX1 star Jed Beaton (Monster Energy CDR Yamaha) holds the most comfortable buffer of any championship leader with 54pts to spare over reigning champion Kyle Webster (Honda Racing Australia).

If Beaton continues his hot streak in Traralgon, he will go a long way towards putting one hand on the 2026 MX1 trophy to sit alongside his 2016 MX2 success. Webster’s a wily customer, though, so he too could reignite his campaign and set up a grandstand final two rounds in Queensland.

Meanwhile, Alex Larwood (Honda Racing Australia), New Zealander Hayden Draper (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha) and American Lachlan Turner (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha) lead the MX2, MX3 and MXW classes respectively, with the women returning to the ProMX fold for the first time since the season opener.

Beaton’s nine wins from 10 motos has already made for a dizzying Kawasaki MX1 season, with the only ‘blot’ on his copybook a second place behind Webster at Gillman.

Emboldened by the catalogue of brilliance, 28-year-old Beaton – a former MX2 world championship race winner – wants to continue turning the screws at Loy Yang Park to minimise the chances of not only Webster, but also 2022 MX1 champion Aaron Tanti making late championship pushes.

Tanti sits just 1pt behind Webster after an excellent round five at a very wet Appin, while Nathan Crawford (Honda Racing Australia), Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna TDUB) and Zachary Watson (KTM Factory Racing) are the next group of pursuers.

Crawford has been the talking point between rounds after switching from Motocoach Elite Racing – which provided him a ProMX lifeline after severing ties with KTM after round one – to Honda Racing Australia.

Meanwhile Watson, who is without a podium so far in 2026, will have happy memories of Loy Yang Park after a third place in moto two last year.

Other riders with top 10 ambitions in round six include Luke Zielinski (Yamaha), Regan Duffy (Yamaha), Jacob Sweet (Yamaha) and Ryley Fitzpatrick (KTM).

Larwood and teammate Kayd Kingsford have been the headline-grabbing riders in the 2026 Pirelli MX2 paddock, claiming the overall honours in three and two rounds respectively. However, they’ve also fluffed their lines on a couple of occasions which has kept the scoreboard a tight affair heading into the business end of the season.

Larwood leads on 209pts from Kingsford (199pts), Byron Dennis (KTM Factory Racing, 182pts), Dylan Walsh (KTM Factory Racing, 173pts), Noah Ferguson (Monster Energy Yamalube Racing, 163pts) and Ryder Kingsford (Honda Racing Australia, 163pts), so a lot of what plays out in Traralgon could have a huge bearing on the final standings.

Ryder Kingsford, Dennis and Ferguson all circulated at the sharp end of the MX2 pack in the equivalent round last year, which is a real confidence-booster, while Kayd Kingsford is fresh off a plane from America after turning heads in a SMX Next Scouting Moto Combine for the sport’s best amateur prospects. Kayd was fourth overall in the combine after 6-3 results, and in 2025 scored a clean sweep in the MX3 program at Loy Yang Park.

Seth Burchell (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha) and Haruki Yokoyama (Kawasaki) are also among the riders capable of finishing on the MX2 podium in Traralgon.

Five riders have already won motos in an unpredictable Maxxis MX3 season – Draper and Hayden Downie (Yamaha) the leaders on three apiece – but the point of differentiation for championship leader Draper has been his consistent body of work.

As well as the three wins, Draper’s finished on the podium eight times, which has helped him build a 40pt (209 to 179) lead over Heath Fisher (Honda Racing Australia) with a maximum of 150pts still available over the final three rounds.

Behind Fisher is a real MX3 bottleneck, with Riley Burgess (KTM, 177pts), Jackson Fuller (KTM Factory Racing, 171pts) and Downie (158pts) all remaining in the championship hunt.

And with last year’s MX3 speedsters at Traralgon having moved on, the round six motos are there for the taking in what’s going to be a sizzling Sunday.

Whether it’s Australia or America, women’s motocross at the top level has been supremely entertaining in 2026, and it continues with round two of the Ezilift MXW class this weekend.

After a dominant round one in Wonthaggi – which also included the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Championship – Turner holds the upperhand.

Taylah McCutheon (JPM 360 Kawasaki), Emma Milesevic (Yamaha), Taylor Thompson (KTM) and Darci Whalley (Honda) are the leading Aussies, although Thompson won’t be competing on Sunday after rupturing her ACL in Wonthaggi.

And the next Australian rider is the towering figure of Charli Cannon (Honda Racing Australia) – in extremely unfamiliar surroundings after a cruel last-lap mechanical DNF in Wonthaggi’s opening moto.

The four-time defending champion will undoubtedly begin her climb back up the ladder in Traralgon to keep a fifth title in her sights.

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