YAMAHA FLEX AT WONTHAGGI OPENER

Yamaha Australia’s motocross teams had a weekend to remember contesting Round 1 of the 2026 ProMX Championship at the always challenging Wonthaggi circuit in Victoria. The season opener saw all the riders and teams set their tone for the year, and Yamaha made their intentions very clear. BLU CRU riders won four of the five classes, including eight of the 11 races conducted over the weekend to showcase just how good Yamaha’s YZ motocross bikes are.

MX1 – Monster Energy CDR Yamaha
Jed Beaton gave his hometown crowd something to cheer about as he proved his leg injury of 2025 is well and truly behind him. Beaton dominated the day with 1-1 results in both motos and looked like he has taken his riding and fitness to a new level. Beaton stormed to the front early in moto one and simply rode away from the field and put the result beyond doubt before the halfway stage. Moto two saw him slot in behind arch-rival Kyle Webster, but was in no mood for taking any roost and just before the opening lap was completed he made an aggressive move to snatch the lead and again ride off to victory.

Jed Beaton:
“Great day for the team and I. Since coming back from my injury, there has been a lot of work put in, and it was nice to see it show up at round one. This track is a tough one, so if your fitness isn’t up to scratch or your bike isn’t good, it gets exposed here so, really happy with the work the team and I have done and now we move onto round two and try and do it again.”

It was also a solid start for team mate Aaron Tanti who rounded at the day in fifth place. Tanti struggled at Wonthaggi in a lead up race only a month ago, but was far better this time around and finished with 4-7 results to claim fifth and leave round one satisfied but still wanting more.

Aaron Tanti:
“Race one was solid from start to finish, just needed to be a little better at the end as I was in third and would liked to have held onto it but got passed by Webster in the last couple of laps so that was a bit frustrating. Then in race two, I fell off in the second corner and was right at the pack of the bag. I picked up and got going and just tried to work my way forward but also had to be patient as it’s so chaotic back there. I got through top seventh and was able to salvage some decent points for the round. I leave here healthy and well placed in the series, so happy with the start of the year and looking to improve when we go to Canberra for round two.”

MX2 / MXW – Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha
Despite not landing on the podium, Noah Ferguson proved he is well and truly up for the fight in this year’s MX2 championship. With a newfound and more mature approach to his racing and training, Ferguson showed when faced with some adversity over the weekend he was still able to collect good points, show a blazing turn of speed and stay in the fight. Ferguson finished the day in fifth place with 5-4 results, but the riding was far more impressive than the results. Terrible race starts and a rock to his clutch hand slowed his pace, but Ferguson charged on in each moto despite the setbacks.

Noah Ferguson:
“There was a bit going on over the weekend and I certainly improved my passing skills as I had to come from the back in both motos. But really happy to race it to the end of both motos and get the best points I could on a track that hasn’t been one of my better ones. Thank you the team for their hard work on the weekend and I caused them plenty of grief, but they were on top of things and awesome to have such great support.”

It was the Australian ProMX debut for Souya Nakajima and the Wonthaggi track was at its welcoming best. Japan lacks a track that matches Wonthaggi in terms of its speed and dirt, and then addition of bumps, rolling whoops and a 40 rider field meant it would be a steep learning curve for the Japanese 250cc champ. Nakajima stuck to the task and put together a consistent day to finish 15^th for the round.

Souya Nakajima:
“The track become a lot rougher than anything I have raced and also the intensity of the first few laps is something I will need to improve on. In Japan only three or four fast riders but here there are 20 fast riders, and the first laps are crazy for me, so I need to get better at sprint speed and holding my position early in the race.”

The “Lala” Turner show rolled into town and she didn’t disappoint as the 2-time US AMA MXW Champion is here to contest the full women’s championship, as she kicked things of in spectacular fashion over the weekend. With the WMX class contesting three races over the two days, Race 1 and 3 contributed to the ProMX championship, while all three races were part of the FIM Women’s Oceania challenge. Turner won the opening race after passing rival Charli Cannon early in the race and the pair cleared out from the field. Race two was just for the FIM Cup, so Turner who was nursing blistered hands chose to ride smartly and crossed the line in second place to help Team USA into a strong position for the final moto. 

The final race saw her charge past Cannon on the opening lap and set a pace that was too hot for the rest of the field, and after 12 minutes of racing completed she was out to a 12-second lead and the race looked to be done and dusted. But, as Turned worked her way through lapped riders, she misjudged a rider in front and hit her back wheel causing her to stall the bike. She was able to balance herself and eventually take off again after stalling, just as Cannon closed in and the pair were side by side. Turner wasn’t going to give it up that easy and after two corners to regain her composure, she then proceeded to pull away again and raced off to another victory, giving her the perfect start to her ProMX campaign. She is already back on a plane and headed home to the US to prepare for the up coming AMA championship.

Lachlan Turner:
“I made that hard work for myself, didn’t I [laughter]. I thought the rider was a bit further ahead of me, but she bobbled in the ruts and slowed right down, and I jumped on the brakes to stop, and I ended up stalling the bike. Then I started it and stalled it again. Luckily it started just as Charli was coming around and I was able to get going just before she passed me and I stayed in front of her. I have had such a great time, and everyone here as been so good to me and my family. Everyone at Yamaha has looked after us to well and I can’t wait to come back for the final few rounds later in the year and spend some more time. The team has been perfect and do whatever it takes to give me what I need and Joel my mechanic did an awesome job today.

MX3 / MX2 – Monster Energy WBR Yamaha
The WBR Team celebrated a 1-2 result on the day in the MX3 division and kicked the season off to the perfect start. On paper, the duo of Hayden Draper and Jack Deveson looked impressive, and it turned into a reality as the pair traded race wins on the day with Deveson taking the round win with his 2-1 result, just ahead of Draper with his 1-3 finish.

Deveson started the year in good fashion in race one and finished in second place, then charged forward from an average start in race two to snatch the lead in the final stages and take his first ProMX round win in the MX3 class.

Jack Deveson:
“While I ride here at Wonthaggi a bit, it’s not my favourite track or surface to race on so it was good to come away with some good results. The team really ramped up the last couple of weeks and pulled together to get us what we needed and the 1-2 start is a great reward for everyone working behind the scenes.”

Hayden Draper will be a name Australians will soon become familiar with. The current NZMX2 champion, and only 16 years of age, turned it on over the weekend to finish second and get his championship started on a positive note. Draper comfortably won the opening moto and then had to charge from the back of the pack in race two after an early fall. He rallied his way back to third place and a strong performance – one that shows he has the grit and speed.

Hayden Draper:
“Pretty good day all round for me and a great day for the team. I just got caught up in race two and fell so that made things hard, but I did everything I could to get back up near the front and happy to finish for the day in second as that looked impossible 20 minutes earlier.”

It was also a day about gathering points for the team’s MX2 rider Seth Burchell. He sustained an injury at the end of the Supercross championship last year and it has been slow to heal, so he came into Round 1 a little under done but hoping to secure some points to get his year started. He finished with 7-12 results to give him a top 10 for the day and a reasonable started all things considered.

85 Cup – GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing
Blake Bohannon did Blake Bohannon things and went on another rampage in the FOX 85cc Cup, dominating both motos and showing he simply is world class. He spends most of his time riding and training on a 125 these days, but it didn’t take him long to get back into the swing of things on the smaller bike and pick up where he left of in 2025… winning. He powered his way to commanding leads in both races and is set for another big year.

Kye Sproule also contested the 85cc class – his first time at ProMX on an 85. A late race fall dropped him back positions in moto one, but he charged through for a sixth-place finish in race two and didn’t look out of place with the older, more experienced riders. 

The ProMX Championship now moves to Canberra for Round 2 on April 19.