The 2025 Penrite ProMX Championship, presented by AMX Superstores, has returned with a bang, with explosive on-track action taking place around Wonthaggi’s loamy circuit in regional Victoria.

On the first day of the two-day season-opener, SCT Logistics Honda Racing’s Charli Cannon asserted her dominance on an international field during the first of the three-race FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup and EZILIFT MXW, while young GASGAS rider Seth Thomas set himself as the kid to beat in the Fox Racing MX85 Cup.

The Kawasaki MX1, Pirelli MX2 and MAXXIS MX3 classes all held their qualifying sessions today too, with Honda riders Kyle Webster, Brodie Connolly and Seth Morrow setting the early benchmarks ahead of tomorrow’s motos.

Round one of the ProMX Championship is supported by the Victorian Government via its Significant Sporting Events Program and the Bass Coast Shire Council.

Seven months after ending their 2024 championship dogfight, defending champion Kyle Webster and Jed Beaton have already resumed battle at the front of the Kawasaki MX1 class.

Boost Mobile Honda Racing’s Webster posted the fastest time in both practice and qualifying, beating his Monster Energy CDR Yamaha rival by about half a second in both outings.

Webster’s 1:43.201 qualifying lap-time around the dark-soiled Wonthaggi circuit saw him take honours into tomorrow’s MX1 Pole Shootout, as he edged Beaton by 0.51s.

Rounding out the top three was Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki’s Luke Clout, ahead of the two KTM Racing Team riders Kirk Gibbs and Nathan Crawford.

Wilson Todd (Repco Honda Racing), Honda privateer Chandler Burns, Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna TDub Racing Team) and Levi Rogers (Yamaha) all earned their spots in tomorrow’s Pole Shootout.

Saturday’s Pirelli MX2 qualifying session was all about Polyflor Honda Racing’s defending champion, Brodie Connolly. Setting a lap time of 1:44.433, the Kiwi was in a league of his own, as he charged to pole position by a comfortable 2.2 seconds over Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha Racing's Ryder Kingsford.

National Finance and Learning Team Honda Racing’s Alex Larwood finished the session third-quickest, ahead of new KTM Racing Team MX2 duo Noah Ferguson and Byron Dennis.

The biggest field of the weekend saw a total of 67 competitors vying for a spot on the 40-gate start for the MAXXIS MX3 class races tomorrow.

After two intense qualifying sessions, Honda rider Seth Morrow claimed pole position. His Group 1 lap-time of 1:50.680 topped both fields, enough to edge Pro Honda HRC Australia’s Kayd Kingsford by just 0.16s. The remaining top five spots in Group 1 were filled by Seth Shackleton (KTM), Jackson Fuller (KTM) and Hixson McInnes (Honda).

A Group 2 arm-wrestle saw Honda’s Jet Alsop eventually get the better of Husqvarna rider Jack Deveson, with Alsop’s late attacking lap of 1:50.919 beating Deveson by 0.7s.

Max Compton finished third-fastest in the group, ahead of Monster Energy WBR Yamaha’s Ky Woods. Woods actually set the fastest lap of the day – a 1:49.786 – but received a three-position penalty for an infringement in practice. Penrite Racing GO24 Kawasaki rider Cooper Rowe completed the top five fastest times.

Any hopes of multi-time champion Charli Cannon taking it easy this year were sorely dashed, as the SCT Logistics Honda racer crushed the international field.

This year’s EZILIFT MXW opener at Wonthaggi doubles as the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup, featuring five-rider teams from Australia, the USA, New Zealand and Africa.

But Cannon was all class from the moment the women hit the track for qualifying, logging a 1:49.351 lap-time that was almost three-and-a-half seconds clear of second-placed American racer Lachlan Turner (Altus Motorsports BluCru Yamaha).

Australia’s Taylah McCutcheon put her Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki into third, while US pairing Jordan Jarvis (Yamaha) and Mikayla Nielsen (Honda) gave themselves fourth and fifth pick of the starting gate for their first moto later in the day. Kawasaki’s Karaitiana Horne was the best of the Kiwi qualifiers in 10th.

Cannon continued her stranglehold on the class with a comfortable wire-to-wire victory in the first of the weekend’s three MXW races. Cannon holeshot the field and was never challenged as she marched to a 28.7-second win over Turner, while Jarvis finished a further 37 seconds behind her compatriot. Taylor Thompson (KTM) improved from her early position in the field to finish P4, ahead of a fast-starting McCutcheon.

Saturday’s Fox Racing MX85 Cup was all about one rider – Seth Thomas – who wasted no time establishing himself as a class favourite this year.

The young GASGAS racer was the first to land punches by comfortably securing the top qualifying spot by more than two seconds over Darcy Huston (Husqvarna), while much-touted youngster Blake Bohannon posted the third-fastest time on his Yamaha Junior Race Team bike.

Queenslanders Zander Kruik (KTM) and Connor Feather (Husqvarna) completed the top five in qualifying.

GASGAS rider Sidney Stephenson holeshot the opening race of the 2025 season and led two laps before a mistake saw him drop outside the top 10 and Bohannon inherited the lead.

Behind him, Thomas quickly picked off riders to move from outside the top five into P2, then a hard charge saw him close down Bohannon’s four-second lead, make the pass, and run uncontested to the checkered flag.

Bohannon crossed the finish line 11.9 seconds behind, with Deegan Fort (Yamaha) a distant third. Nate Perrett (KTM) and Kiwi Nico Verhoeven (KTM) completed the top five. Defending champion Seth Thomas picked up where he left off with the first Fox Racing MX85 Cup moto win. Image: Foremost Media.

The action will continue tomorrow (Sunday, March 23) with gates opening at 8:00am. Purchase your tickets here to see Australia’s best motocross riders battle it out for season-opening honours.