After a successful return to the Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores (ProMX) calendar in 2025, the historic Appin track will do it all again on Sunday, June 14 as the second half of an increasingly fascinating season gets underway.

Located just 75km south-west of the Sydney CBD, the hard-pack, clay-based Appin track challenges riders from all angles – particularly the off-camber turns – while offering superb viewing for spectators from every vantage point.

Prior to the creation of the ProMX Championship, Appin also hosted Australian Motocross Championship rounds in a region which has been a huge pipeline for motorcycle racing talent.

All three ProMX classes – Kawasaki MX1, Pirelli MX2 and Maxxis MX3 – are still well and truly up for grabs, although as time passes every moto takes on a more decisive and potentially season-shaping edge.

Even the leaders must remain laser-focussed, and no-one is more aware of that scenario than Jed Beaton on the Monster Energy CDR Yamaha. Although he has a handy 40pt buffer in MX1, a tonne of work – eight motos and dozens of laps – remains as he chases an elusive premier class title.

Meanwhile, Alex Larwood (Honda Racing Australia) and Hayden Draper (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha) currently hold the balance of power in MX1 and MX2, while the KTM Group MX65 Futures returns at Appin with Ryder Madafiglio (Husqvarna) leading.

Run by the Macarthur Motorcycle Club, the Sunday ProMX schedule includes practice, qualifying and racing action from Australia’s best riders. Riders take to the track from 8am.

After winning seven of the eight Kawasaki MX1 motos in 2026, Beaton has hardly put a foot wrong on the YZ450F – but he can never relax thanks to the constant spectre of two-time defending champion Kyle Webster (Honda Racing Australia).

The gap between the pair widened at the last round in Toowoomba, but Webster is returning to a track where he scored a clean sweep in 2025 ahead of Beaton and Luke Clout.

That will provide motivation aplenty to the Victorian – who recently competed in round one of the 2026 Pro Motocross Championship in America – particularly as he’s also feeling the heat from 2022 MX1 champion Aaron Tanti (Monster Energy CDR Yamaha) who is only a further 9pts behind. Tanti was also an MX1 winner at Appin in 2023.

The talent pool runs deep in MX1, with Wilson Todd (Honda Racing Australia) and 2019 champion Todd Waters (Raceline Husqvarna TDUB) completing the top five ahead of Zachary Watson (KTM Factory Racing), Nathan Crawford (MotoCoach Elite Racing Honda) and Luke Zielinski (Yamaha).

Crawford, in particular, could have a huge say in who wins the 2026 title as he continues to find even more speed on his CRF450R.

Meanwhile, Dean Ferris will sit out the balance of the championship after the injuries he sustained in Toowoomba, and he’s been replaced at Empire Kawasaki by Ryan Alexanderson.

Overall round honours have ebbed and flowed between Honda Racing Australia teammates Alex Larwood and rookie Kayd Kingsford in the Pirelli MX2 class, but it’s the former’s superior moto-winning appetite that has him a 9pt leader at the halfway mark.

But it’s by no means a two-pronged affair at the top, with KTM Factory Racing teammates Byron Dennis and Dylan Walsh, Ryder Kingsford (Honda Racing Australia) and Noah Ferguson (Monster Energy Yamalube Racing) also circling in a championship which is becoming more gripping with every round.

Thanks to the tricky nature of Appin, solid starts will be even more crucial in Sunday’s two 25-minute plus a lap motos as the 36 riders get to work.

Of the MX2 top brass, Ryder Kingsford was the most impressive at Appin in 2025 with a 2-1 scoreline, while Kayd Kingsford produced the same results in MX3.

A darkhorse at Appin could be Seth Burchell (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha), who was also an MX2 podium finisher last year at his home track.

And Walsh, who has been on the podium five times this season – a figure only Larwood can match – will be extra keen to finally translate that strong form into a breakout victory.

Maxxis MX3
The Maxxis MX3 class has the greatest spread of winners across all the championship classes, with Hayden Downie (Team XLR Yamaha) stunning the paddock in Toowoomba with a perfect day at the office.

Downie was the fourth MX3 winner in 2026, which leapfrogged him up to fifth in the standings behind Kiwi hard-charger Hayden Draper (Monster Energy WBR Yamaha), Riley Burgess (KTM), Heath Fisher (Honda Racing Australia) and Jackson Fuller (KTM Factory Racing).

Draper’s lead is an impressive 35pts, so another strong result at Appin will be a hammer blow to his main rivals. But with nine riders finishing on the podium in 2026, the level of competition is intense between the U14-18 cohort – and a Downie-like upset could again be on the cards.

A massive 48 riders will contest MX3 qualifying at Appin, with the top 40 (and two reserves) continuing to the business end of proceedings.