The KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) made a spectacular return to Victoria, with 12 Australian champions crowned after a big week of racing at Shepparton from September 28 to October 2.
All 12 championships were decided on Friday at the Goulburn Valley Junior Motorcycle Club track, as a band of rain swept across Victoria after four days of dry, warm conditions. The sudden change made for a brutal final day, with the 1.61km circuit quickly turning into a mud-splattered test of fitness, patience and racecraft.
While the conditions were tough, the riders dug deep for one final shot at Australian championship glory – and some seemed to relish the change.
For the most part, Friday’s results followed the form established earlier in the week, with Jobe Dunne (Yamaha) taking the 125cc 2T/250cc 4T 15yrs title, Kyle Harvey (KTM) winning the 125cc 2T 15-U17 class, Rafael Rossiter (Yamaha) taking the 125cc 2T/250cc 4T 13-U15 championship and Seth Thomas (GASGAS) successfully defending his 125cc 2T 13-U15 crown.
Thomas was the only defending champion to go back-to-back in 2026.
There were also some impressive come-from-behind performances, with Aida Harris (Husqvarna), Cole Weir (50cc Auto) and Archie Blanchette (Yamaha) all securing championships on the final day.
The Interstate Challenge was also contested during the AJMX, with eight-rider teams battling it out for state honours. New South Wales continued its impressive form after winning the MA Motocross State Challenge at the MXGP of Australia, taking the AJMX Interstate Challenge ahead of Queensland and Victoria.
125cc 2T 15-U17
Kyle Harvey (KTM) and Tyson Williams (Yamaha) fought out one of the week’s closest championship battles, with Harvey eventually edging Williams by just two points after five finals.
Harvey finished on 113 points to Williams’ 111, while Peter Wolfe (Husqvarna) put together a strong final day, winning the last moto to finish third overall on 94 points.
125cc 2T/250cc 4T 15yrs
Fresh from finishing seventh in the MX3 class of the 2026 ProMX Championship, Jobe Dunne (Yamaha) arrived at Shepparton with plenty of confidence – and quickly showed why.
Dunne established himself at the front early in the championship, giving himself some breathing room heading into Friday’s final moto.
That proved important when West Australian Mason Brown (Honda) came charging through the mud. Brown won the final moto but ultimately finished just three points short of Dunne, 70-67.
Kyle Harvey finished third overall on 56 points.
125cc 2T/250cc 4T 13-U15
Rafael Rossiter (Yamaha) eventually took control of what had been shaping as a last-gasp championship battle.
Rossiter produced a consistent 2-2-2-1-1 scorecard across the five finals to finish 13 points clear of Seth Thomas (GASGAS), 116-103.
Ollie Birkitt (KTM) had been locked in a battle with Rossiter throughout the week, but a DNF in the final moto ended his hopes of taking the title.
Birkitt still finished third overall on 90 points.
125cc 2T 13-U15
Seth Thomas (GASGAS) defended his AJMX championship, delivering one of the final day’s best rides to slice through the field and win the final moto.
Thomas finished the three-moto championship on 70 points, ahead of Zander Kruik (Yamaha) on 60 and Rafael Rossiter (Yamaha) on 57.
Thomas’ 1-3-1 scorecard was enough to secure the title, while Nate Perrett (KTM) also claimed a moto win but slipped down the standings after a Friday DNF.
150cc 2T/250cc 4T Girls
Aida Harris (Husqvarna) left it until the final moto to make her move, but when it mattered she delivered.
Harris overturned a six-point deficit with a controlled start-to-finish victory in the decider to take the championship by seven points from Claire Pollard (Honda), 116-109.
Milla Crole (GASGAS) finished third on 88 points.
Harris finished runner-up in the 85cc 2T/150cc 4T Girls class at last year’s AJMX, but went one better in Shepparton to claim her first Australian junior championship.
Pollard was left to rue a crash in the final moto while running second behind Harris.
85cc 2T/150cc 4T Girls
Indie Allison (KTM) had already done the hard work earlier in the week, winning four consecutive motos and building a sizeable championship lead.
She kept things under control on Friday, finishing third behind Scarlett Gilroy (Yamaha) and Layla White (Husqvarna) to secure the title.
Allison finished the championship on 120 points, with Gilroy second on 113 and White third on 102.
The three riders dominated the class throughout the week, producing strong results in both the dry and increasingly difficult conditions.
85cc 2T/150cc 4T 14-U16
Connor Feather stepped up to an 85cc 2T/150cc 4T age division in 2026 but continued his winning form.
The Queenslander finished on the podium in all five finals, including two moto victories, to claim his third AJMX championship with 114 points.
Ethan Wolfe (Husqvarna) finished second on 98 points, with Riley Mullen (Husqvarna) third on 94, giving Husqvarna a clean sweep of the podium.
Oliver Rex (Husqvarna) dominated the final moto, winning by a massive 42 seconds after seven laps of the sodden circuit.
85cc 2T/150cc 4T 12-U14
When the conditions got tough, Liam Millard (GASGAS) went straight to the front.
Millard produced a masterful start-to-finish victory in Friday’s final moto to put the championship beyond doubt.
After recording 2-2-1 results, Millard finished 13 points clear of Nico Verhoeven (KTM) and Archie Black (GASGAS), both on 56 points. Verhoeven was awarded second on countback.
Mason Ezergailis (KTM) started the championship with a win but couldn’t maintain that form as the week progressed.
85cc 2T/150cc 4T 9-U12
Nate Forwood (KTM) added a third AJMX title to his CV, though he had to work for it right until the final chequered flag.
Forwood finished the championship on 63 points, just three ahead of Ryder Madafiglio (Husqvarna) on 60.
Madafiglio clawed back valuable points in the final moto, but Forwood held on to take the title.
Lucas Poole (Yamaha) thrived in the Friday mud, winning the final moto to move into third overall on 59 points.
65cc 2T 10-U12
Ryder Madafiglio (Husqvarna) added another title to an impressive 2026 season, combining his AJMX championship with ProMX success and a 10th-place finish at the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship.
Levii Bitic (KTM) won the opening moto in impressive style, but Madafiglio soon found his rhythm and took control of the championship.
Madafiglio’s 2-1-1 results gave him 72 points and the title, ahead of Jake Knighton (KTM) on 60 and Bitic on 45 after a DNF in the final moto.
65cc 2T 7-U10
Archie Blanchette (Yamaha) saved his best for last, charging through the final day to claim the 65cc 2T 7-U10 championship.
The class was turned upside down in the four-lap final as early championship leaders Malachi van Maanenberg (GASGAS) and Oliver Thredgold (Yamaha) both struggled in the mud.
Van Maanenberg finished 14th, while Thredgold recorded a DNF.
Blanchette took full advantage, finishing the championship on 60 points to beat Ash McPherson (KTM) on 58 and Sam Arcidiacono (KTM) on 51.
50cc Auto
The youngest riders faced some of the week’s toughest conditions, with the 50cc Auto field battling through a heavy and increasingly muddy circuit.
Cole Weir came out on top in the final moto to secure his second consecutive victory and the Australian championship with 68 points.
Jaxon Riley finished second overall on 48 points, with Lucas Nilsson third on 47 after failing to score in the final moto and dropping from the lead to third.
A BIG WEEK FOR AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR MOTOCROSS
While the champions naturally took the spotlight, the 2026 AJMX was about far more than the riders at the sharp end of the results.
From AJMX rookies experiencing their first national championship through to the experienced riders competing in the upper-age classes, the Shepparton event delivered a week of racing, competition and plenty of lessons for the next generation of Australian motocross talent.
The event attracted its biggest field in a decade, with the Goulburn Valley Junior Motorcycle Club complex buzzing throughout the week.
And the good news for Australian junior motocross fans is that it won’t be long before we do it all again, with the 2027 KTM AJMX Championship already on the horizon.
Images: RbMotoLens