Round four of the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship belonged to Yamaha at Toowoomba, with the BLU CRU claiming seven of the eight motos contested across the weekend and strengthening its grip on multiple championships heading into the second half of the season.
Leading the charge was Jed Beaton, who continued his dominant MX1 campaign with another perfect 1-1 performance aboard the Monster Energy CDR Yamaha YZ450F, extending his championship lead to 40 points.
The hard-packed, rutty Toowoomba layout proved brutal across the day, but Beaton again looked in complete control. After avoiding first-turn chaos in Moto One, he quickly checked out at the front to comfortably secure the opening race win.
Moto two delivered a far tougher challenge, with championship rival Kyle Webster applying relentless pressure throughout the race. Beaton made the pass early, then absorbed everything Webster could throw at him for the next 20 minutes before responding late with the fastest lap of the race to stretch the margin at the flag.
The result keeps Beaton’s incredible 2026 momentum rolling, with the Victorian now having won all but one MX1 moto so far this season.
“It was pretty important I had a good day here and keep the momentum in my favour,” Beaton said.
“Kyle won the Gillman round, and I didn’t want him to get the win here and build momentum, so I was determined to keep things in my favour.”
Teammate Aaron Tanti also enjoyed one of his strongest outings of the season, returning to the podium with consistent 2-4 finishes for third overall on countback.
Tanti slotted in behind Beaton in moto one to complete a Yamaha 1-2, before backing it up with another solid ride in moto two to continue building momentum in the championship chase. Importantly, his consistency has now moved him to within 10 points of second place in the MX1 standings.
“Any podium result in this class is a good day,” Tanti explained.
“I have had two in the first four rounds and haven’t finished outside the top five so far, so the consistency has been good.”
In MX2, the Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha squad experienced both extremes of race day emotions, particularly for Noah Ferguson.
Ferguson’s opening moto unravelled after a series of crashes and frustration following a strong charge through the pack. After twice fighting his way back into contention, another fall eventually left him down in 14th place at the flag.
But the Queenslander responded in spectacular fashion in race two.
Despite entering the opening turn near last after tangling bars off the start, Ferguson produced one of the rides of the day, charging from the back to the lead within three laps before pulling clear to secure his first MX2 moto victory.
By race end, Ferguson had built a 10-second advantage and reminded everyone of the raw speed both he and the Yamaha squad possess.
“It’s about time, isn’t it?” Ferguson said after finally breaking through for a race win.
“I have put in so much work, the team have been doing massive hours, and it wasn’t showing on race day. Nobody gave up, so it was good to finally turn it around.”
The 14-1 scorecard left Ferguson fifth overall for the round.
Teammate Souya Nakajima continued showing steady improvement as he adapts to Australian motocross conditions. The Japanese rider battled inside the top 10 throughout both motos before finishing the round 11th overall with 13-8 results.
In MX3, Yamaha’s dominance continued through breakout rides from both Hayden Downie and championship leader Hayden Draper.
Downie was the standout rider of the class, sweeping both motos with a commanding 1-1 performance and looking a class above the field all day. But while Downie celebrated the round victory, Draper quietly walked away with another important championship gain.
Draper’s consistent 2-2 finishes allowed him to strengthen his MX3 points lead to 35 as the series reaches its halfway mark. Remarkably, Draper has yet to miss the podium in 2026, continuing a mature and measured campaign in the development category.
“I didn’t have the speed to match Hayden today, so taking a 2-2 was the best thing I could do,” Draper said.
Meanwhile, teammate Jack Deveson endured a difficult day after crashing early in moto one and fighting back to 16th before salvaging eighth in race two.
MX2 rider Seth Burchell continued building experience with solid 12-9 finishes for 12th overall after again showing strong speed out of the gates.
In the GYTR Yamaha Junior Racing ranks, Blake Bohannon remained undefeated in the 2026 MX85 Cup series.
Bohannon secured the championship in typical fashion by winning race one, but the second moto nearly delivered disaster when he crashed heavily in deep ruts while leading. After digging himself and the YZ85 out of the mud, Bohannon regrouped and clawed his way back to the front with two laps remaining to complete another perfect weekend.
The result leaves Bohannon eight from eight in motos this season and further cements his reputation as one of Australia’s brightest junior prospects.
The 2026 ProMX Championship now heads to Appin on June 14, where another clay-based hillside circuit is expected to further shake up the title fights as the season reaches its midpoint.
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