Watch Round 8 - the final round - of the 2023 ProMX Championship live and free on SBS and from 12pm (AEST) on Sunday, August 20.
The Coolum circuit has been an integral part of Australian motocross racing for over two decades and its demise, due to the council reclaiming the land situated within an industrial park, has been met with sadness by competitors and fans alike.
But the series promoters and the Coolum Pines Motocross Club have ensured that the final round will close out with action aplenty.
The main focus will be on the MX1 class, where Yamaha will go head to head with Honda in the battle for the number one plate. With the factory CDR Yamaha team no longer in contention to retain the title, it’ll be last year’s runner up Dean Ferris who’ll be flying the Blu Cru flag for a third consecutive championship as a privateer against the man who replaced him at Honda for this season, Jed Beaton.
Jed Beaton is aiming to win Honda's first MX1 title since 2006. Credit: Marc Jones/Marc Jones
Since returning home, Beaton has been a pillar of consistency with a mix of race wins and top-five finishes to sit only 15 points behind Ferris heading into the final round.
Ferris leads the MX1 title fight on 271, ahead of Beaton on 256, with the former fresh off back-to-back round wins.
This time last year, Ferris was vying for a fourth Australian title for Honda before he went into retirement, only to fall short behind eventual and now outgoing champion, Aaron Tanti.
Twelve months on, Ferris is enjoying a renewed boost of form since becoming a privateer competitor at the start of the year, when Brisbane Motorcycles Yamaha came knocking with a deal he couldn’t refuse. Only serious bad luck could rob him of a fourth Australian title once again.
In MX2, only 27 points separates defending champion Wilson Todd for Honda and KTM’s Nathan Crawford, with the latter playing catch up since the beginning of the season in Wonthaggi.
Wilson Todd is aiming for back to back MX2 titles this weekend for Honda.
His main rival was left reeling from a shock disqualification after winning the opening Moto of the season and was stripped of all points as a consequence. This added further fuel to Crawford's fire within the KTM and he has since fought back to within striking distance of Todd.
The MX2 title will be decided in either of the two Motos contested this weekend and it will be a well deserved outcome for either of the protagonists.
Nathan Crawford heads into the final round only 27 points adrift of Wilson Todd, but with back to back round wins to his credit.
He currently holds a 25-point advantage over Husqvarna’s Jack Mather, who was also a part of last year’s title fight for MX3 honours won by Kayden Minear.
Also in the title fight, mathematically, will be Yamaha junior rider, Jake Cannon, who only sits 46 points behind Dennis but will need both riders ahead of him to have catastrophes befall them in order to win the title.
Byron Dennis is hoping to deliver the MX3 championship for GasGas this weekend.
Cannon will be looking for back-to-back titles but will be heading into this weekend equal on 100 points with Honda’s Emma Milesevic, who comes off the back of a consistent third round at AMP last weekend.
Her teammate Madison Down is also in contention, sitting 12 points adrift on 88 but could still steal the title away if both women fall into trouble.
Charli Cannon will be aiming to make it back to back MXW titles for Yamaha, as she goes into battle against Honda's Emma Milesevic.
