28.02.2023

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR KTM RACING TEAM AHEAD OF 2023 AUSTRALIAN PROMX SEASON

This press release has: 14 Images
The expanded KTM Racing Team will be READY TO RACE when the gates drop on the 2023 Australian ProMX Championship this weekend at Victoria's Wonthaggi circuit, with MX1 contender Kirk Gibbs joined by MX2 title prospect Nathan Crawford and rookie Kayden Minear.
A staple at KTM and in the premier class of national motocross, 34-year-old Gibbs is determined to add another national MX1 championship trophy to his cabinet and is no stranger to success onboard the KTM 450 SX-F – this season equipped with the new generation 2023 model.

After finishing fifth in the final standings last year and with a solid pre-season under his belt, 2015 champion Gibbs is set for the battle that lies ahead and will use his continuity with KTM as added strength in the upcoming eight-round series.

Crawford, 25, delivered an impressive return from injury last year to claim the final two overall victories of the ProMX MX2 season at Queensland Moto Park (QMP) and Coolum, motivated to carry that same type of form into season 2023.

With success in the build-up to this year’s ProMX including victory at Wonthaggi's MX Open event onboard the all-new 2023 KTM 250 SX-F, followed by the overall win in the first round of the Sunshine State MX Series at Coolum, Crawford is sure to be a formidable challenger come Sunday.

A new addition to the KTM Racing Team at just 15 years of age, longtime KTM junior talent Kayden Minear graduates to the MX2 category this season, coming off the back of an immensely successful 2022 season that saw him capture the national MX3 crown, alongside a pair of KTM Australian Junior Motocross Championship (AJMX) class wins.

Showing early promise in the category throughout pre-season, exciting teenager Minear will be one to watch throughout the series this year as he learns his craft at the professional level while also benefiting from the experience of both Gibbs – a longtime idol of Minear's – and 250 class teammate Crawford.

The 2023 Australian ProMX Championship will take off this Sunday, 5 March, at Wonthaggi, Victoria, and is scheduled to span a total of eight rounds throughout the coming season.

WATCH THE 2023 PROMX KTM RACING TEAM INTRODUCTION VIDEO

Kyle Blunden (KTM Group Australia Motorsport Manager): "We’ve got a great mix of experience at the KTM Racing Team for 2023 and I’m really excited to get the wheels turning at this weekend’s opening round of ProMX at Wonthaggi. The team has had a great pre-season, with some invaluable time on the 2023 MX range. Our technical staff have been able to get all of the riders really comfortable with the new bikes, so I’m incredibly proud of our team and the effort that everyone is putting in. This season has a stacked field of racers across all classes and there’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a motocross fan."

Kirk Gibbs: “The pre-season has been good. We’re on the new 2023 KTM 450 SX-F now and it has definitely been a step in the right direction for us – we’ve been doing a lot of testing and constantly moving forward, so I’m feeling really comfortable on it. I had a few pre-season races and blew the cobwebs out, because obviously being a motocross-only rider I haven’t raced since the final round in Coolum last year, but the pre-season races went to plan, so it’ll be good to see how we stack up this weekend at Wonthaggi. I’ve made some good changes this off-season and have been working hard, so I’m really looking forward to round one. It’d be nice to come out with a win and that’s always the goal, but I think if we’re leaving Wonthaggi in the top three, we’re setting ourselves up nicely for the championship.”

Nathan Crawford: “We’re closing in on round one now and pre-season has honestly been really seamless. I’ve had a couple of races and have been working hard with my mechanic Luke Jones and the team, developing the new 2023 KTM 250 SX-F for motocross and I think we’ve nailed it. I’m feeling confident heading into the opening round at Wonthaggi, so I’m looking forward to getting out of there with some good points and building towards this championship.”

Kayden Minear: “The pre-season has been really good, we’ve done a lot of testing on the 2023 KTM 250 SX-F and we have seemed to really get it dialled already, so I’m really happy with the bike. Other than that, I’ve just been down in Victoria working hard with the Beaton's Pro Formula crew, so it’s been a really good off-season for me. We had the chance to get a pre-season race in with the KTM Racing Team at the MX Open at Wonthaggi and I honestly shocked myself a little. I pulled the holeshot in the first moto in my first-ever MX2 race, then led the whole race until the last lap when my teammate Nathan passed me, but I was consistent over the weekend and ended up in P2 overall. Heading into the opening round this weekend, I’m confident in how I’m riding at the moment and hopefully we can put some consistent motos in this weekend and have a similar result!"
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Images (14)

KAYDEN MINEAR, KIRK GIBBS AND NATHAN CRAWFORD
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NATHAN CRAWFORD - KTM RACING TEAM
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KAYDEN MINEAR - KTM RACING TEAM
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Contact

AUSTRALIA - Rosie Lalonde

 

 

Rosie Lalonde

Marketing Manager

KTM Group
Australia - New Zealand

T + 61 428 181 388 
E rosie.lalonde@ktm.com