24.03.2025

SECOND OVERALL FOR KTM RACING TEAM'S NATHAN CRAWFORD AT PROMX OPENER

Round 1 – ProMX Championship
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KTM Racing Team's Nathan Crawford has raced to a second-place result in Round 1 of the 2025 Australian ProMX Championship at Wonthaggi, setting him up for a strong season ahead on a day where all four team riders – Crawford, Kirk Gibbs, Byron Dennis and Noah Ferguson – finished inside the top-five across the MX1 and MX2 categories.
Current national number three Crawford displayed front-running speed from the outset at the season-opening round onboard his KTM 450 SX-F, recording the fourth-fastest qualifying time during Sunday morning's MX1 Pole Shootout.

Crawford finished sixth in the opening moto after a crash disrupted his progression, however, another convincing start in the second moto had him positioned among the leaders, delivering a measured performance on a deteriorating circuit that saw him improve to P2 by race's end.

Nathan Crawford: “I’m super-happy to kick the year off with a good result and to be back at the races with the KTM Racing Team. We put in some solid riding this weekend, landing a 6-2 scorecard for second overall. Being round one, Wonthaggi always has so many question marks, and ultimately you want to leave with good points. I’m very happy to get this result for the team and everyone around me, and I’m looking forward to round two.”

Also in the MX1 class, experienced former champion Gibbs was able to rebound from a difficult first moto to capture fifth overall. He powered to the third-fastest qualifying time, but a couple of errors around the technical Wonthaggi layout saw him ultimately cross the line just inside the top 10 in the opening moto.

A much-improved outing for the second moto had Gibbs running as high as P2 for several laps, before he was passed by teammate Crawford and settled for a hard-fought third in his reunion with the KTM Racing Team.

Kirk Gibbs: “Today was a little up and down. I feel like I almost forgot how to ride in the first moto – I didn’t feel good on the bike, I had two tip-overs, and struggled to 10th. I got a great start in the second moto and tried to catch onto the lines of the two guys ahead of me, who know the track well. I felt much more comfortable and brought it home in third, which made for a decent weekend.”

In the MX2 class, new KTM Racing Team recruit Dennis enjoyed a consistent day as he finished the weekend fourth overall. After qualifying fifth, Dennis and his KTM 250 SX-F raced to a pair of P4 results over the two motos, despite the track getting progressively rutted as the day wore on.

Byron Dennis: “It was a good, consistent day for me, finishing fourth in both motos. Generally, I’m happy with how it all played out, but there are still areas I need to work on. I know what those are, so we’ll get after it over the next three weeks, tidy some things up and we’ll be ready to go at Appin.”

Wonthaggi was a more challenging outing for fellow MX2 racer Ferguson in his first appearance with the KTM Racing Team, finishing fifth overall to open his championship. After qualifying fourth-fastest, Ferguson started strongly in both motos, which included a holeshot in the second race.

A couple of crashes in the first moto saw him cross the line P5, then another mishap in the opening stages of the second moto saw him recover from outside the top 20 to finish sixth.

Noah Ferguson: “Round one is always a guessing game, but I’m actually quite happy with where we’re at, and I can’t complain with a P5 overall result. I got two really good starts, which is a positive, but I got cross-rutted after getting the holeshot in the second race and went down. I banged my hand up today, so I’ll get it checked out this week to get a verdict on it. It’s annoying, but I’ll never give up.”

KTM Racing Team is supporting MX3 talent Jackson Fuller in 2025 onboard a KTM 250 SX-F after he has graduated from the KTM Junior Racing Team, delivering 5-4 scores across the weekend for fourth overall.

The weekend also saw KTM-equipped Taylor Thompson on-track as part of Team Australia's winning FIM Oceania Women's Motocross Cup effort, in addition to claiming P4 overall riding her KTM 250 SX-F in the MXW Class.

Next Race: April 13 – Appin, NSW

Results MX1 Class – Wonthaggi
1. Jed Beaton (Yamaha)
2. Nathan Crawford (KTM Racing Team)
3. Luke Clout (Kawasaki)
5. Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team)
9. Regan Duffy (Husqvarna)
11. Todd Waters (Husqvarna)

Standings MX1 Class after 1 of 8 rounds
1. Jed Beaton, 47 points
2. Nathan Crawford, 37
3. Luke Clout, 36
5. Kirk Gibbs, 31
9. Regan Duffy, 25
11. Todd Waters, 16

Results MX2 Class – Wonthaggi
1. Brodie Connolly (Honda)
2. Ryder Kingsford (Yamaha)
3. Alex Larwood (Honda)
4. Byron Dennis (KTM Racing Team)
5. Noah Ferguson (KTM Racing Team)
10. Rhys Budd (Husqvarna)

Standings MX2 Class after 1 of 8 rounds
1. Brodie Connolly, 50 points
2. Ryder Kingsford, 44
3. Alex Larwood, 40
4. Byron Dennis, 36
5. Noah Ferguson, 31
10. Rhys Budd, 22

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Images (9)

NATHAN CRAWFORD - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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NATHAN CRAWFORD 02 - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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NATHAN CRAWFORD 03 - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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KIRK GIBBS - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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KIRK GIBBS 02 - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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BYRON DENNIS - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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BYRON DENNIS 02 - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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NOAH FERGUSON - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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NOAH FERGUSON 02 - KTM RACING TEAM - WONTHAGGI
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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