Seth Morrow’s 1-1 was the pinnacle result for a team of 11 New Zealanders who are taking on the Australian ProMX Championships this season, with one final round remaining next weekend.
Seth Morrow, originally of Invercargill, now living in Queensland, goes 1-1 to win the MX3 overall at Round 7 of the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores (ProMX) at the Green Park track in Conondale, Queensland, Australia. July 26, 2026. Photo: MNZ/Derek Morrison
Staged at the picturesque Green Park Motocross Track near Conondale, Queensland, the seventh round saw a perfectly prepped track and blue skies throughout Sunday’s race day. The New Zealand team consisted of Southland’s Jack Symon making his debut in the premier MX1 class, Levin’s Phoenix Van Dusschoten making his debut in MX2, joining Madoc Dixon, of Tauranga, and Curtis King, of Taranaki, in this hotly contested class. In the women’s MXW class, Karaitana Horne, of Raetihi, is leading the charge ahead of Mikayla Griffiths, of Taupo. The development class, MX3, is super competitive with Karaka’s Hayden Draper leading the field, joined by Morrow, Jack Ellingham, of Auckland, Carson Carroll, of Waipukurau, and Tynan Morrow, of Southland.
Seth Morrow, originally of Invercargill, now living in Queensland, goes 1-1 to win the MX3 overall at Round 7 of the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship. Photo: MNZ/Derek Morrison
“You can’t really ask for more, really,” smiled 18-year-old Morrow. “Another perfect day for me, fastest in qualifying and first in both races. I’m stoked. Ever since my first time on track, I just gelled with the bike, the track and everything and put it all together.”
In his first moto, Morrow showed his maturity when he sat in third, but took his time to make the pass for the lead.
“I had those couple boys in front of me and just didn’t really feel the need that I had to get to the front,” Morrow explains. “I just scouted out a couple of lines that I knew I could pass on. And then I passed them both in the same lap. Then I tried putting a good few heaters down to put a bit of a gap between us.”
Draper, who is racing for the Monster Energy Yamaha Team, was leading the MX3 championship going into Conondale. Suffering from a bad cold, he was unable to find the top of the podium and had to settle for 6-3 as Morrow took the top spots in both motos. That was enough for Draper to maintain his championship lead, now on 270 points, with Morrow climbing into fourth with 223.
In MXW Horne was able to stay connected to a very fast field that included several of the fastest women motocross riders in the world, with Australian Charli Cannon and USA’s Lachlan Turner in attendance. Horne’s 9-8, marred by crashes, was just off the pace of the lead group. Griffiths was able to go 13-14, achieving her goal to be consistent.
“In the first moto I made up for a bad first turn, made a few passes and got myself into a good space,” Horne explains. “Then, as I was going to pass this other chick, I just tipped off in the corner. I got back on and fought my way back into the top 10. I was not really happy with that. I did need to work on a few things for the second moto, but I did, and it was better.”
Mikayla Griffiths, of Taupo, racing in WMX at Round 7 of the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship presented by AMX Superstores (ProMX) at the Green Park track in Conondale, Queensland, Australia. July 26, 2026. Photo: MNZ/Derek Morrison
Debuting in the MX2 class and riding for Raceline Husqvarna Racing, Van Dusschoten went 14-13 to collect points in both motos – an outstanding effort in such a competitive field. After a strong start in the second moto, Dixon finished P8, bettering his opening moto result of 11th. Dixon sits inside the top 10 in the championship. King was also able to score points in the round and currently sits in 19th place.
Jack Symon, of Southland, makes his debut in MX1 Pro MX at Round 7 of the 2026 Penrite ProMX Championship at the Green Park track in Conondale, Queensland, Australia. July 26, 2026. Photo: MNZ/Derek Morrison
For Symon, a debut in the MX1 class was always going to be a baptism of fire. The determined 21-year-old hit the ground running with great starts in a field that is filled with star riders. Those starts meant Symon could run with the lead pack and feel that pace that didn’t let up for the full 25-minute moto. Symon went 13-12 in his debut ride.
“I couldn’t ask for a better day,” he smiled afterwards. “I had good starts – got out of the box really well. I struggled with needing a little bit more power against those top guys, but it is what it is. I feel like I made up for it – charged the whole moto, had some good battles and the track was awesome.”
“I know I can get a good start,” Symon adds. “So I went in with the mindset of I know what I can do. I didn’t doubt myself – I just put myself in the race, found my groove and rode my race. It was a really fun day.”
Jack Symon, of Southland, makes his debut in MX1 Pro MX. Photo: MNZ/Derek Morrison
The 8th and final round of the 2026 Australia ProMX Motocross Championships will take place at Queensland Moto Park this coming weekend, August 1-2, 2026.
All 11 of our New Zealand riders will be chasing results at the final round, with Draper hoping to clinch the MX3 title there.
