Craig wins 2026 Boost Mobile AusX Supercross opener!

Quad Lock Honda’s Christian Craig claims SX1 victory, while Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly takes SX2 honours in front of over 16,000 passionate supercross fans at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

The opening round of the 2026 Boost Mobile AUSX Supercross Championship, presented by Monster Energy, got underway tonight inside Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium, with Quad Lock Honda’s Christian Craig claiming the SX1 victory and Honda Racing’s Brodie Connolly taking the SX2 win.

Supercross kicked off in Queensland with Friday’s AUSX Street Party, highlighted by a range of riders – including supercross legend Chad Reed – facing off in the Holeshot Challenge, which took place in the heart of Townsville.

Under clear skies and warm temperatures on Saturday, Craig and MXRP Yamaha’s Max Anstie topped SX1 and SX2 qualifying, respectively, carrying that form into the highly anticipated racing program in front of 16,095 passionate race fans.

Beginning with the Heat Races, Michael Hicks (Stark Factory Racing) fired first by leading a wire-to-wire victory in SX2 Heat 1, holding off a charging Lux Turner (Monster Energy Yamalube Yamaha) in the closing stages. The second Heat Race belonged to Connolly, who edged Anstie to the flag by a slim 0.110s margin.

KTM Racing Team’s Luke Clout made his title intentions known in SX1 Heat 1, breezing to a 4.859s margin over Hayden Mellross (Wood Motorsport), before Craig continued his front-running form by notching a comfortable win in SX1 Heat 2.

The top three finishers of each of the SX1 Heats lined up for the explosive Superpole session, a single lap shootout where riders aimed to put down the fastest lap time. The top honours again rested with Clout, who recorded a 46.649s lap-time around the technical racetrack.

A chaotic opening Final in the SX2 category saw Connolly claim a well-deserved victory – despite a crash – while Anstie, Turner, and Cameron McAdoo were caught up in incidents that would impact their results. Carnage followed in Final 2, with Anstie eventually credited with the win ahead of Turner and Connolly.

A 1-3 scorecard secured Connolly a well-earned overall win, leading Turner, who posted 5-2 results. Initial winner Hicks ended up third overall following a post-race penalty, ahead of Noah Ferguson in fourth, with McAdoo rounding out the top five.

In SX1, Craig was the benchmark in Final 1, entering the lead early before achieving a convincing victory ahead of Cedric Soubeyras (Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki) and Stark Factory Racing’s Jorge Zaragoza.

Craig again claimed the win in Final 2, with his 1-1 scores earning the overall win, finishing ahead of Soubeyras with a 2-3, and Clout in third via a 4-2. Zaragoza and Mellross completed the top five.

The SMX Next Australia division featured supercross’ brightest up-and-coming talent in Townsville, with Yamaha-mounted Jack Nunn delivering a thrilling victory in the single Final ahead of Monster Energy WBR Yamaha’s Jack Deveson and Honda’s Max Compton.

Round one of AUSX 2026 was supported by Tourism and Events Queensland through the Australian and Queensland Government Disaster Recovery Fund for North Queensland, and delivered in partnership with Townsville City Council through the team at Townsville Enterprise.

The championship now heads across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand, with Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium set to host the action on October 31. Monster Energy Supercross champions Ken Roczen and Cole Davies will also be in attendance, making for an unmissable night of action.