Australian rider Deacon Paice has secured a deal with KMP Honda for the remainder of the 2026 season following Ky Woods’ departure from the team and return to Australia.
KMP Honda had been searching for a replacement rider after Woods exited the programme and have opted to bring in another promising Australian talent, with Paice set to gain valuable experience racing in Europe.
The young Aussie will contest the remainder of the ADAC Youngsters Cup campaign as well as selected rounds of the EMX250 Championship, giving him an opportunity to test himself against some of the best up-and-coming riders in the world.
“I didn’t get to do many races in Australia this year. I only got two in, and they weren’t great, but me and my mechanic JR Factory Services did lots of testing and I was feeling good,” Paice told GateDrop.com.
“I just reached out to KMP as I was over here already and seen they had a rider leave – it looks like a great team.”
Paice is eager to make the most of his opportunity in Europe and is particularly looking forward to tackling the sandy circuits that feature prominently in the ADAC series.
“My goals are just to get gate drops in with the team and see how I go. I am excited for some of the sand at the ADAC rounds. I’m not sure what EMX rounds I’m doing yet but I’m excited to race some fast guys in that as well.”
The Australian believes competing in Europe will accelerate his development as a rider and has already noticed the intensity and depth of competition compared to back home.
“It feels really good to secure a ride in Europe, I will learn something new every day here about riding etc. There is a lot more of a deeper field of faster riders than back in Australia so the start really matters. I’ve learnt you have to be really aggressive the first few laps otherwise you’ll just get mowed down by everyone,” concluded Paice.
The move represents an exciting new chapter for Paice as he embarks on his first sustained spell of racing in Europe, with the remainder of the ADAC Youngsters Cup and selected EMX250 appearances set to provide an ideal platform to showcase his potential.
