It’s official: neither Jett nor Hunter Lawrence will compete at this year’s Motocross of Nations. The news surfaced unexpectedly, without any prior announcement or official statement, during a relaxed appearance on the PulpMX Show on Monday night. When asked about the event, Hunter revealed that he and his brother have decided to take the entire month of October away from racing for the first time in seven years.
Unsurprisingly, the comments quickly spread across the motocross world. After all, Australia enters the 2026 edition as the defending champion after winning the last two Motocross of Nations titles. However, with the event set to take place in Ernée on October 3-4, Australia’s path to defending its crown has suddenly become much more complicated. And the absence of the Lawrence brothers may be just the beginning of the team’s concerns.
The biggest issue is a scheduling conflict. The Motocross of Nations falls on the same weekend as the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship. One rider directly affected is Kyle Webster, who played a crucial role in Australia’s back-to-back victories thanks to his strong performances in the MX2 class. Another is Jed Beaton, the current leader of the Australian MX1 Championship and a rider with previous experience in both MXGP and the Motocross of Nations.
With that in mind, attention now turns to the promoters of the Australian Supercross Championship and whether they would consider moving the final round to accommodate the nation’s top riders. If a schedule change were to happen, Webster could potentially step into the MXGP class, while Beaton appears to be a natural candidate for the OPEN class.
Australia still has several promising options for MX2. Kayden Minear, currently part of the Star Racing Yamaha program in the United States, stands out as one of the leading candidates. Another possibility is Jake Cannon, who arrives in excellent form after winning the last two rounds of the EMX250 Championship.
Of course, there is also a more dramatic scenario to consider. Should the scheduling and logistical challenges remain unresolved, the possibility of Australia opting not to field a team at this year’s Motocross of Nations cannot be entirely ruled out. For now, one thing is certain: the defending champions face a much bigger challenge than anyone anticipated just a few days ago.
