Podiums And International Success For Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki At ProMx Wonthaggi

The Penrite Racing Empire Kawasaki Team (Empire Kawasaki) have launched a successful start to the 2025 ProMX Championship at Wonthaggi, Victoria, with MX1 rider Luke clout securing 3rd Overall and MXW rider Taylah McCutcheon’s results assisting Team Australia in winning the FIM Women’s Oceania MX Cup.

After posting the 3rd fastest time in Kawasaki MX1 Qualifying on Saturday, Luke Clout would push himself in the Sunday morning superpole session, where a crash in his opening hot lap would relegate him to the 8th fastest time heading into the gate drops.

After a fantastic start in the Opening moto and challenging for the lead position in the first lap, Clout settled into 3rd position, logging clean laps before being challenging late in the moto and crossing the finish line in 4th position to start the season. 

In moto 2, another good start and solid track position was disrupted by an early race crash, which subsequently saw Clout launch a monumental charge from outside the top 10, climbing all the way back to 4th position at the finish. 

With 4-4 Moto scores, Clout claimed 3rd Overall on the day;

“I am happy with our progress today and the team and I picked up right where we left off at the end of ProMX last season, on the podium. Wonthaggi is an extremely challenging track and we really made positive progress with the bike over the weekend. I have some things to clean up with my riding before Appin in a few weeks, but overall we are in a great place for the Championship leaving Round 1,” commented Clout. 

In the MX2 Class, Ryan Alexanderson debuted on the Empire Kawasaki KX250 to 7th Overall, posting 11-5 moto scores. In a day of what could have been, an unfortunate time penalty in the opening moto saw Alexanderson relegated from his on track 6th position to 11th due to the penalty.

“ Today was a little frustrating as I would have posted two very strong finishes and landed higher up in the overall results, but I’m happy to debut for Empire Kawasaki with strong finishes and something to build on for Appin”, said Alexanderson.

Taylah McCutcheon relished in the double duty across the MXW Class and the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup. McCutcheon would factor into the lead battles and her performance helped Team Australia take out Victory in the inaugural international event, held on Australian Soil. 

Landing in 6th overall in the MXW Class across the split moto weekend format, McCutcheon  is wanting more as MXW skips a round and returns at Gillman, SA for Round 3.

“To help Team Australia take victory at Wonthaggi was an amazing experience and I couldn’t be prouder of what we were able to achieve. I’m a little frustrated that a few small issues in the MXW Class moto’s hindered my results to 6th Overall, but it’s still a solid start to the season for the team and I”, concluded McCutcheon.

The enhanced Kawasaki presence for 2025 was clearly visible at Wothaggi, with the Penrite Racing GO24 Team Green racing program led by Brett Metcalfe, the Kawasaki Australia MX1 Class sponsorship and the Team Green supported Joel Evans landing in 12th Overall in MX1. 

Kawasaki Australia now set focus on Round 2 of the ProMX Championship, taking place at Appin, NSW on Sunday 13th April.