Christian Craig and Brodie Connolly Open AUSX Season With Townsville Victories

Christian Craig and Brodie Connolly opened the 2026 AUSX Supercross Championship with victories in Townsville on Saturday night, with around 16,000 fans checking into Queensland Country Bank Stadium for the opening round.

Clear skies and warm temperatures greeted the 16,095 spectators, with Craig topping SX1 qualifying while defending champion Max Anstie set the pace in SX2 before the racing got underway.

The opening SX2 Heat Race saw Michael Hicks lead from start to finish in Heat 1, holding off a late charge from American Lux Turner.

Connolly responded in Heat 2, edging Anstie to the chequered flag by just 0.110 seconds.

In SX1, Luke Clout made an early statement with a 4.859-second victory over Super Privateer Hayden Mellross in Heat 1, before Craig continued his strong form with a comfortable win in Heat 2.

The top three finishers from each SX1 Heat then advanced to Superpole, with the riders facing a single-lap shootout around Townsville’s technical circuit. Clout ultimately claimed the fastest time, stopping the clock at 46.649 seconds.

SX2 provided plenty of drama across its two Finals, with Connolly emerging from a chaotic opening race with the victory despite suffering a crash. Anstie, Turner and Cameron McAdoo were all caught up in incidents that affected their results.

Anstie bounced back in Final 2, eventually being credited with the win ahead of Turner and Connolly, but Connolly’s 1-3 scorecard was enough to secure the overall victory.

Turner finished second overall with 5-2 results, while Hicks initially appeared to have secured third before a post-race penalty dropped him back to third overall, despite being presented with the winners’ trophy straight after the final race. Noah Ferguson finished fourth, with McAdoo rounding out the top five.

In SX1, Craig established himself as the rider to beat in Final 1, moving into the lead early and going on to a convincing victory ahead of Frenchman Cedric Soubeyras and Jorge Zaragoza.

Craig repeated the performance in Final 2, completing a perfect 1-1 scorecard to claim the overall win and get his 2026 AUSX campaign off to the strongest possible start.

Soubeyras backed up his first Final podium with a 2-3 scorecard for second overall, while Clout recovered from his fourth-place finish in Final 1 to take second in Final 2, earning third overall with 4-2 results.

Zaragoza and Mellross completed the SX1 top five.

The SMX Next Australia class also provided plenty of action, with Jack Nunn taking victory in the single Final ahead of Jack Deveson and Max Compton.

With the Townsville opener now in the books, the championship will cross the Tasman Sea for round two at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium on October 31.

The New Zealand round will also feature AMA Supercross champions Ken Roczen and Cole Davies, adding another layer of international star power to the five-round AUSX championship.