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Aussies Abroad July 2026 | With many Australians showcasing their skills abroad in a range of disciplines both on-track and off-road, our latest column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out with the best in their chosen classes.
Pic: Jack Miller Racing
On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP
Jack Miller, fresh from helping Yamaha Factory Racing to second at the Suzuka 8 Hours, kicked off his July in style by underlining what a weapon he is around the Sachsenring by banking fifth in Friday practice to punch his ticket straight into Q2, as he carried his confidence and momentum over to the demanding layout.
Looking much better on the YZR‑M1, his words reflected this, with him stating: “It was a really good day all around. After riding at Suzuka last weekend, it took me a couple of laps this morning to get back into the rhythm of the MotoGP bike, but from then on I felt competitive straight away. Looking at the calendar, Sachsenring was always one of the circuits we thought could suit our package, so it’s nice to see that confirmed on track.
Pic: Jack Miller Racing
“This layout plays to some of the strengths of the Yamaha because it’s a short, technical circuit where overall balance and corner speed are more important than outright engine performance.”
Frustratingly, Miller couldn’t replicate that form in qualifying, as a cautious tyre choice left him further down the grid, and a difficult Sprint saw him slip back early and finish 13th in a bout that didn’t match the speed he’d shown earlier in the weekend. Miller then surged out to a fast opening in the main dance, climbing to eighth rapidly, but some brutal late tyre degradation forced him into survival mode, and he faded to 12th.
Pic: Jack Miller Racing
“It was a really good race until the final few laps. I was able to stay with Fabio for most of the distance, but I was having to use the rear tyre a little more than the riders around me to achieve the same lap time. Once the tyre dropped, I started to struggle with grip and had to switch to a different engine map just to bring the bike home,” Miller reflected.
“It’s disappointing because a top 10 finish was definitely within reach, but at the same time we showed we had the pace to fight in that group for most of the race. The progression is there. We’re getting closer step by step, and hopefully the team can use the summer break to find a little more performance before the second half of the season. I knew this project would have difficult moments when I signed up, so it’s about taking the small gains, keeping our heads down and continuing to work. That’s the only way we’ll keep moving forward.”
Pic: Intact Racing
Senna Agius – Moto2
Senna Agius enjoyed a strong start to the weekend in Germany with P3 in FP1 and a direct Q2 slot after finishing fourth in Friday practice. But yellow flags in qualifying stopped him from maximising his situation, and he had to be content with an admirable fifth on the second row for Sunday.
The Aussie star proceeded to cap a solid weekend with a composed fourth in a contest where toils finding the right setup and his tyre choice to opt for the harder compound scuppered his chances of powering himself onto the box. Even if he wanted more, he still reinforced his third spot in the Moto2 standings and stayed firmly in touch with the leaders as the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP squad heads into the summer break.
Pic: Intact Racing
“It’s a fourth-place finish, and I feel that with a different tyre choice today, I might actually have been able to win. We’ve once again finished in the top five for five races in a row and are in third place in the championship heading into the summer break. That’s a huge step forward compared to last year. A huge thank you to my crew. My guys have given 100 percent for me this year, and I can’t thank them enough for that. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the job done in front of the German fans and at the team’s home Grand Prix. But I think I made everyone proud because I gave it my all, and that sets us up well for the second half of the season. I don’t really feel like I need a summer break because I’d love to keep going, I’m having so much fun. Still, I’m heading back to Andorra now, treating myself to a little time off, and getting ready there for the second half of the year,” Agius noted.
Pic: Joel Kelso Racing.
Joel Kelso – Moto3
Joel Kelso began his Sachsenring with a reasonable 12th in free practice, as the times were super tight in Moto3 as usual, with the Aussie confident he could push for more if some adjustments to the bike came to fruition. Despite feeling good and possessing the speed, he couldn’t quite piece qualifying together, as 12th was the best he could muster.
“Can’t lie, not my best qualifying run today. Definitely didn’t get the most out of it at a track where the times are so tight. That said, I’m feeling good overall, so we’ll give it everything tomorrow and hopefully head into the summer break on a high,” he posted. His race would disappointingly unravel on lap two when he was collected from behind, with this forcing him to drop to last, and although he fought back hard, P14 was all he could do on a tough afternoon at the office.
Pic: Joel Kelso Racing.
“Well, that didn’t go to plan. P14 today after dropping all the way back to last on lap two after getting collected by a rider behind me. I was just happy to stay on the bike, as it got pretty sketchy for a moment. Once we got going again, our pace was actually really strong, which makes the result even more frustrating. I genuinely feel like we had the speed to fight for a solid finish today. That’s racing sometimes. Now it’s time for the summer break to reset, recharge and put in the work before we come back ready to attack the second half of the season,” Kelso said.
Pic: Remy Gardner Racing.
Remy Gardner – World Superbike
Gardner spent Friday at Donington Park dialling in his race package, going P14 in FP1 before improving to 15th in the hotter conditions, with him knowing there was plenty of scope for refinement ahead. Highlighting his speed in free practice three, Gardner was looking on the right track until a crash in qualifying spelt the end of his session, thus ensuring he had to start race one from the back of the grid.
Although this was far from ideal, the #87 launched off the line with gusto and quickly picked up many positions. From there, he sustained his pace and produced a disciplined display to charge forward and ultimately claim 12th after impressively making up nine spots.
Pic: Remy Gardner Racing.
“Overall, it was a positive race, and we showed strong pace throughout the 23 laps. It’s a shame about qualifying because we had the potential for a much better result, and I was on a good lap before the crash, so I’m disappointed about that. Still, I pushed as hard as I could from the start of race one, and in the end it paid off. I’m happy we managed to recover some valuable points with a strong comeback. I’d like to thank the whole team for all their hard work after qualifying,” Gardner explained. Gardner fought through the Superpole sprint to take 15th, then set about on another charge in race two, pushing early and carving steadily through the pack to cap a notable 23‑lap run with 13th.
Pic: Remy Gardner Racing.
“It was another positive day. We pushed hard in both races, and, despite the difficult starting positions caused by qualifying, our race pace was competitive once again. We showed that today by fighting our way through the field and recovering several positions. That’s encouraging heading into the summer break. We’ll take some time to recharge before coming back ready for the final part of the season. There’s still plenty of work to do, but the progress we’ve made gives us confidence and motivation for the remaining rounds. I’m looking forward to getting back on track and finishing the season strongly,” he asserted.
Pic: Oli Bayliss Racing.
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Oli Bayliss started race one at Donington Park eighth following a grid promotion and immediately jumped to seventh with a crafty launch. While he fell to 10th after a small mistake on the second lap, he logged some steady laps in clear air, which enabled him to rejoin the lead group late and seal a hard‑earned seventh.
“Not too bad of a day here at Donington. I got a pretty good start to the race. The first lap was not bad, and on the second lap, I had a bit of a moment going into the last turn, ran really wide, and I think I lost four or five positions, so we got our heads stuck back in. The next lap I made a little mistake going into the second-to-last turn, and we’ve got some work to do to help stop the bike a little bit, but I mean, our pace was good. We had a two-second gap to the main group at one stage but caught up to them, and then obviously in the end it split up a bit. No, it’s not really a bad day for me, but a good day for the team. Tom did well finishing first, so we’ll try and get a bit closer tomorrow,” Bayliss told the team website.
Pic: Oli Bayliss Racing.
Bayliss’ second race proved an even more challenging stint, where despite scorching off the start to put himself in a fine position to enjoy a top result, an incident with another rider halted his progress, and with rear-grip issues worsening as the race went on, he slipped back to 16th. “Not our best day today, something is going on, and I’m struggling a lot with a drop of tyres. I felt good in the warm up, but it just didn’t happen. Thanks to the team for the work, and we’ll try and find something for the break. Now it’s back to BSB for some more racing, ” Bayliss lamented.
Oli is winning races in BSB Supersport, and we will give you a full mid season report next month!
Off-Track
Jett Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
While his injured foot has troubled him throughout the campaign and prevented him from riding at full capacity, the signs across seven rounds have still been extremely positive for phenom Jett Lawrence. He got his July rolling at RedBud, taking a first‑moto win, thanks in part to his brother’s late spill, before a chaotic second moto, where a pair of early tip‑overs dropped him outside the top 10. The defending champion responded with a determined effort to propel himself back to fifth to secure third overall.
Pic: Honda HRC.
Next up at Southwick, he delivered a gritty performance, charging from an unsatisfactory start in moto one to climb gradually through and take home second. He then backed it up in moto two with a far more assertive ride, pushing into the lead group early and maintaining a relentless pace to capitalise on his brother falling to secure the overall win.
The most recent stop at Spring Creek wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, with a crash while leading the second moto and perfectly positioned to bag the overall, putting a real dent in his day. To his credit, he remounted to salvage fifth and finish third overall. He’ll now be hoping to bounce back and chip away at the 10‑point deficit in the title chase.
“I was feeling so good. I had my lines picked out and felt comfortable. A lapper took my focus off for a moment, and my bike grabbed going up the jump, and that was it. It’s such a bummer. We lost some points to Hunter, but we’ll come back to try and be just a little bit better,” Jett expressed.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Pro Motocross
Hunter Lawrence returned to winning ways at Spring Creek AMA Pro Motocross with a commanding 1‑1, asserting his superiority over Haiden Deegan and his brother. With his trademark blistering starts and riding with authority and precision, the #96 illustrated his class again at the iconic Minnesota circuit, even if Jett’s crash while leading helped secure the overall. Clinching his third victory of the season and eighth moto triumph, Hunter regained the red plate and now boasts a 10‑point advantage over his sibling. “I got my doors blown off in the second moto. I honestly had no idea Jett crashed. He was flying. I’m happy it worked out, but it’s time to go chill now,” he remarked.
Pic: Honda HRC.
Hunter’s second at Southwick and first at RedBud to begin the month were also worthy of praise, as these rides further proved what a force to be reckoned with he is. Though an untimely fall at Southwick was a setback and cost him some points, there’s no denying he’ll be tough to beat in what will be a pulsating title fight.
Kayden Minear – AMA Pro Motocross
Talented hotshot Kayden Minear has been making waves in 250 AMA Pro Motocross aboard his Star Racing Yamaha, as he continues to impress. Swiftly becoming a regular at the front of the field leading laps and duking it out with the many heavy hitters in the stacked division, it’s been a joy to watch him flexing his muscles in America.
Pic: Star Yamaha Racing.
Letting his riding do all the talking, the fact he’s banked a couple of moto podiums and has been in the top five overall in three of the last four rounds serves as a testament to the impact he’s making. Currently occupying fourth in the standings, expect to see him at the pointy end of the pack more often than not as the series rolls on.
Jake Cannon – EMX250 / AMA Pro Motocross
The break in the EMX250 calendar gave Jake Cannon and his Bud Racing Kawasaki team the perfect chance to travel Stateside and tackle the Southwick round of AMA Pro Motocross, and he relished every minute of it. Although crashes and incidents stopped him from turning his speed into the results he deserved, Cannon certainly put his best foot forward. Demonstrating his class, sand skills and that he could navigate the many elite operators in this outstanding 250 field, he more than held his own on his way to 18th overall, with a 13th in moto two particularly impressive.
“Awesome time in the states with the crew at Bud Racing. Little bit disappointed in the result with a crash in both motos battling for top 10, but I’ll take the positives and continue to progress. Big thanks to my man Hugo for the grind over the weekend and the team for making this possible,” Cannon posted.
Liam Owens – EMX250
Aussie EMX250 gun Liam Owens has been dealt a nasty setback just as he was showing evidence of pushing back toward the front of the category. A crash at Montevarchi left him with a badly damaged shoulder, which was confirmed to be broken in three places. He has since undergone surgery, as the injury is set to end his 2026 crusade early, which is a savage blow to halt his momentum and ruin what had been a promising term, which featured a brilliant second place in Latvia.
“Surgery done. Recovery time on the shoulder will be longer than first expected, which means my season ends here. Not how I pictured it, but setbacks are part of the game. New goal: be back for the final round. Locked in, rebuilding, and coming back stronger than ever. This isn’t the end, it’s just part of the story. I’ll be back.”
Read our previous Aussies Racing Abroad columns here…
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