Aussies Racing Abroad | October 2025. With many Australians showcasing their skills abroad in a range of disciplines both on-track and off-road, Ed Stratmann’s column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out with the best in their chosen classes…
On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP
Jack Miller endured a frustrating start to November in Portugal, salvaging just 14th in the Sprint after what had promised to be a competitive weekend. The Prima Pramac Yamaha ace had shown genuine pace in qualifying, progressing through Q1 with the second-fastest time to lock down eighth on the grid. But any hopes of a points finish evaporated almost immediately, as Miller haemorrhaged five positions on the opening lap and never recovered, ultimately bringing it home 14th.
Sunday’s Grand Prix offered little respite. Despite starting with renewed optimism, Miller found himself wrestling with severe grip issues throughout the race, eventually crossing the line a distant P12.
“Sunday went a little better than yesterday. I had a decent start and tried to challenge the guys ahead of me, but there were some areas where I was really struggling – especially on the exit of turns 14 and 15, and also through turn six. When the tyre started to drop, it just got harder and harder; the bike was pumping like hell, and I was just trying to do the best I could. So, not happy with the day,” Miller lamented.
Onto the finale, and after topping FP1 and running sixth in practice before qualifying P8, Miller’s weekend was looking promising. A rapid launch in the Sprint then put him in a tight battle with Fermín Aldeguer for eighth, but contact between the two on lap three derailed his charge. Miller was handed a three-position penalty which went unserved, leading to a long-lap penalty that dropped him to 12th.
In the main dance, Miller claimed a credible ninth. After spending much of the race in sixth and seventh with an attacking yet controlled ride, a late tyre drop forced him onto the defensive, which consequently cost him two positions to Luca Marini and Brad Binder.
“Over the season we‘ve been up and down – some good highlights and some decent lowlights too – but in the last couple of races, since Australia, we‘ve managed to understand the front end a bit more. Maybe we lost a little in terms of outright performance, but we gained good feedback in stability and in managing the tyre. Now I understand this bike more and more. Next year’s bike will be different, but the DNA is the same,” reflected the popular veteran.
Senna Agius – Moto2
Senna Agius began the weekend in fine form at Portimao by posting third in FP1 before backing it up with fifth in Friday afternoon’s practice session. While qualifying 13th represented a slight dip in fortunes, he remained optimistic about his race prospects.
Come Sunday, Agius demonstrated the pace that had served him well in practice, but a sluggish getaway off the line proved damaging. Although he recovered to bag ninth at the chequered flag, a result he was satisfied with given the circumstances, the young maestro knew a stronger launch could have yielded a considerably better finish.
“It wasn’t a bad race, even though I didn’t get off to the best start and the first lap didn’t go perfectly. That’s why I fell back a few positions. I also had a little trouble finding my speed at the start of the race, which is why I ended up losing a few positions. I think if I had been able to attack at the beginning, I would have made some really good progress, because I had good pace at the end of the race. In the last three laps, I overtook some good riders and made it into the top ten. So, let’s take the positives, because we have a strong race pace,” Agius explained.
Agius brought his campaign to a solid close with seventh in the season finale at Valencia. Having qualified an impressive third on the grid, the Australian ran inside the leading group for much of the distance. However, fading grip in the closing stages saw him slip back to eighth at the flag.
A post-race time penalty for Filip Salac ultimately promoted Agius to seventh, which was a solid way to draw the curtain on his campaign.
“Once again, a big thank you to Jürgen, Stefan and Wolfgang for giving me the opportunity to be here, because without them I wouldn’t have gotten this far. I really felt their support this year, and they believed in me during difficult moments. On the other hand, the good moments motivate us for the future. Now we’re going home and set for next year. I have a lot to do in the winter. Fortunately, that keeps me busy so I can come back in good shape in 2026. Finally, I would also like to thank everyone involved in this project for their work and help this year,” commented the gifted talent.
Joel Kelso – Moto3
Joel Kelso produced a masterclass in qualifying at Portimao, securing pole position with a composed and confident display that saw him top the timesheets with aplomb.
Starting from the prime grid slot on race day, he fought valiantly but found himself on the back foot as the laps ticked by. Mounting tyre wear in the latter stages hampered his charge, thus leaving him to settle for seventh.
“Took a gamble in yesterday’s race and tried my hardest to break away. Unfortunately the soft front just faded towards the end. Overall it was a super positive weekend, and we will leave it all on the line in Valencia next week,” posted Kelso.
Joel Kelso saw his crusade come to a premature and annoying end at Valencia, with him crashing out after qualifying 12th. It was far from the conclusion he’d hoped for. However, despite his disappointment, Kelso looked back with satisfaction on what had been his strongest season at this level to date, stating: “Not the way I wanted to end our final race of the year. A crash brought my progress to a halt quite early, but this year I’ve had my best season yet and was lucky to share it with the Level Up MTA team. We created some great memories together, and I wish them all the best for the future. Now we turn our eyes to 2026.”
Jacob Roulstone – Moto3
Jacob Roulstone was forced to sit out the penultimate round in Portugal after undergoing surgery on a fractured left hand sustained in Malaysia. The Australian’s focus quickly shifted to returning for the last stop on the calendar. And that he did, despite carrying that injury into his final outing with Tech3, as Roulstone put in a gutsy performance at Valencia. Starting 23rd on the grid, he wasted no time carving through the field, reaching 16th by lap three and climbing as high as 13th at the race’s midpoint.
The compromised hand inevitably took its toll as the laps wore on, and Roulstone gradually dropped back down the order. Nevertheless, he held on to cross the line 16th.
“Sunday’s race had to be the hardest of the season. Finishing P16, it was the only race this season where when finishing a race I wasn’t able to score points. I took some painkillers and held on for as long as I could. I managed to work my way up to P13 from P23 and battled till the end. But once they wore off, I struggled to keep going with only three fingers working the left bar and holding on.
Considering I still had pins in my hand on Wednesday, I didn’t think I’d be able to say that. It wasn’t the way I wanted to wrap up the season, but I’m proud I was able to put the helmet on and do the last race of the season. The team and I worked very hard these past days to get a comfortable and competitive feeling on the bike. Which I’m proud we were able to do. And I really want to thank the boys for those efforts,” insisted Roulstone.
Off-Track
Jett Lawrence – Paris Supercross
Jett Lawrence certainly endured an eventful time of it at the 2025 Paris Supercross. Night one was nothing short of a catastrophe, for he was taken out by Tom Vialle and then crashed in both Superpole and the third final to cap off a disastrous opening day. To his credit, the phenom responded emphatically on Sunday, as the #18 dominated proceedings with victories in two of the three races and a third in the other, ensuring he left the French capital on a decidedly high note.
Hunter Lawrence – Paris Supercross
Hunter Lawrence also had a wild ride at Paris Supercross, mixing the ups with the downs in dramatic fashion. Beginning with first place in Saturday’s Superpole before going 4-2 in the opening two motos, things were looking promising for the #96. But a nasty spill in the whoops derailed his evening and threatened to rule him out for the rest of the event. Thankfully, the banged-up star was able to compete on Sunday, where he bravely fought through the pain to go 4-5-4, which was a gutsy showing given the circumstances.
“I’m happy I could ride today as well. I wasn’t sure how I’d be. Thankful to keep Eric [Peronnard] happy. Rule number one at these races, keep the promoters happy. Yeah, we were just, I mean, you’ve seen it, compared to yesterday,” he told RacerX.
“I could do enough, you know, get out there and still get some good practice laps in, and no, it was good. I take the riding from yesterday, Superpole, even the motos and how I was riding up until the crash. The crash was just one of those things. The whoops were abnormally large this year, and, just going into them, had a bit of a bad run out of the corner – the rut kind of caved in – and then trying to drive through the first three, and I think on like the fourth one, my front wheel just missed the tip of it. And as I’ve gone to extend, like, commit to putting it on the next one, as you do, the rear wheel spun as I’ve pretty much pushed all my chips in on that one to get traction. So, yeah, it was pretty scary.”
Luke Clout – Paris Supercross
Luke Clout delivered a brilliant performance at the 2025 Paris Supercross to clinch second in SX2 after a weekend in which he came so close to reigning supreme.
The Australian was nothing short of excellent across the two nights, reeling off an impressive string of 2-1-1-1 finishes in the opening four motos to establish himself as the man to beat. His speed and consistency had him firmly in control of the overall classification heading into the final day.
Read our October Aussies Racing Abroad column here…
Heartbreak struck in the penultimate moto, though, when Clout was caught up in a first-turn incident beyond his control, thus seeing him limp home 13th to watch his title hopes slip through his fingers. The experienced Aussie bounced back strikingly to win the final race, but the damage had been done. Even though he missed out on the overall triumph by a narrow margin, Clout could hold his head high after a tremendous display.
Pre-season title favourite Nicolo Bulega wasted no time stamping his authority, topping both sessions for the Aruba.It Racing – Ducati squad. The Italian completed 72 laps and logged more than 30 tours under the 1m30s mark, underlining his strong pace aboard the new Ducati package. Only three other riders managed to dip beneath the 90-second barrier, with Axel Bassani emerging as Bulega’s closest challenger. The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team rider ended the day just 0.291s adrift.
It was a dramatic opening for Sam Lowes, who endured a technical issue in the morning followed by an afternoon crash. Despite the setbacks, the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team rider rallied strongly, setting his fastest lap late in the day during a six-lap stint to secure third overall.
After limited dry running over the European winter, Xavi Vierge impressed as the fastest Yamaha rider, placing ninth aboard the Pata Maxus Yamaha machine. A morning crash failed to derail reigning Supersport World Champion Stefano Manzi, who finished just two-tenths behind Vierge as he continues adapting to life in the Superbike class with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
Rookie honours went to Jake Dixon, the former Moto2 rider ending the day tenth for Honda HRC, ahead of Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Manzi.
The session wasn’t without incident, with eight crashes recorded during Superbike running. Among them was an early-afternoon fall for Alvaro Bautista at Turn 5. The double world champion and eight-time Phillip Island race winner still managed eighth fastest, almost a second off Bulega’s benchmark, and is expected to close the gap as testing continues.
Speaking after topping Day One, Bulega said the focus was on mileage and understanding the new bike following disrupted winter testing. Despite the hot conditions costing a few tenths, he was encouraged by the base setup and remains confident of making further gains ahead of race weekend.
