Battle In The Bush QMP

Battle In The Bush QMP was an absolute ripper. Queensland Moto Park delivered one of the best race day venues of the year, with the combined MX2 and MX3 loop producing fast, flowing racing and some of the best lap times and vibes we've seen all year.

Huge thanks to host club Gold Coast Motocross Club for their incredible effort with permits, officials and timing to make the event happen, and to QMP for providing such a cracking venue. The track was absolutely on point and kept riders challenged from start to finish.

The Saturday race date meant the campsite filled up Friday night, with riders rolling in from 2pm to set up camp, share a cold one and talk race lines. A fresh start in the morning was met with hot coffee and the vibe was electric with everyone raring to go. Sign on was buzzing from 6am as teams got ticked off, and riders briefing saw the Barkbusters Best Dressed Team Awards cheered on, with Throttle Rangers from Warwick MX Club taking the win in matching jerseys and Three Nations Zero Talent a close second.

Novelty Events

The Motorex Barrel Challenge fired the day into life with riders going wheel to wheel in the fastest warm up race of the day. Luke Reardon then dropped jaws in the POD Rut Limbo, clearing the bar at a remarkable 80cm on his Stark Future and taking home the POD Active Kneebraces for the effort. Brenton Inglis took out the Pirelli Slow Race on his KTM450.

The 4-Hour Battle

With 36 teams across Open, Vets and Mixed classes the start grid was an epic sight as the packed grid roared around the first turn, and Brock Clark from Fix That Plumbing claimed the Pirelli Holeshot Award. Team mates held the bikes as riders sprinted to the saddle in the classic Le Mans start, kicking off the 4-Hour Battle In The Bush MX Relay on the 2.95km MX2 and MX3 loop.

The race ran smooth from start to finish with smiles across the pits all day. Sprinklers were even kicked into gear early afternoon to suppress the dust and give the riders a cool down. Vibes were high as slow Joes battled the pros in good spirits. It was a cool experience seeing plenty of parents racing the 4-Hour relay and the kids supporting before they raced regional club rounds on the Sunday. Everyone made it through, a little sore but stoked to complete the challenge.

Open Class

The Open class was stacked with 23 teams and delivered a huge day of action. BluCru controlled the race from early, eventually taking the win with 68 laps in 4:01:14, and laying down the fastest lap of the entire event, a blistering 3:13 on lap 5, nearly 6 seconds quicker than any other team on track.

Two teams on 68 laps. Two minutes and one second between them.

Washed Up Dads pushed BluCru all the way, also completing 68 laps but finishing 2 minutes and 1 second behind on time, making it one of the closest Open class finishes of the year. Notably, it was Washed Up Dads' own Brenton Inglis who had earlier taken out the Pirelli Slow Race, and Luke Reardon winning the POD Rut Limbo, proving the dads had the full range covered on race day. Team 1 Lap rounded out the podium in third with 67 laps, with Motorex in fourth on 66 and TEAM1LAP 2.0 in fifth on 65.

Mixed Class

The Mixed class was the standout growth story of QMP, with eight teams on the start line. Daycare & Dirtbikes, led by Emma McFerran and Daniel McCoy, backed up their Warwick win in dominant fashion, completing 64 laps in 4:03:35 and posting the fastest lap in the class, a 3:29.046 on lap 2. Misled pushed hard all race to finish second on 62 laps, with Forth Crew taking third on 61. The class had depth right through the field with eight teams completing competitive four-hour stints, a fantastic sign for the series.

Vets Class

The Vets class doubled from Warwick with five competitive teams on the line. Team Why Not took a convincing victory with 64 laps in 4:02:45, posting the class best lap of 3:29.116 on lap 5. Moto DILFS pushed hard all day to claim second on 63 laps, with Terra Toro's rounding out the podium in third on 60 laps, 4 laps back from the leader. The Striking Individuals, fresh from their Warwick podium, finished fourth on 59 laps.

We wrapped up the day with the presentation under the afternoon sun, trophies courtesy of Rival Ink, champagne bursting and a stack of prizes from Motorex, Oakley, Barkbusters, Pirelli and Ballards Offroad. The smiles said it all and everyone headed home sore but in one piece, ready for the next day of Sunday racing, riding or relaxing.

Massive thanks to Gold Coast Motocross Club, medics, officials, flaggies and Queensland Moto Park for making it all possible. QMP has set the bar high for the final round at Appin, NSW on Saturday September 5th.

Relive The Action

Final Results

Battle In The Bush QMP 2026

$500 of raffle fundraising money went towards helping our mate Bushy recover from bile duct cancer. Any support to help our moto mate via the Go Fund Me would be greatly appreciated.

Get Your Team Together

The final Battle In The Bush event for 2026 is happening at Appin, NSW on Saturday 5 September with Macarthur MCC. Pure MX, two combined MX tracks, all day, one last chance to take the crown.

QMP In Pictures

MXstore Battle In The Bush MX Relay '26 is presented by Motorex Australia and proudly supported by Oakley, Ballard's Off Road, POD Active, Pirelli, Barkbusters Handguards, Yoshimura Australia, Ryno Power and Rival Ink Design Co. Huge thanks to our supporting clubs and venues Gold Coast Motocross Club and QMP, Warwick MX Club and Macarthur MCC.