Two of the standouts in the Australian Enduro Championship (AusEnduro) paddock in recent seasons, Kyron Bacon and Danielle McDonald, are taking their careers onto the international stage full-time in 2025.

Bacon, 22, will compete in the Italian and EnduroGP championships on a Kawasaki, while 17-year-old McDonald joins the AmPro Yamaha team in America where she will ride in the extremely competitive Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC).

After a couple of international cameos in recent years, including a brilliant double victory in the Junior 1 class at the Slovakian round of EnduroGP, the laconic Bacon has now made the full-time switch to the international arena.

After signing off from the Yamaha- and Mxstore-backed AusEnduro Championship with a second E1 title in 2024, Bacon has now switched his allegiances from Yamaha to Kawasaki where he will be aboard a KX300X for the Italian MGR-ASI team.

Bacon’s teammate will be reigning European and Italian E1 champion, David Soreca, who will continue E1 duties in 2025 while the Aussie competes in the Junior 2 class.

Bacon has already relocated from Tasmania to Italy to begin adapting to the KX300X ahead of his competition debut in the Italian enduro title on March 1-2 – an early litmus test of how he’s adapting to the Kawasaki after a senior career spent on Yamaha equipment.

The eight-round EnduroGP title begins in Portugal from April 4-6, with Bacon’s incumbency ensuring that Aussie representation continues in the world championship following Wil Ruprecht’s decision to return to Australia as Bacon’s replacement in the ShopYamaha Off Road Racing Team.

“I can honestly say that this is the beginning of a new adventure. I’m on the other side of the world from my home, and even though I’ve only been in Italy for a few days, I already feel very comfortable,” said Bacon, the 2022 Australian Four-Day Enduro champion.

“The team’s organisation has provided me with optimal conditions and, above all, a high-performance bike before even starting the tests. We’re working hard to improve every single aspect, and I’m confident that we’ll be competitive from the first race.

“Our goal is to do our best in the Junior World Championship, but we also know that the Italian Championship is an excellent testing spot where I can compete with the best riders on the international stage.

“I want to thank the entire MGR-ASI Kawasaki team staff for their trust, and I hope to repay that trust with great results.”

Bacon’s gelling nicely with the KX300X

Meanwhile, teenage wunderkind McDonald is one of three additions to the AmPro off-road roster, and she will compete in the women’s class of the GNCC – where her Team Australia International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) teammate Tayla Jones (Honda) will be one of her chief rivals.

McDonald’s CV is already imposing, and includes multiple AusEnduro titles, four Hattah Desert Race victories, Australian junior motocross success, third overall in the 2024 Australian Motocross Championship, and two runner-up finishes in the ISDE for Team Australia.

McDonald is returning to full fitness after a knee injury sustained late last season, in what is a race against the clock to compete in the GNCC opener on February 16-17.

The 2025 American off-road scene will also feature a slew of other Aussies, including Angus Riordan (KTM) – the leading Aussie in the 2024 ISDE – Lyndon Snodgrass (Husqvarna) and veteran Josh Strang (Beta).

Read more:
Tintinara completes 2025 Australian Enduro Championship calendar
McDonald awarded Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship
Six new champions crowned in 2024 AORC

McDonald scythed through the 2024 AusEnduro season, winning 10 of the 12 women’s rounds. Image: Troy Pears