For Joe Rascal Racing, 2026 has been about refusing to stay in one lane.
After taking on the Bagger World Cup with Archie McDonald, Eric Granado and Jordi Torres, and launching into the Australian desert with Callum Norton, the team is now heading somewhere completely different. Under the lights, in front of packed stadiums and on tracks built around jumps, whoops and millimetre-perfect lines, Joe Rascal Racing will make its AusX Supercross debut.
Led by Team Principal Brett “Metty” Metcalfe, nine-time Australian champion Matt Moss and Dylan Wills will line up aboard the Ducati Desmo450 MX, bringing together experience, ambition and a relationship that already runs deep.
For James Tonna, aka Chief Rascal, Supercross was never about simply adding another championship. It is about taking the Go Joe Rascal Fast mindset into an environment that would truly test it. “Going Joe Rascal Fast is about pushing yourself to your absolute limits. It’s about showing up every day, giving your best, and refusing to settle for anything less. No matter the circumstance, no matter the challenge, you keep moving forward. You never quit.”
That philosophy has taken Joe Rascal Racing from international road racing to the Australian desert. Now it is being put to the ultimate test on dirt. “Joe Rascal is a performance brand. We’re not just about racing, we’re about performance in everything we do. So how could we claim to be a performance brand without taking on Supercross? We couldn’t.”
A Familiar Arena
For Metty, the move into Supercross is a return to familiar ground. His own career began in the Australian scene before taking him to the United States, where he spent 14 years competing in the AMA championship. Now, he is back in the environment that helped shape his career, this time with the responsibility of building a team rather than racing for one.
“I’ve always loved Supercross, and developing my skills through the Australian Supercross scene early in my career played a huge role in paving the way for my 14-year AMA career.”
The timing feels right. Supercross is growing, AusX is building momentum, and Joe Rascal Racing has found another opportunity to put its name in front of Australian fans. But while the decision may have been easy, preparing for Supercross is anything but. The team has already pushed the Desmo450 MX to its limits at Finke and Hattah; now the same motorcycle must be transformed for an environment where precision matters more than ever. “We took the Ducati Desmo450 to the limit in the desert, as fast as a bike can possibly go. Now let’s see how we transform to the tightest, most technical form of racing the sport demands.”
With only a short window before the opening round, every test and every adjustment counts. The priority is simple: understand the bike, develop it quickly and give Moss and Wills the confidence to attack.
“The biggest task we have is developing the bike in a short period,” Metty explained. “My goal is to learn our bike front to back and get the Joe Rascal Ducati riders up front.”
Two Riders, One Team
The choice of Moss and Wills was deliberate.
Matt Moss brings nine Australian championships, years of experience and a reputation for never backing down. But perhaps more importantly, he brings an unmistakable connection with Australian fans. “He’s been battle tested, faced adversity and responded better than anyone. Moss’s heart is bigger than anyone,” Metty said. “Love him or hate him, Matt Moss wears his heart on his sleeve. He represents Australia thick and thin.”
Moss wants to give those fans something to believe in. “I want to make the Australian fans proud and give them plenty to get excited about this season,” he said.
He has also found an immediate connection with the Ducati, particularly its stability and forward-driving character. “The Ducati feels really comfortable underneath me and suits my forward riding style. It feels like the bike was designed for the way I ride.” For Moss, there is no easing into the season. “I’m 100% committed to this program. It’s only five rounds, but there’s a lot that can happen at every race, and I want to be right in the fight for when we reach the final round.”
Alongside him is Dylan Wills, whose calculated and controlled riding style offers a different strength to the team. Metty believes that combination of precision and aggression could make him a natural fit for the Desmo450 MX. “Dylan brings that to the table. That combined with his aggressive racecraft, I felt he’d be the perfect rider to pair with Matt.”
The pair also share something that cannot be engineered in a workshop: years of friendship. Moss and Wills have trained and raced together for years, and that familiarity could become one of Joe Rascal Racing's greatest strengths as a new team.
With just weeks until the opening round, that preparation is now accelerating. “It’s all go from here,” Wills said. “I’m more than ready to get behind the gate and start this new chapter with Joe Rascal Racing.”
More Than What Happens on Track
Supercross may be about the spectacle, the lights, the jumps and the noise, but Metty knows the foundations of a successful team are built long before the riders enter the stadium.
Trust between the rider, mechanic and crew can be the difference between a rider finding the confidence to push and one second-guessing the motorcycle beneath them. “Supercross is bright lights and fireworks, but on the ground floor, the riders have to believe in the bike and themselves to perform. Trust in their mechanic can be the difference.”
It is an environment Metty understands personally. Having lived the nerves and pressure of Supercross as a rider, he can now use that experience to help his riders navigate the moments that cannot be solved with a bike setup. “Stress on race days and calming the nerves can help a rider perform. It’s all about the little details that make a difference between winning or fifth.” That attention to detail will be critical as the team learns how to make the Desmo450 MX work in a completely new environment. The bike may be the same, but the demands are not.
The Home Crowd
For Metty, the first major milestone will simply be seeing the Joe Rascal Racing Ducati behind the gate at Round 1. But there is another moment he is already looking forward to: Geelong.
As the team's home round, Geelong will bring Joe Rascal Racing closer to its supporters and give the growing community around the brand an opportunity to see the new program come alive. “I expect a lot of Rascals showing up to show some love and support the Joe Rascal Ducati squad and push our guys to victory.” That connection with the fans is at the heart of why Joe Rascal keeps taking on new challenges. Road racing brought Joe Rascal Racing to international circuits. Desert racing took it into some of Australia's toughest terrain. Supercross will put the team directly in front of its supporters, inside the stadiums and amongst the noise.
And for Metty, success at the end of the season is about more than a championship position. “Both riders ending the championship with a smile. If that happens, I know our results and position will be what we have chased.”
The Next Chapter
Joe Rascal Racing has never been about doing what is easy. It is about seeing how far the people, the bikes and the team can be pushed, and then pushing a little further.
Now, that philosophy enters its next arena. An all-Australian team. Two proven Australian riders. A nine-time champion alongside a rider determined to make his mark. A Team Principal returning to the discipline that shaped his own career. And a Ducati Desmo450 MX ready for its next test.
The lights are coming on. The gates are almost ready to drop. The next chapter is Supercross and we’re ready to go Joe Rascal Fast.