Motorsport Australia will restructure its Side-by-Side category for 2027, dividing eligible vehicles into SXS Pro and SXS Sport subclasses while retaining one overall SXS category.
The governing body announced the change on 14 October 2026. It said the division will be based on vehicle performance capability and is intended to create closer competition across newer and older machinery.
Pro and Sport subclasses separate vehicle performance
SXS Pro will accommodate higher-performance vehicles, with Motorsport Australia naming the Can-Am Maverick R and Polaris RZR Pro R as examples.
SXS Sport will cover other eligible vehicles, including the Can-Am Maverick X3 and qualifying Polaris and Yamaha models. The governing body said the second subclass is intended to improve opportunities for competitors using older vehicles and support participation from grassroots through state and national competition.
The announcement identifies representative models rather than a complete eligibility table. It does not publish power, weight, boost, suspension or other technical thresholds, and it does not explain how later models or modified vehicles will be classified.
Teams have one season to prepare
The revised structure takes effect for the 2027 season. Competitors therefore have advance notice to assess whether existing vehicles, spares and development plans fit the Pro or Sport route.
Motorsport Australia has not announced a separate championship promoter, control supplier or commercial partner as part of the change. MRI has treated the item as a substantive technical and competition-structure announcement rather than a new commercial series.
Further sporting and technical detail will be required before entries can be assessed against the final rules. The article is connected to Motorsport Australia’s exact MRI profile and retains its approved profile asset. No feature image has been used because the source photo’s reuse permission was not established.