Malcolm Stewart Joins Monster Energy Kawasaki for 2027, Marchbanks Stays

Malcolm Stewart is a Monster Energy Kawasaki rider. Kawasaki made it official on Wednesday, October 28, naming Stewart and a re-signed Garrett Marchbanks as its 450 factory team for the 2027 SMX World Championship, per the team's release on Kawasaki.com. Two riders, not three, and both on the new 2027 KX450F-SR.

When we wrote about Chase Sexton's split with Kawasaki last week, Stewart and Marchbanks were the expected pairing but nothing had been announced. Now it has, and the release fills in the details: Marchbanks earned a contract extension, Stewart wears the number 27, and the bike is the new KX450F-SR.

Stewart comes back to green

For Stewart this is a homecoming of sorts. Kawasaki says he raced for Kawasaki Team Green throughout his amateur career, and the release frames the deal as "continuing the Stewart family's storied history with the brand." Racer X reminds anyone who has forgotten that his older brother James was a Kawasaki rider back in the day.

It's also a ride Stewart needed. Racer X reports he was left looking once Rockstar Energy Husqvarna shut down and couldn't honor the final year of his contract. Kawasaki gets a rider with more than a decade as a pro, a first career 450SX win and the King of Paris SX crown in 2025, and one podium and 14 top-ten SMX finishes in 2026, per the release as carried by Supercross Live and MotoOnline.

Stewart sounds like a rider who's genuinely glad about where he landed:

> "I'm very excited to be joining Monster Energy Kawasaki for 2027. I started my racing career on a Kawasaki as an amateur, so coming back to the brand feels like I'm returning to my roots. It's a full-circle moment to have started my career with Kawasaki and now have the opportunity to return to where it all began. I'm looking forward to working with the team, getting on the KX450F-SR, and starting this new chapter."

Marchbanks earned his second year

Marchbanks didn't get his extension on potential alone. He came up through Team Green and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, stepped into the factory 450 team for 2026, and steadily got better on the KX450SR. He was named 2026 450SX Rookie of the Year, scored career-best fourth overalls at Thunder Valley and Unadilla during Pro Motocross, and finished the year with five top-five SMX finishes and sixth in the SMX World Championship standings, according to Kawasaki.

> "I'm pumped to be back with Monster Energy Kawasaki for 2027. I'm super proud of the whole team and the amazing job they did this year. I'm really happy with the progress we made together. We learned a lot throughout the season, and I'm eager to keep building on that. I'm looking forward to putting in the work and coming back even stronger in 2027."

What Dan Fahie said

Dan Fahie, Kawasaki's racing senior manager, laid out the thinking behind the pairing:

> "We have a strong lineup in place for 2027, with Garrett returning for his second year on the team and adding Malcolm to the program. Garrett showed strong progression aboard the KX450SR this past year, and we look forward to building on that foundation."

On Stewart, and on what he expects from both:

> "Malcolm brings proven experience and a strong work ethic to the team, making him a great addition to the program. Both riders have the talent and skill to compete at the front of the 450 Class, and we look forward to seeing what each of them can accomplish this upcoming year."

The full statement is also on MX Large.

A new bike for both of them

The bike is the other storyline. Kawasaki calls it the new 2027 KX450F-SR, and Racer X notes it has significant changes, so this isn't simply Stewart learning Marchbanks' bike. Both riders will be finding out what the new 450 can do at the same time, one coming off a rookie year on the old KX450SR and the other coming over from a different brand entirely.

There's a fair question about expectations, too. Racer X put it bluntly: can Stewart get a second career 450SX win? Fahie says both riders can run at the front. That's the bar Kawasaki has set for itself in public.

What's still open

The biggest loose end isn't on this team anymore. Sexton and Kawasaki ended a three-year deal after one season, as MotoOnline recaps, and as of Wednesday he still has no announced ride for 2027. Racer X says it has heard every rumor in the book, but no team has said anything yet.

On the 250 side, Nate Thrasher is moving to Pro Circuit Kawasaki for 2027. The clock is ticking for everyone else. The 2027 Supercross season opens at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Saturday, January 9, per the official Supercross schedule, which gives Stewart and Marchbanks a little over ten weeks to get comfortable on a new bike.

Rider takeaway

Kawasaki went with two riders it knows, and both have something to prove on green in 2027. Marchbanks has to show his rookie year was the start of something. Stewart has to show his 2025 win wasn't a one-off, on a new bike, with the brand he started on. And Sexton's number 4 still doesn't have a team.

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