Former New Zealand MX2 motocross champion Jay Wilson will be lining up for the Motocross World Championships this year.

With the experience gained when racing for the Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team in New Zealand in 2015 and the mentoring he’s received over the years from JCR boss and former GP star Josh Coppins, Wilson was an obvious pick for a GP team.

The British-based i-Fly JK Yamaha Racing Team announced this week that the 2015 Australian and  New Zealand champion would join forces with the team in the MX2 category for the 2017 season, committing to the full MXGP World Championship and the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship.

The 22-year-old Wilson, who is currently competing in the UK Arenacross series for the i-Fly JK Yamaha Team, was recently offered the opportunity to fill the vacant MX2 position for the 2017 race season, and given his previous achievements with Yamaha, Wilson was the perfect fit when searching for the team’s second rider.

British rider Ryan Houghton is the team’s MX1 pilot.

Wilson, whose lifelong goal has been to race the Motocross World Championships, says that he’s pinching himself that his dream has come to fruition and he’s looking forward to lining up at the MXGP for the very first time when the series commences in Qatar on February 25.

“I can’t really believe that I’m finally going to be racing the MXGP with a manufacturer that I’ve had so much success with in the past. I’ve definitely been pinching myself the last few days that’s for sure,” Wilson said.

“When I arrived in the UK, the plan was just to race the Arenacross and then to come home. The team talked to me after the first couple of weeks of being here about racing MX2 and then everything fell into place really quickly,” Wilson said.

“I’ve been out testing with the team at Montecatini in Italy where they’re based this week, and from here forward it’s really going to be about putting in a lot of hard work every day until round one in Qatar. This has been my lifelong goal, and I’m really grateful that I’ve been given this opportunity. I can’t wait to see what myself and the i-Fly JK Yamaha Team can achieve together this year.”

Echoing Wilson’s enthusiasm was i-Fly JK Yamaha’s team owner, Riccardo Boschi, who made comment on the team’s recent signing of the Australian whilst testing together at Vada in Italy: “It’s been a busy couple of weeks putting the deal together with Jay at the last minute, but we believe he is perfect for our team, and we are looking forward to the season,” he said. This will be my 17th year at the MXGP series and we enjoy being able to give these opportunities to young talented riders like Jay. I’m sure we will have a long and exciting season together.”

The Team’s UK-based team manager Dickie Dye also made comment on the signing of Wilson to the i-Fly JK Yamaha Racing Team, and he says he’s looking forward to an exciting year of racing: “We are very fortunate to have Jay as part of the team for the 2017 race season,” Dye shared.

“It was a twist of fate which created this situation, and we are all determined to make the most of it. While Jay continues to focus on the UK Arenacross for the team in the next few weeks, he is also busy getting race-ready for the first GP in Qatar. With the outdoor season looming, Jay will test the water a little in the Hawkstone Park International in February.”

© Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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