Former Motocross of Nations rider for Team New Zealand, UK-based rider Dylan Walsh, reached a cross-roads in his racing career last week after parting ways with the GTCI Revo Kawasaki race team.
He had been the longest-serving rider on this British team and the news sadly underlined Walsh’s call back home last week to New Zealand that he would also not be available to race for the 2023 Motocross of Nations team in France in October.
He had earlier signalled his availability to again be a part of the Kiwi MXoN campaign, but continued problems with his leg injuries put paid to that idea.
Walsh has struggled to recover from the leg injuries he sustained at the Seattle Supercross back in March, and with his continuing intentions being to switch to AMA racing full-time in 2024, the team decided to waive the rest of his obligations in the UK for this season in order to give him the opportunity to fully rest and get back to being physically 100% ready for racing.
The team announcement said: “Dylan is set to race the AMA Western Region 250cc Supercross Championship in the USA for 2024, and is in talks with teams as we speak. This means that for him the new season begins in January, with testing and preparation building through November and December.
“The team felt that the reward of having him compete in the Michelin MX Nationals or the Revo ACU British Championship for the few rounds remaining simply was not worth the risk of aggravating his injuries or even picking up new ones.”
Team manager Sam Yates said: “We have had some great times with Dylan in our team and have to thank him for all of the hard work and effort he has put in. We wish him every success in his new career Stateside and hope that he can recover fully from this season’s injuries.”
Ross Burridge, Kawasaki Motors UK Motorsport & Marketing Manager, said: “We are keen to see GTCI Revo Kawasaki develop both as a team and rider line-up to achieve the best possible results throughout the season.
“Whilst Dylan has been a great member of their team and part of the Team Green family for a while now, it’s time to get himself ready for the American Supercross series and take some time away from riding with the Revo outfit in the UK. We look forward to seeing him race in the States next year.”
Tommy Searle and Mel Pocock will continue with the team to the end of the British Championship season in MX1 & MX2 respectively, while Billy Askew is looking to wrap up titles in the 250cc Youth class of both the Revo British Championship and the MX Nationals.
Photo courtesy Revo Kawasaki
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