AUSSIE TRIO TAKING ON THE WORLD

Aussies Jess Gardiner, Charli Cannon and Jay Wilson have been doing us proud overseas. Racing their Yamaha’s around the globe, the trio have been racking up some epic results against the best of the best in their respective championships.

JAY WILSON

Jay Wilson kicked-off his 2023 Japanese Motocross Championship campaign with a perfect three wins from three starts, in his 450cc (1A1) debut.

Wilson, the 2022 250cc Japanese Champion, made the move to the 450 class for 2023 with the newly formed Yamaha Factory Innovation Team and has adapted well to the new YZ450F.

“The weekend went well and to be honest, I’m a little surprised by the results,” he begins. “Throughout the pre-season and in testing, my Yamaha teammates have shown they have plenty of speed and often been faster than me so to dominate the opening round wasn’t expected.

“The first two races I was able to pull a couple of holeshots and put in a sprint to get a gap that I could maintain to the end, but the last one my start wasn’t great and I had to hustle early to get to the front.

“Thanks to everyone at Yamaha and its awesome to see the YZ450F in such a strong position so many championships around the world.”

JESS GARDINER

On board a Yamaha WR250F, Jess Gardiner raced to the podium in the Women’s World Off Road Championships. Her 2-3 results across the weekend saw the Australian leave the event with a second place overall finish.

“I came into the weekend excited to be back racing at the world championships but a little unsure as to what to expect as it had been more then a few years since I raced a world championship round and never know the level of the woman racing.

“I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to get a decent result in the Supertest and felt that a podium was in reach if I kept fighting all day and rode well. To get on the podium both days is awesome and I’m super proud to get that result and represent so many people who have helped me to make this happen.

“I’m back in Australia now but will head back to Europe for the next rounds after the QMP rounds of the AORC,” Gardiner said.

CHARLI CANNON

The weekend also marked the end of Charli Cannon’s first trip to Europe in 2023 for the first two rounds of the Women’s World Motocross Championship. With rounds held in Italy and Switzerland two weeks apart, Cannon stayed with her JK Racing Yamaha Team after the Italian round and raced a local event to keep her skills sharp.

After a solid seventh place finish at the opening round, Cannon headed to Switzerland hoping to improve as she grows comfortable racing in Europe. The hard pack, rut filled Swiss track was a complete contrast to the sandy Italian circuit of round one.

Her 4-8 results gave her fifth for the round, an improvement on round one and she now sits in fifth place in the championship after two rounds and also the leading Yamaha rider.

“Its been two really different rounds for me, one in the sand and this one on hard pack clay, and I have learned a lot from each one. The women here are really fast and I need to be at my best every lap to be able to stay with the lead group. My start in race one was good and I was able to watch the pace of the front girls.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t gate as well in race two and was stuck a fair way back and struggling to move forward.

“But to be top five in both the round and the championship is a good step forward and where I need to be. There are plenty of things I need to work on before I come back so I will get to work when I get home and keep trying to push my way to the front.

“Thank you to everyone on the JK Racing Yamaha team, Yamaha Australia and my team at home as well as so many people that support me. My next trip is for the rounds in France and Spain in a month’s time and look forward to making more progress,” Cannon ends.