Oz’s Jay Wilson Wins Japanese MX Title

Australia’s Jay Wilson has clinched the 2022 IA2 (250cc) Japanese Motocross Championship after winning Round 5 of the series over the weekend and building an unassailable lead in the points chase.

Since landing in Japan at the start of the year, Wilson has been an unstoppable force in the Japanese Motocross Championships, taking all race and round wins so far. Now, after Round 5 and 11 race wins in a row, Wilson has been crowned the 2022 champion with rounds to spare.

Kyushu hosted Round 5 of the championship on the weekend and it has been a happy and familiar hunting ground for the Australian. Wilson won the opening round of the year in wet conditions at Kyushu, but the track was in perfect shape for Round 5, where he was again able to take both race wins on the day and, as a result, earn himself enough points for an insurmountable lead in the championship.

“I’m very honoured to win, not just today, but also the Japanese Motocross Championship for 2022 for Yamaha. Since landing here, Yamaha has been nothing but amazing to deal with and have worked tirelessly, so winning this is as much for them as it is for me,” Wilson said with some relief.

“It was a huge family decision we made towards the end of last year to move over from Australia and start a new chapter of our lives, but it couldn’t have turned out any better. We are loving our time here and working with Yamaha both with racing and in testing is my dream job come true. Thank you everyone at Yamaha Factory Racing and the people who support us. This is a team effort so everyone can feel a part of this success. And it was so good to see so many people here to celebrate this win with me.”

With two rounds left to run, the championship pressure is now off for Wilson, but he will continue to push forward as the motivation of a perfect season is driving him and the Yamaha Factory Team.

“I’m not sure if that has been done before here in Japan, but regardless, I would love to get through the year and win every race in the championship. It would be a great achievement for myself and the Yamaha team, so that’s what we will keep working hard for and see if we can make it happen,” Wilson went on to say.

The final two rounds of the Japanese championship are set to take place in Kanto on October 30 and Sugo on November 12.