Speed demon

JAY Wilson, at 15, is Australia’s first Motocross World Champion and hopes to follow in the bike tracks of Chad Reed.

Crystal Spencer

RIDERS in the Australian Motocross Championships are filthy – they’ve been eating Jay Wilson’s dust all year.

Wilson and his bike have kicked up a storm on this year’s circuit, in what has been a remarkable season for the Tweed speed demon.

Having prevailed at state and national level, the 15-year-old cemented his place in Australian history by becoming the country’s first Motocross World Champion – beating his superstar hero Chad Reed to the title by less than a week.

The feat earned him the title of “ Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine’s Junior Rider of the Year.”

“Winning a world championship was a dream come true,” Wilson said. “But to be voted junior rider of the year was just amazing.

“Chad Reed (dual world supercross champion and current world motocross champion) and other big names like (seven-time world supercross champion) Jeremy McGrath were there, and they talked about me and said good stuff about me on stage and then congratulated me afterwards.

“I would love to get to where they are and make a living out of riding; that would be great.”

In a stellar start to the competitive year, the Banora Point High School student first blitzed the Queensland Motocross titles in July, before throwing himself into the Australian Junior Motocross Championships, finishing second.

“I was pretty confident entering the Aussies,” he said. “But I didn’t have the luckiest of races and a few things didn’t go my way, which cost me.”

However, his podium consistency was enough to secure a spot on Motorcycling Australia’s team for the 2009 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand – the first time Motorcycling Australia had sent a team to the event.

“The championships are usually in Europe, so it was great to have it held so close to home,” Wilson said. “To be part of the first international team MA had sent was an honour.”

With a commanding eight- second victory in the first final and a valiant third placing in the second, Wilson’s dominance captured the 12-15 years 85cc world title – a just reward for 11 dedicated, but enjoyable years.

“Dad used to ride and thought it would be cool to get us kids into it,” he said.

“The thrill of racing is amazing, and when we go to competitions it’s like we’re all one big family; we catch up and have some fun.”

Next year will be Wilson’s last as a junior before stepping up to seniors, “where it all happens”.