Altherm JCR Yamaha’s Jay Wilson has been finding some great form early in 2015, with the 20-year-old completing a clean-sweep of the MX2 class at the second round of the New Zealand Motocross Championship on Sunday. MotoOnline.com.au caught up with Jay and hit him with Five Questions Why to unearth the story behind his renewed speed and his partnership with MXGP hero Josh Coppins.

Source: JCR.

Why have you been spending so much time in NZ?

It’s good preparation for Australia, basically. I’m riding for Josh Coppins both in Australia and New Zealand, so the best thing we can do is to be there and do all our testing there. It’s been a good pre-season so far, we have been doing is a lot of good quality riding and Josh has a great structure to his program. I think we’re making some good steps in the right direction and we’re going to be getting close to where we want to be before round one at Horsham in a month’s time.

Why are you doing so well in the NZ nationals?

It’s my third year in New Zealand, so I kind of know what to expect now. The Kiwi guys really turn it up on their home soil and they’re very confident on their tracks, so the competition has been very high. We have a good bike this year and we’ve had more time to work on it; last year I was forced straight into racing and didn’t have my time to get the bike set up at all, which probably didn’t help my results much. There’re also not as many two-stroke racers this year, which has made it easier to get good starts. Over here only Hadleigh Knight is riding a two-stroke so far, which has been awesome [laughs]. I think people are realising they’re not going to get rewarded for riding two-strokes in the long run, so they’re switching back to fours. It’s good to see.

Why was the Timaru track so hard to pass on?

The organisers watered the track expecting no rain, but then we got hit with rain overnight and that made the track muddy and one-lined for practice. From then on it was one-lined all day, really, although it did come around towards the end of the day and opened up more. For the conditions they were dealt, though, the guys did an awesome job with the track. In the first race I knew the start was key as it was so hard to pass people, so I holeshot and lead start to finish, but in the second race I got bogged on the inside of the gate and started sixth, but bulldogged it to third by the end of the first lap. I haven’t ridden a track that technical in a while, so it was good to ride on the edge and out of my comfort zone in order to get to the front. In the third moto I was top three on the first lap, then I waited for the guys in front to make a mistake that’d let me make a move on them.

Image: Andy McGechan (BikesportNZ.com).

Why are you riding for Josh Coppins in 2015?

I wasn’t left with many options at the end of last year. There aren’t many teams in the Lites class, and although I had a couple of offers to race the MX1 class, I thought it’d be best for my career to stay in the MX2 class, get some good results this year, then see where it takes me. Josh and I have always got on really well and he’s got so much experience and knows a lot of people. The opportunity to join his team both in New Zealand and Australia was by far the best option. It’s going to be a tough year, but I’m really looking forward to it. Mike Ward is helping me out with engine and suspension work as well – Josh and Wardy have always had my back and were still there believing me and pushing me when I was in a hole and all other support had gone.

Why is Josh teaching you Stefan Everts’ riding style?

During my time off the bike I’d been watching a lot of videos and am really keen to get to Europe in the future. I needed to change my riding style up as I have started over-revving the bike the past few years and that’s made it harder for me to go fast. Josh has helped me change my style and it’s working. I’m feeling really comfortable on the bike and it’s making riding a lot easier. Josh has been teaching me to stand up more, be patient, look further ahead and ride up a gear everywhere. You can’t go faster if you’re on the limiter! It’s taken me a while to listen and get rid of some of my habits, but I’m heading in the right direction.