Image: Supplied.

Australian MX2 contender Jay Wilson was dominant during a guest appearance in the All-Japan Motocross Championship round at Sugo, winning both ‘IA-2’ motos.

The Yamaha Yamalube Racing regular started the weekend strongly by winning the qualifying race, providing him first gate pick heading into the two 30 minute motos.

“I was actually pretty nervous before that qualifying race as I had an outside gate and needed to get a good start,” Wilson stated. “If I was back in the pack and had to come through, there was a chance the race might not be as fast as the other qualifier, and I wouldn’t have got first gate pick in the two motos later in the day.”

The 27-year-old then proceeded to make average starts in each race, however with solid intensity was able to get to the lead within the opening 10 minutes of both motos, defending first position to the chequered flag on each occasion.

“Once the racing started, I was fine and it was good to race the locals,” Wilson added. “Their speed is good and they all know this circuit well, so I had to keep working in each moto.

“The track is difficult as it got quite rutty and reading the clay here is tough. Where it looked tacky was slippery and then add some sun in your eyes up the hills and it became a lot more technical than would I thought it would.

“I have had an amazing time here in Japan and to win this race means a lot to me as I know the amount of work that has gone on behind the scenes to make it happen. The goal here was to prove how good the standard 2022 YZ250F is, as the bike I raced with had a 100 percent standard motor and I hope we were able to achieve that.

“Everyone here at Yamaha in Japan have been so welcoming and willing to help, KYB have been great to deal with and Dunlop have also been very helpful with this trip. I still have another week or so in Japan, so I’m looking forward to meeting and working with Yamaha Japan and making the most of this opportunity presented to me.

“Thank you to both Yamaha Australia and Yamaha Japan and hope the win on the weekend was a good reward for the hard work and time everyone has put into this trip.”

The invitation for Wilson to compete in Japan came off the back of Kota Toriyabe working in Australia in 2020, where in return, Yamaha Motor Corporation (YMC) extended the invitation to the Australian to contest the Sugo event.

Wilson will now head back to the Yamaha headquarters in Hamamatsu, where he will be involved in some further product testing and meetings before returning home on 4 November.