Image: Foremost Media.

Returning to domestic competition, Jy Roberts will compete in the 2022 Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) with WBR Yamaha and form part of the SX2 assault for the outfit.

Roberts, 21, suffered severe injuries from a practice crash in April 2019, resulting in nine days spent in a coma and having to relearn essentials such as walking, talking and eating.

He returned to professional competition earlier this year with an opportunity to race in Monster Energy Supercross with the PR-MX Kawasaki team, qualifying for Denver’s 250SX West main event with minimal time to practice in the build-up.

“Mainly, I missed racing,” Roberts told MotoOnline. “I stopped racing after my accident. Then covid happened, I retired from racing and started my own coaching business [100 Academy].

“Every day I missed it more and more, it was eating at me and I needed to get back on the bike. I got that call up for America, went over there and then went to Canada, then came back here and got the WBR call-up.

“As soon as they offered it to me I said yes, I was stoked, they are an awesome team and I’m excited to be working with them. I’m really speechless, should be a good season, I’m just ready to get back out there and start racing again.

Although Roberts has had limited time racing in Australia throughout the last three years, he aims to use the experience from racing abroad to enter domestic supercross in a position of strength.

“Obviously the calibre of riders over there are insane,” Roberts added. “Not taking anything away from this country, we have got great riders here, but they are the world’s best in America.

“Just having that mindset that I raced the world’s best this year, it’s going to help me leading into the Australian series. Their tracks are bigger, hopping onto an Australian-sized track, there’s not much difference, but those tracks should be a little bit easier for me to make work, I guess.”

Before Roberts’ retirement, he was an MXD and MX2 round winner in the Australian Motocross Championship. He was also granted a wildcard entry in round 14 of the 2018 MX2 World Championship at Semarang and finished 12th in the opening moto before crashing out of P7 in race two.

An announcement on who will partner Roberts in WBR’s SX2 effort is expected in the coming days.