Image: Supplied.

Current IA2 champion Jay Wilson got his 2023 All-Japan Motocross Championship campaign off to the perfect start over the weekend, winning on debut in the IA1 class onboard the new YZ450F in Kyushu.

Former Australian champion Wilson has stepped up to the 450 class for this year with the newly-formed Yamaha Factory Innovation Team and was pleasantly surprised after dominating the opening round with three race victories.

“The weekend went well and to be honest, I’m a little surprised by the results,” said Wilson. “Throughout the pre-season and in testing, my Yamaha teammates have shown they have plenty of speed and have often been faster than me so to dominate the opening round wasn’t expected.

“The first two races, I was able to pull a couple of holeshots and put in a sprint to get a gap that I could maintain to the end, but the last one my start wasn’t great and I had to hustle early to get to the front.”

After winning at the highest level in Japan onboard a YZ250F last year, Wilson leads the 2023 IA1 standings by 27 points ahead of the next race in Saitama between 13-14 May.