The sandy based Hokkaido circuit hosted round five of the championship and it proved to be one of the roughest and most challenging tracks in this year’s championship. Jay Wilson didn’t have it all his own way and was forced to work hard for his results, especially in race one where the locals threw out the challenge.
Wilson charged into the first turn of race one with the holeshot but was instantly challenged by the local riders. Three turns later, he was relegated back to second as the aggressive move on Wilson forced him wide and he had to give way. Half a lap later, and Wilson returned serve to get back into the lead, but it was short lived as he fell not long after and dropped down the field.
He biked up his bike and rejoined the race in fifth place. He had 20 minutes of racing left and about 15 seconds to make up on the leader. He pulled them back in one by one and made it to the front with five minutes to spare.
Race two was a much more sedate affair as he charged to the lead, built a comfortable gap and held it to the end.
Jay Wilson remains undefeated in the 2023 season on his YZ450F but with three rounds to go, there are still plenty of laps and racing remaining before the championship is over.
“This was my first race here at Hokkaido and I really liked the track. Many Japanese are clay based, hard pack style tracks while this one has a softer base and gets rough and physical.
“The team did a great job on the bike to dial it in for the conditions and to go 1-1 is another good reward for everyone at Yamaha and the Factory Innovation team.
“We have three rounds to go and it’s awesome to be in this position but I know the championship isn’t over so I need to stay focused and keep working hard,” Wilson ends.