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Twenty-two year-old Dylan Walsh will fill-in for the retired Julien Lieber at JM Honda Racing. The reigning British MX2 champion has just stepped up to start competing aboard the Honda CRF450R.
The British-born Kiwi is a versatile rider with racing experience in many different international series ranging from the MX2 world championship over EMX250 and the elite American amateur SX events.
Before embarking on his worldwide odyssey Dylan picked up eight national titles in New Zealand. The popular rider from Christchurch went on to score two moto EMX250 wins and several podiums throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In his first full season of MX2 world championship racing last year Walsh recorded 8th overall placements and finished 5th in race 2 at Mantova.
Dylan made his marks in his first ever 450 race at the opening round of the MX Nationals UK series in Hawkstone Park where he led the second moto and finished fifth overall. Walsh is set to contest the last three rounds of the MX Nationals.
Dylan Walsh: “I’m super excited about this great opportunity! I realize it’s a big step but I’m motivated to work hard with the team to improve each time I’m out on track. I’ve only done a couple of weeks on the Honda 450, but even in stock trim it’s a very solid bike that’s easy to get used to. All of this would not be possible without Matt Smith Racing and Only Revo allowing me to grab this chance with JM Honda Racing, especially on such short notice so I’m very thankful for that.”
Jacky Martens, JM Honda Racing team manager: “We’re really looking forward to having Dylan come on board. He has proven before that he has raw speed and is eager to learn. To fill in for a rider like Julien Lieber who started his third season MXGP is a big ask but that’s not what this is about. We just want him to make the most of this experience and continue to make progress. Dylan immediately felt comfortable on the JM Honda Racing bike in testing so that’s been a nice introduction. A big thanks to Matt Smith (MSR Redline Motorcycles Honda) and Mark Yates (Only Revo) for their understanding and cooperation.”
