Former Australian motocross champion Jay Wilson might be one of those riders who remains a little invisible as he takes challenges most wouldn’t dare take. Wilson and his wife Misty made the decision to move to Japan with their then-four-year-old daughter Poppy.

Wilson signed a contract with Yamaha in Japan as a development and test rider, while racing the All-Japan Motocross Championship. At 29 years of age, the Aussie is a two-time Japanese champion after dominating both the 250 and 450 classes. He also worked with the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team in the US and plays an instrumental role in developing Yamaha’s future motorcycles.

“I started talking to Japan in early 2020 before Covid and came over for a race at Sugo in 2021 and in February of 2022 we sold everything. We did a stint in quarantine, and I went straight to the track for the first race. We lived in a hotel for a month before we moved into a house.”

Wilson also travelled to American in his deal with Yamaha, to help out their AMA efforts. Having worked with names like Haiden Deegan and Justin Cooper, Yamaha US were more than interested in Wilson continuing his position in America. His goals were in Japan and winning Japanese championships.

“When we first spoke with Yamaha, our plan was to stay three to five years. My career hasn’t gone the way I expected it to, but I honestly wouldn’t change it for the world. Ultimately, we’d love to one day settle in New Zealand, but whether we go to the US first, or Europe, who knows? Right now, we’re locked in for at least another year in Japan.”

The All-Japan Championship consists of 8 rounds that will change format during the championship, of which three have already been run. Below is the coverage of the last round and under the schedule is the live stream for rounds four and five, on June 1 and 2 and June 22 and 23.

Japanese Championship Calendar

Round 4. 1/2 June - Sugo

Round 5. 22/23 June - Hokkaido

Round 6. 14/15 September - Nara

Round 7. 28/29 September - Saitama

Round 8. 19 & 20 October - Sugo