Adam Sterry will make another vast leap in his fast-moving career in 2017 as one of Kawasaki’s main Grand Prix hopes in the MX2 FIM Motocross World Championship and the 20-year-old has already ridden a KX250F and is analysing how he can build on a promising if somewhat erratic debut season at the highest level this year.
The 2016 British Champion was snapped up by the French Monster Energy Kawasaki team and will fill the departed Dylan Ferrandis’ sizeable shoes alongside Petar Petrov next term. Sterry won EMX250 races and led the championship in 2015 before making GP wild-card appearances (catching many eyes with his eighth place on his debut in Argentina) as well as the MXGP class on a 350SX-F with the Wilvo Virus Performance crew.
2016 marked a first full tilt at Grand Prix and decent starts and speed to run in the top 10 were evident but so were some costly mistakes that meant that a best finish of 10th overall was the highlight at Loket for the Czech round this summer. Sterry also missed the first six meetings of the championship due to a broken left wrist sustained in practice at Losail, Qatar.
“I struggled with consistency this year – some of it my fault and some of it not…but I just needed to get used to running that speed near the front of GPs,” he says, exclusively on his MX2 experience. “It is a lot more intense than the British [series]! I hardly made a mistake in the British Championship so I just need to transfer it [his form] – that’s something I will be working hard on this winter along with bike set-up.”
Sterry has already committed to spending more time near the team in the south of France next year and will benefit from the advice of former world champion Mickael Maschio. “With the new workshop being built and the tracks available down there I know it will be ideal to escape from the UK weather and make riding easier – spending time in France will only be a positive,” he said.
Kawasaki will count on Petrov and the Monster Energy DRT duo of Vsevolod Brylyakov and Darian Sanayei as well as third rider in the French set-up, rookie Stephen Rubini. Sterry will be the only athlete needing to adapt to the KX250F after emerging from a long period with KTM that began at junior level.
The Brit had his first outing on the bike last week. “I’ve only ridden it once as I’m having some time off but I’ve been on a KTM for four years so everything feels a bit different – more than I thought,” Sterry admitted. “I will start testing soon to get everything how I like it. I have always been a fan of how Japanese bikes handle and turn and even though I rode a standard model I felt comfortable right away.”
Sterry, along with Conrad Mewse at Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, will be two factory-backed British riders in MX2 next season (with Ben Watson, injured for practically the whole year with a badly broken foot, also expected to return to Grand Prix) and the signs are positive for #811. The last UK native to link up with Monster Energy Kawasaki – Tommy Searle – scored a number of Grand Prix wins and battled Jeffrey Herlings closely for the 2012 MX2 title. With Herlings now out of the category, there is plenty of room for surprises in ’17.
