It’s been quite some time since a rider has risen through the ranks with the promise and sheer excitement of Raceline Pirelli Suzuki’s Errol Willis, winner of both the MX Nationals and Super X series in the Under 19s.

Willis was the standout amongst a host of talented young Australians in 2011, capturing both titles in dominant fashion, while making a name for himself with his decorated post-race celebrations.

It’s clear just how much the 18-year-old from Wagga Wagga wants to excel in the sport, and at this stage of his very young career, he’s on track for a bright future in the pro ranks.

MotoOnline.com.au called Willis this afternoon while he was out playing golf to speak about the season just past, plus we look ahead to 2012 when he’s due to step into the Pro Lites full time for Suzuki.

It’s been a big year for you with two titles, so congratulations. That was obviously the goal coming into the year?

Yeah, definitely. The goal coming into the year was to finish at least top three in both series, but I would have been happy with top five. When I found out I could win, I set myself a goal of being able to win them both.

I also wanted to win them with a round to go, which was something I always joked around with, kind of saying imagine if I did that. I ended up winning both championships with a round to go, so it was a big achievement for me and the Raceline Pirelli Suzuki team.

Super X only just introduced the Under 19s for this year, so is that something you thought was a good initiative?

For sure. I reckon the Under 19s class is a good step for Australia and even the rest of the world. Supercross is an intimidating thing to do, so having the Under 19s class makes everything that little bit easier and a bit more relaxing.

Hopefully it’s a bit safer for everyone. It was good and I really liked it, had a lot of fun, so it was good to wrap up another title.

American Joey Savatgy was here for the first round as your teammate in the U19s and there was a nice rivalry shaping up between you too, so were you disappointed at all when he got injured?

Yeah, I mean he was my teammate and we were looking to have some big battles. There was definitely a big rivalry there, we weren’t really getting along and it wasn’t much fun for me to have him on the team at times.

He ended up getting hurt and at first I was like, that’s a lot of weight off my shoulders, but then I thought about it and realised it was probably the worst thing that could have happened to me.

I was looking forward to racing against him, so it was a shame we didn’t get to and nobody got to see the battle.

I’m sure the racing would have been faster and my riding would be better because someone would have pushed me consistently. It was sad to see him go.

Looking back at the nationals and SX, what was the standout moment for you? What was your personal highlight?

In 2011 my personal highlight was getting both championships in the one year. My standout round was Moree, that was my favourite moment in my career. It was just so much fun and everything just felt easy that day.

Now I know that when Jay Marmont and Matt Moss say how everything just clicks and works sometimes, that day I really found out what they were talking about.

I qualified two seconds faster and won every race, then got the championship on top of it. You can’t have a better day than that.

In qualifying it didn’t even feel like I was trying, it just felt like I was riding around in my back yard. Each race I’d just get a good start and it all came easy, my bike was perfect, and I couldn’t pick a fault for the whole day.

Next year, you’re stepping up to the Pro Lites with Suzuki, will that be on the satellite team with Raceline Pirelli Suzuki again?

Yeah, I’ll be back with Raceline Pirelli Suzuki at this stage, looking at the Pro Lites this time. I’m sure we’ll have a really good bike again and we’ll be ready to race with those guys.

I was heading there to get a top five and get some finishes, but now I’m looking to win.

I think I can beat them. I’ve raced with [Kirk] Gibbs and beat him before, I’ve raced with people like [Brenden] Harrison and all that, had big battles with them.

[Kade] Mosig will definitely be a favourite to win, but I’ve beaten him a fair few times this year. I reckon I can possibly win, so I’ll do everything I can to do that.

Finally, is there anything you’ll adjust in your program to move into the Lites, or are you happy with what you’ve currently been doing?

This year, the biggest thing for me was that I learned what training really was, living with Boppo [Lawson Bopping]. Heading into next year my family has just bought a new property here in Wagga on the river, so we’re moving out there and I’ll have tracks full time.

I’ll be doing my own thing out of my hometown, so I think that is key and dangerous for anybody else. I’ll have that set up for myself now, so we’ll just have to see if I am stoppable.

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