After a whirlwind signing, Carlton Dry Honda Racing team manager Chris Woods has welcomed Dan McCoy to the squad as they prepare for the opening round of the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals this weekend.

Following much speculation as to who would replace the retired Ben Townley on the team, it has become apparent that Woods and his team had their eyes on the the current Australian Supercross number two rider since the shock announcement from Townley.

Woods believes McCoy is the best choice as a replacement MX1 rider and with prior time spent together in 2008, it was a unanimous decision to bring the 28-year-old onboard.

“Once we knew Ben wasn’t coming back full-time we discussed the best possible replacement and it was unanimous that Daniel McCoy would be the one we would go after,” said Woods.

“His past success is outstanding. He is the current runner-up Australian Supercross Champion and he has worked with the team before in 2008.”

Although McCoy has had limited time on the Honda CRF450R, Woods feels confident with their current progress and hopes to use this weekend’s Raymond Terrace opener as a gauge for the remaining rounds.

“We have not had a lot of time to prepare with Daniel but the testing we have done has gone well, we are looking for consistent results this weekend and we can gauge where we are at from there,” he added.

Tony Hinton of Honda Motorcycles feels that with his strong work ethic and vast experience, McCoy will be a good addition to the Carlton Dry Honda Racing team.

“Daniel McCoy has a track record of consistent results in both motocross and supercross and a past history with Honda,” Hinton explained. “We know with his strong work ethic and vast experience, he will be a good addition to the team.”

McCoy will ride alongside Carlton Dry Honda Racing teammate Ford Dale in the MX1 class, with Josh Cachia representing the team in the MX2 class.