At 26, Dylan Wills’ hard work as a privateer has been rewarded with the Sydney-based rider securing a new seat to spearhead Husqvarna Racing Team’s new MX2 effort in 2022. MotoOnline caught up with Wills to get his Fast Thoughts on a range of topics…

Signing with the Husqvarna Racing Team…

I’ve received support from the KTM Group over the past few years so they could continue having MX2 riders out there competing at a high level, but this year I’m lucky enough to now be part of the Husqvarna Racing Team. There are pretty limited factory spots in the MX2 class and having that backing and the structure behind me now means I fight for the MX2 championship. I’m fortunate to now get increased help with practice and race bikes, support getting to the races, and now have the personnel and structure available to take things to the next level. I’ve been taking advantage of having good people and a lot of knowledge available, and tapping into that resource when I need help.

Pre-season testing…

Even though there are three different brands with Husqvarna, KTM and GasGas, we’re still one big team and we all have a good relationship. We’ve done a day with Nathan Crawford and bounced ideas off each other, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Until now I’ve just been tinkering with a few settings here and there on the practice bike, but this week I head up to Queensland to do our first proper testing session with the team, where we’ll come up with a setting that we’ll run for most of the year.

Having a former champion as a teammate…

I’ve had a good relationship with Todd Waters since I came out of juniors, but being in different states, I haven’t had a lot to do with him as far as riding and training goes. I’m excited to get up to Queensland and pick his brain this week. Being a privateer the past few years, I haven’t had the opportunity to do a lot of testing because it comes out of my own pocket. At the same time, Todd’s had the same chassis and set-up since 2019, so he has a lot of experience with these bikes – he’s got his base and he continues to evolve it and make it better. He’s told me he’s happy to help me out with bike set-up and guide me along the way. That’s ideal for me, to take that knowledge and to see how he goes about it.

Road cycling for training…

I’ve seen massive gains from road cycling. When we went into lockdown and we were stuck in our LGA, I rode a lot for fun, purely to get out of the house and get some exercise. I paired up with Luke Clout as we live near each other and, at the time, cycling was all I did as I didn’t have a home gym set-up and we couldn’t ride dirt bikes anywhere. I believe the benefits go much further than physical benefits and have helped my ability to overcome mental barriers. When you’re fatigued and find yourself a long way from home with some big hills to climb, you need to dig deep mentally. When I then go to the race track, those 30-35-minute races don’t feel quite as challenging – it all comes down to conditioning and headspace. On top of that, cycling is something I really enjoy doing, almost as much as I love racing my dirt bike. Training can be a real task as we need to be fit from February to November, so you need to find something that you love. Cycling has played a big part in the longevity of my career.

The season ahead…

I’ve got a really good structure and good people around me now, so the goal is definitely to win the MX2 championship. I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time and am in a really good headspace right now. It’s hard to know what 2022 will bring and covid could throw a massive spanner in the works, but right now I’m taking things step by step. Another big focus for me this year is getting through the pre-season injury-free. I haven’t got through a pre-season uninjured since 2016 and I’ve always had to try and ride my way into a championship. Now that I have a good bike underneath me, it’s up to me mentally to put it together and eliminate those silly mistakes I’ve made in the past. I’m going to be smart, not over-ride at the practice track, and put it all together this year. If I have a good year I’ll look to step up to MX1 next year, but I’m taking things one day at a time for now. We don’t get to do this forever, so I want to make sure I do it with a smile on my face.