Due to health issues, Jason Meara hasn’t been in the British Championship paddock since round two of the series last year at Canada Heights. The Irish rider has been taking his time to make a return to racing, rightly focusing on his health and ensuring he is in a position to compete safely.
Now, Meara has made the decision to return to the MXGB Championship paddock this weekend at Preston Docks. It marks a welcome comeback for a rider who has clearly missed being behind the gate.
“I’m racing the British Championship this weekend. I am still not 100%, I would say I’m about 90% with the health issues. I had a chat with the team and people in my inner circle. I could have delayed this more and more but I’ve made the decision to comeback this weekend and try my best. I will give it all I can – I have zero expectations. My main goal is to just go there and get a result. If that is 40th or top 10, who knows. I haven’t raced there in almost a year so we’ll just see how it goes. We’ll try and build on it through the year”, Meara told GateDrop.com.
Despite not being at full fitness, Meara is encouraged by how he feels on the bike as he prepares for his return to the British Championship paddock.
“I am feeling pretty good on the bike. I’ve just had some lingering health issues but nothing that is making things unsafe for me. I will deal with them for now but they are slowly getting better. I’ve got the right people on-board now trying to get things better”.
Another key change for the Irishman is his switch in machinery, adapting not only to a new brand but also a different engine capacity as he continues to rebuild. He still has the same setup around him – MotoCycle who have given him all the time required to make this return to the paddock.
“With the Yamaha, it’s a big change. Not only going from KTM to Yamaha but going from 350cc to 450cc. I’ve had to adjust my style of riding again but to be fair, the 450cc probably suits my style better than the 350cc. It’s just muscling the 450cc around for a whole moto – it can be a bit of an animal. I am feeling fit and strong but just lack some bike time over the winter. I haven’t had much of a pre-season but it’s time to jump back into it. I am just looking forward to going back racing again”.
Meara already showed promising signs earlier in the year during his outing in the Scottish Championship, where he exceeded his own expectations despite limited preparation.
“The first round of the Scottish was a massive success for me. Up until the week of the race, I didn’t think I was even going to race it. I decided to ride, see how it goes and I literally rode around at about 80%. I couldn’t believe how close I was to the guys ahead of me. I wasn’t very fit because I had a lack of bike time but it was a success for me”, Meara concluded.
Meara’s return at Preston Docks is less about immediate results and more about taking an important step back into competitive racing. With his health steadily improving and confidence building on the bike, the weekend represents the beginning of what he hopes will be a progressive season. Whether fighting through the pack or pushing towards the top ten, simply being back on the gate is already a significant victory for the Irish rider.
