Coming into the 2022 season one rider who currently hasn’t got a ride is British talent, Adam Sterry. The Brit had a nice career in the MX2 World Championship but since making the step up to MXGP hasn’t shown what he can really do as of yet and injuries haven’t helped.
Sterry won’t be staying with the Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee team for the 2022 season and as of right now doesn’t appear to have anything on the table. Any team managers reading this and still have an MXGP slot for the 2022 season then Sterry could be your man!
We caught up with Sterry to discuss his future and more.
GateDrop: Adam, let’s start with the 2021 season – injury cut the season short unfortunately but you had some good pace at the start of the season. Where you happy with how things were going?
Sterry: We had some good races but I ended up missing too many races, like you said I got injured in Germany and after that it was triple headers so I missed a lot of races there and at the start of the season we missed more races as they clashed with the British championship, when you miss so many races it’s hard to stay in the flow of world championship racing and of course less chances to get good results.
GateDrop: Obviously you had a good career in MX2, the past two years you’ve stepped up to MXGP. Just what’s it like making the jump up and especially without a factory bike?
Sterry: Yeah, MX2 was good, I have always believed the 450cc suits me better I just feel like I haven’t been able to show it yet. The step up is difficult everyone is so close and everyone has a lot of experience with racing, training, testing etc so the level is much higher. At the end of the day it’s the pinnacle of the sport so it’s expected.
GateDrop: The level of MXGP last year was just incredible – possibly the best ever! How would you describe racing the series?
Sterry: Difficult (laughs). But that’s something I love! If you’re a little bit off on the day it’s the difference of getting points or not. Everyone is pushing the limits and that’s why the level is so high.
GateDrop: Unfortunately you won’t continue with the Hitachi KTM team, I felt you did reasonably well, was it tough to deal with when you found out?
Sterry: I enjoyed working with the team, it’s a British team and people I’ve worked with before. Not really because I kind of knew that would happen anyway. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get the results I or the team wanted.
GateDrop: Looking ahead to 2022 – has there been much interest in you? I believe Marchetti was an option but they’ve went with another rider in the end – are there any other teams interested?
Sterry: I had a few teams interested but in the end it didn’t work out and as of right now there isn’t many other options. I definitely learnt a lot though.
GateDrop: There’s obviously so much talent in MXGP at the moment, just how difficult is it to secure a ride?
Sterry: Very difficult! The age rule in MX2 doesn’t help either. There is becoming less MXGP teams but more riders entering the class every year. It’s also the reason people are deciding to retire. Without a good team and budget in the MXGP class it is almost impossible to compete.
GateDrop: How likely do you think it is at the moment that you’ll be racing even selected MXGP races in 2022?
Sterry: At the moment not very likely but I need to sit down and think about it.
GateDrop: Unfortunately the British paddock isn’t what it used to be either, have you any offers to even race at a domestic level?
Sterry: I had one but to be honest that wasn’t something that I initially wanted to do (as in just the British championship) and like you said it isn’t what it used to be!
GateDrop: For any potential team bosses maybe reading this, what sort of rider would they be signing in you?
Sterry: Someone who’s dedicated there life to the sport, works hard and with the right team and people can be back racing at the front.
GateDrop: Worst case if no offer does come in – fingers crossed that doesn’t happen but what’s the future look like for you?
Sterry: As of this moment I’m not sure. It’s something I’ve dedicated my life too so it would be strange not to be lining up but at the end of the day if there isn’t an option that’s something I have to deal with and come up with a solution. I’ll still be training so maybe an opportunity will appear at some point!
Interview: Andy McKinstry
Pic: Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee/Ray Archer