ROAD RACER SEAN DYLAN KELLY
P82
Interview
"We got him on the bike the Tues-
day after the 2018 Red Bull Rookies
season ended. It was a good test. I
could tell. I've been watching Sean
for a long time. He really came on my
radar in 2015. Then I kept tabs on him,
watched his results and watched what
he was doing at Red Bull Rookies. Got
to see him first-hand during a school
track day out in California at the begin-
ning of 2018. I really thought, okay, I
could do something with him."
I caught up with Kelly during his
MotoAmerica debut weekend at Road
Atlanta. In addition to his evident
skills as a racer, It's striking how well
spoken and polished he is considering
he's just 16.
How does it feel about scoring
a podium finish in your Mo-
toAmerica debut?
It's a fantastic way to start. Not only
happy for myself, but also for the team.
We've been working really hard. Just
happy to get started in this direction.
It was a pretty difficult first day yester-
day. My first time learning the track.
It was my first time in the wet on a 600 yesterday
morning as well, so a lot of new stuff, a lot of new
information coming in. Still just learning lap by lap,
really. I started in sixth, so it wasn't the best place
to start. The feeling was not the best this morn-
ing, but we've been working really, really good with
the team. My crew chief, Jeremy, has been doing
a great job. We've just been working in the right
direction, really. Just taking things step by step. In
the race, the bike felt very, very good. Just being
able to see fast guys helped, definitely, just to get
more track knowledge. Lap by lap I was improving.
Kelly celebrates
his standout ride
at the 200 with his
sister and father.
Is it more important
for you to be winning
races or have the
potential to win
races, or is it more
important to be in a
world championship
event?
The thing is I'd
rather be winning
in the world
championship."
