Long time #TeamEVS athlete Preston Kilroy is gearing up to make his Professional Supercross debut this weekend in Minneapolis, the start of the East Coast region of the 2022 Supercross season.  We got a chance to catch up with the Wyoming native to chat about his offseason, Supercross prep, what his goals are for this year and more!

EVS Sports: Preston – how are you and how has your offseason been leading up to East Coast kicking off?

Kilroy: Overall I’ve been feeling pretty good. My training and strength have been top priorities and I’ve been working hard with the time I’ve had. Things started off a little rocky with getting injured leading up to the start of West Coast SX but feeling more comfortable each day. Right now I feel good where I’m at fitness wise and I’m excited for racing to start this weekend!

EVS Sports: Sounds like things went well with injury rehab after the initial plan being to race West Coast?

Kilroy: I was excited to race West Coast but with my arm injury I wasn’t able to get enough time on the bike leading up to A1 for me to be confident in myself with racing.  I was bummed with the injury at first because I was really looking forward to all the hype and excitement with racing at A1 and starting my pro career there.  Thankfully I got over that feeling pretty quickly and put my head down to work hard in rehab which overall has been great and I’m finally starting to feel like myself again. Injuries are always tough but I’m glad to be healthy coming into East Coast SX.

EVS Sports: Let’s talk a little bit about how you got into racing in general?  What got you into dirt bikes and how has that lead you to now making your pro SX debut?

Kilroy: My dad was big into racing and, as a result, he got me started at a young age. I’ve been hooked to two wheels ever since. All the years leading up to this point weren’t always easy for me and my family but worth every second. It’s always been a dream of mine to race professionally and I’m incredibly grateful to be put in this position to do so.

EVS Sports: Talk to me about how prep for Supercross specifically is different than the majority of the riding and racing you’ve done to this point in your career?

Kilroy: SX prep is a whole different story. It’s taking me some time to get comfortable on the tight and technical tracks. I’ve been so used to outdoors where the tracks aren’t as technical and demanding as Supercross is.  The timing with my injury wasn’t ideal either as it kind of put a stop to my transition from traditional motocross to Supercross but ever since getting back on the bike I’ve really been focusing on technique and working on improving my weaknesses. 

EVS Sports: With you being a rookie there’s a lot of stress involved obviously, but you’ve been with the Bar X Suzuki team for a while now and they have a solid program put together for 2022.  Does having that familiarity in the team help make Supercross prep a bit easier for you?

Kilroy: Being with that crew has been a real comfort factor for me and helped make me feel at home.  The lead up to Supercross is always stressful for everyone involved but there’s a few extra nerves on my end being a rookie.  The familiarity of the team has definitely helped this lead up to East Coast SX be easier for me as far as testing and really prep in general for Supercross.  I’m grateful to have the BarX crew by my side for my rookie season…they always want what’s best for me and that makes my whole program run so much smoother.

EVS Sports: With it being your rookie season what are some of your goals for your first year?

Kilroy: My number one goal is to stay healthy just because I want to essentially be a ‘sponge’ each weekend.  Each weekend that I get to race will be a huge opportunity to learn and grow. You could do hundreds of laps at the Supercross test track but it’s almost impossible to truly replicate that ‘race’ feeling of a gate drop under the lights at a professional Supercross.  That race experience is really what I’m looking to learn the most from.  Staying healthy is my number one goal so I can race and learn throughout the season but I think aiming for a top ten would be a great start to my Supercross career. 

EVS Sports: You’ve been with EVS a long time – I remember doing a refurb for you at Lorettas a couple years back!  What’s it been like being a part of #TeamEVS for such a long period of time?

Kilroy: Being a part of #TeamEVS has always made me feel like a member of the family. I have been with you guys for a few years and like I said earlier, injuries are tough but they’re a part of the sport we all love.  EVS has always made sure I’m taken care of with the best products in the business to help keep me safe every time I get on the bike.  I’m grateful to have them on this journey as I start this next chapter of racing!

Interview by Jackson Halsmer

PRESTON KILROY'S EVS CHOICE:

AXIS PRO KNEE BRACES

REVO 5 ROOST DEFLECTOR

SB03 SHOULDER BRACE

FUSION SOCKS