Young gun Aussie primed for a big season in Moto3, but the pressure is building
In many ways this is a make-or-break year for Kelso. The 21-year-old enjoyed his best ever campaign in 2024, scoring a maiden pole position and becoming a regular top-six contender in the second part of the year. Now entering his fourth Moto3 season and with an eye on stepping up to Moto2 next year, Joel knows it’s time to start delivering podiums – results which he feels are more than achievable with new team LEVELUP-MTA KTM.
What are your first impressions of your new team so far?
It’s never easy meeting a new crew and making a fresh start. But I have a good relationship with Alessando Tonucci, who was part of the first team I joined in Europe. I feel I’m at home. We’re slowly making steps forward and understanding each other each.
You had a fantastic preseason, and were second fastest at Jerez…
Portugal is hard to say because I’m fast there no matter what. But Jerez hasn’t been a strong track for us. A lot of it’s down to a good preseason. I did a lot more training on motocross bikes and the Superbike. Not many Moto3 riders train on a bigger bike. This helped. We’re in a good place physically and mentally. We’re ready to rock and roll this year.
How have you addressed your weak points from last year?
One weakness was the grip on the rear tyre. We just struggled to get the bike turned without the grip. Training on the BMW Superbike, with a couple of hundred horsepower under you, spinning that rear tyre around the last corner of Phillip Island has helped. To get a Superbike turned you’ve got to be sliding and I’ve just been getting comfortable to that situation, and adapting how I ride when the tyre drops.
Is your KTM similar to what you rode last year?
We started off with the base setting of last year’s riders (in MTA). It was difficult at the beginning. Then we slowly went in the direction of what works for my riding style, which was similar to mine last year. It almost feels the same as last year now. The bike hasn’t changed – only little components are different. I like the bike set up for hard braking and being comfortable with the front. After a few days the bike is like that now. We’re in a good place.
What goals have you set yourself for this season?
We want to be in that fight for the championship. We were ninth at the end of last year. But until the middle of the year we were fourth (overall). The goal is to be there. It’s a super tough goal but I want to at least be in the fight. The first goal is to get podiums. Hopefully it’ll come in Argentina (he placed 8th) then America. And every race after that! That’ll be a goal going into every weekend and then I want to step up to Moto2 next year. If we want that, we have to be performing at the top end.
Who do you rate as your main challengers for this year’s fight?
Hard to say. There are a couple of riders who are always fast but then we start racing and they’re not. I don’t really look too much at testing. OK, I finished P2 in Jerez but it was more important to be feeling good on the bike. Piqueras is strong. Rueda is strong. But there are others.
You moved from Mallorca to Barcelona last year. Will you continue to base yourself in the Catalan capital?
I’m still living in Barcelona. But we’re going to spend more time in Australia this year. We’ve got a better set-up there now. The guy who organises all my training, Jake, owns the Superbike and motocross bikes. Nothing’s like home. We’ll go back in the summer break and have two bases: Melbourne and Barcelona.
