The news that Jonny Walker’s Red Bull KTM contract wouldn’t be renewed for 2021 sent shock waves through the world of extreme enduro when it broke last week but the British hero is already making plans for next season.
“I’m just keeping riding to make sure I’m ready for next year,” he said when we caught up with him earlier today. “I’ve been stressing and the last two weeks have been bad – I’ve got nothing lined up but something will come.
“When I found out they weren’t going to re-sign me I was a bit shocked but I appreciate the time I’ve spent with the team so I can’t complain. All good things must come to an end and it is what it is.”
The 29-year-old Cumbrian, who is now based in the Pyrenean principality of Andorra, has had a tough year. After finishing third in the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Jonny broke his elbow at the third round of the British Extreme series which forced him to sit out of the Red Bull Romaniacs, an event he won in 2014 and 2015.
With his Red Bull KTM deal finishing on December 31, Jonny’s confident he’ll get to the races one way or another.
“I’ll be doing the SuperEnduro championship which hopefully is going to take place in March with all the rounds in Poland and then the WESS championship, Romaniacs, Megawatt, Erzberg – all the big races. I’ll be there whatever – I’ll just take myself and my own bike if I have to.
“If I need to I’ll just go and buy a bike. I’ll be picking something else that I can win on. There are some brands that I’ve had my eye on – it’ll be a two-stroke and I’m pretty sure I can get on any other bike and run top-three at the races.”