Essex-born Team Green Kawasaki KX85 rider Dylan Woodcock was the only competitor from the UK to be invited by Monster Energy to race in front of thousands of fans in the 2014 Monster Energy Cup at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. During the build-up to the event, Moto Magazine spent some time in southern California with Dylan and his team manager Jeff Perrett. Watching the footage they shot of Dylan testing his new Pro Circuit Kawasaki super mini, it’s easy to see why he caught the attention of Monster Energy’s scouts. This kid can really thrash round those dirt tracks, and in interviews his confidence and determination to win comes across loud and clear.

The most surprising thing about this video is that, despite the high stakes and long distance from home, Dylan seems as relaxed as he would be if he’d just popped round a mate’s house for a kickabout in the back garden. But then, he’s been racing bikes since he was twelve, and with a former enduro racer father who once bought him a Yamaha PW50 mini bike for Christmas, he’s probably been around motocross for as long as he can remember.

Since this video was filmed, Dylan has competed in the World Championship in the 85 class, finishing impressively in twelfth position, and has returned to the United States to ride in both the 250F Intermediate and the Schoolboy classes at the El Dorado National Series. He’s now settled into racing 250 bikes, and with plans to turn professional in the near future, it looks like this young trailblazer has a very bright future ahead of him in motocross.