Troy Dog
There is no question about it, Derek Kelley made a name for himself in 2022. Whether it was strong qualifying times and finishes in the 250SX West Region, or top privateer honors in Pro Motocross on the cusp of being in the top ten week in and week out. He had earned national number 41 for 2023, but who is he and where did he come from?
Kelley was born in Idaho, got his first bike at the age of 3 and by the time he was 7 he was one of the fastest 65cc riders in the state. He started taking racing more seriously and in 2008 he was attending amateur nationals and raced Loretta Lynn’s for the first time. In 2011, the Kelley family moved to Southern California because his father needed to for work. This move was a big turning point for Kelley’s racing program.
“When we moved it helped me a lot with racing,” Kelley said. “I gained a lot of speed racing the top amatuer kids in SoCal.”
Kelley continued to progress and by 2016 he was ready to try for his Supercross license. While prepping for Arenacross that season, Kelley had a bike malfunction and with it came a very big setback. The injuries from that crash resulted in him losing a kidney and his spleen. He would take the next 6-8 months to recover and when he came back he started doing some off-road WORCS Series races. During this period of time he got an offer to ride for SLR Honda, which now is the Factory Honda off-road team, but at this time the team was still gaining traction.
Derek ended up racing for SLR for a couple of season’s, which is a unique path to the pro ranks, and not one that you hear of very often. In 2019, Kelley raced some SX and MX events and decided to hang up the off-road career for the time being. Kelley is turning 24 in November, which is still young, but he has mixed feelings on how his transition into the pro ranks went.
“It’s definitely a different road map to pro,” Kelley said. “I’m grateful for the things I learned riding offroad, but at the same time I feel like I wasted some good years and I could be further along in my Supercross career.”
This year with the support of the AEO Powersports KTM team, Kelley was able to have his breakout season. The practice times were impressive each week and he was able to finish inside of the top ten three times in Supercross. His best finish was 8th at Anaheim 3. When it was time to race outdoors, Kelley wasted no time showing that he was the real deal against the factory teams. He had a really strong Hangtown with a 12-11 for 11th overall, followed that up with a tenth in the second moto at Thunder Valley (his first top ten in a moto), and he would be right on the cusp of the top ten for the majority of the rest of the season. For Kelley, he knows he has more to give and he’s looking forward to adding to his resume next season.
“I’m stoked on the season, but at the same time I’m a little bummed that I left some out there,” Kelley said. “I feel like during the week that I’m a top three to five guy and then when I go to the races it’s disappointing to be 11th and 12th. It’s a building process and I feel like coming into next year will be good. It all comes down to percentages. I study my times and how I compare to them (the top five). Realistically if I can find an average of one to two seconds a lap over the course of the race I’ll be a top three to five guy. It’s just finding those extra little percentage points. “
The AEO Powersports KTM team was a very important ingredient to Kelley’s success this season. The team does not have factory support, they build their own motors inhouse, and put the best bike they can underneath their riders. Kelley said that the team has over delivered for him this season and he had a good experience working with them.
“The bike is really solid, the motor is the best motor I’ve had. It’s just a solid program.” Kelley said.
Although the team doesn’t have factory support, Kelley doesn’t like to call himself a privateer. He has a full team behind him and a good bike. He’s not in a van and driving to the races by himself. With that being said, Kelley was the first rider in the Pro Motocross standings without any factory support. He finished 13th overall in the series.
“I’m stoked to be able to battle with the top factory guys and it’s definitely elevated my expectations,” Kelley said. “In the past if I got a 14th I was pumped, where this year if I got a 14th I was bummed. I’m just happy to make it through the year healthy and make it to every moto. I’m proud to see where I’ve come from in the past two years and to see the consistency as well.”
Since the outdoor season ended Kelley has been quite busy. He hasn’t had much time to go mountain biking in Big Bear, nor hit up the beach with his girlfriend. Kelley had an offer to race WSX for Pipes Motorsports Group and hopped on a plane to the UK where he finished seventh overall. Then the following weekend he jumped on an AEO KTM 125 two stroke to finish third at Red Bull Straight Rhythm. Then the next weekend he was in Australia racing the final WSX race. .
“It was awesome to have the opportunity to race outside of the US,” Kelley said. “I think it has a lot of potential to be a big thing in the near future with the right changes. I think fans around the world deserve to see the sport and I’m excited to see how it expands.”
Now Kelley turns his focus on 2023 and the new SuperMotocross Series. It looks like Kelley is set to rejoin the AEO KTM team and he’ll proudly be showing off his new national number 41. Also, as soon as he signs his contract he will be an official member of the Troy Dog Squad. The Squad will be helping him get more exposure as well as help with his program in any way possible.
Everything is lining up to be Kelley’s best season yet.
