Monster Energy DRT Kawasaki’s Tommy Searle expected to make his long-awaited return to the 2017 FIM World Motocross Championship last weekend following his long lay-off with an ACL injury. But he ended up spending Saturday and Sunday as a spectator at the MXGP of Lombardia.
The luckless Brit injured his left hand just days before racing at Hawkstone Park in England but that didn’t stop him from making the trip to Ottobiano in Italy, as he explains. “I had already booked my flight to come here before my latest injury so I thought I would come and see everyone in the team and support them,” said Searle, who recently celebrated his 28th Birthday.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel for the reigning British champion. “It’s two weeks now since I injured my hand and the doctor said that I should be back on the bike within four weeks without an operation,” Searle revealed. “I go back for a check-up on Thursday and can expect to be back riding one week after that so hopefully I can return to racing at the Czech GP after the summer break.”
If Searle can wrap himself in cotton wool and avoid walking under ladders or breaking any mirrors he’ll hopefully just miss one more MXGP, which is at Agueda in Portugal on July 2, and we’ll then see him back behind the gate at Loket on July 23.
It remains to be seen if the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship round at Blaxhall on July 16 will come a little too soon for Searle, but we know that he would prefer to ease his way back into the MXGP series if at all possible.
Does Searle need to get back to racing soon to secure his ride for 2018 or should he take his time to get right before returning to GP action? Let us know your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.
