Image: Jeff Crow.

KTM Motocross Racing Team’s Luke Styke is poised to miss the entire 2016 MX Nationals, Australian Motocross Championship, season after undergoing surgery on his re-injured Achilles tendon.

Styke was initially injured at last year’s AUS-X Open and spent a length period sidelined on the mend, however upon return to riding earlier this month he ruptured the Achilles tendon.

“It’s devastating news for us that Luke is out,” commented KTM Australia race teams manager Rob Twyerould. “It looks like his first advice to let it heal naturally wasn’t the best advice and it ruptured. But he’s had the operation now and his Achilles is reconnected, but it’s a minimum of six months healing.

“With him out, to give our sponsors exposure when we have an infrastructure that supports three riders, we needed that additional MX1 rider and my first choice was Jesse Dobson – it was just a matter of working out the politics of it all.”

The complete story on 19-year-old Dobson’s late switch from a Husqvarna factory satellite deal to the full factory KTM Motocross Racing Team alongside Kirk Gibbs and Caleb Ward can be found here on MotoOnline.com.au.