Image: Simon Cudby.

The gruelling American outdoor season continues to take its toll with Yoshimura Suzuki’s Blake Baggett bowing out of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship due to ongoing issues stemming from a broken collarbone sustained at the season opening round.

Suffering a broken collarbone at round one requiring surgery, Baggett attempted to contest round two just one week later before pulling out after moto one and missing the following two rounds.

Returning at the Muddy Creek event, the former 250 Class champion put together four top 10 moto finishes, before injury the shoulder again at Southwick and has ultimately forced him out of the series.

In another tough blow for the factory Suzuki squad, fill-in rider Matt Bisceglia was also injured at the Southwick event sustaining fractured ribs and a partially collapsed lung. He will miss the next two rounds and is expected to return at Unadilla on 13 August.

Yet another Suzuki-mounted rider, Luke Clout, announced today via social media that we will too will miss this weekend’s event following a mid-week practice crash. The Australian hopes to make a return at next weekend’s Washougal round.

GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle has also revealed today he will sit out the Millville event after a being hospitalised following a moto two crash last weekend. He too will be shooting for a Washougal return.

Other notable names already forced out of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship due to injury include defending champion Ryan Dungey, Cole Seely, Jason Anderson and Shane McElrath.