Image: Jeff Crow.

Following a nightmare Achilles injury that saw Luke Styke sidelined for over a year, the former Motul MX Nationals MX2 champion is on track for a strong 2017 return.

Although yet to be confirmed, Styke is expected to return with the KTM Motocross Racing team in the MX1 category, picking up where he left off in 2015 alongside South Australian Kirk Gibbs.

Following a lengthy recovery process, Styke ensures he is now back to 100 percent and will head to New Zealand to contest 2017 New Zealand Motocross Championship in preparation for the Australian motocross series.

“The injury is 100 percent, so that’s all in order, there’s no pain for discomfort there,” Styke told MotoOnline.com.au. “I’ve been back on the bike for about three months now and I’ve been testing for the last two or three weeks.

“We’ve been coming up with some good settings, just bettering the bike as we prepare to head to New Zealand in a couple of weeks. I haven’t raced in a year-and-a-half now, so we’ll head over there and get some racing under my belt before the series starts here.”

With a list of strong premier class results under his belt pre-injury, the New South Wales native is confident he will return to his previous form and looks forward to continuing the positive pre-season progress.

“I went out with a pretty unusual thing and I didn’t really get a second chance to prove myself,” said Styke. “Going off the results in my first 450 year, I got five or six podiums and I won a round.

“With a year off I’m still going to come back and do the same thing. I’m all good, we’re just doing it and ticking the boxes, we’ve got a little work to do but it’s coming around slowly.

“I’m pretty happy where I’m at currently with the bike and we’ve got a another couple of months before round one, so we should be ready to go.”

Styke will make his official return to racing at Timaru’s first round of the New Zealand Motocross Championship on 5 February.