Image: Foremost Media.

A collarbone fracture sustained in the second SX1 heat at Marvel Stadium came at ‘the worst timing’ for KTM Racing Team signing Brett Metcalfe, who was forced out of the World Supercross Championship (WSX) Australian GP weekend.

Metcalfe stepped into the factory for the Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX) this year in place of motocross-only rider Kirk Gibbs and was also due to feature as a WSX wildcard on Saturday.

However, the broken collarbone sustained in his AUSX SX1 heat race while situated third ended his weekend. Metcalfe had a moment in a 90-degree right-hander, which threw him off-balance entering the next section and caused him to go down. While the crash itself didn’t appear heavy, the injury sustained was a damaging.

The injury will also result in South Australian favourite Metcalfe missing his home round of the AUSX championship in Adelaide next weekend and it’s unclear if he will be fit to return in time for Newcastle or Wagga Wagga late next month.

“It’s not the way I wanted to come away from this weekend, for sure, but with Australian Supercross only four rounds, to miss last night’s main event, that really hurts and that was pretty much the championship done there,” Metcalfe told MotoOnline.

“The wildcard was something I was really looking forward to, also. I put a lot of pride in racing this and then Wayville next weekend, so it’s really the worst timing for me to get injured. That is racing though, I have had a good run lately… that is how it goes.”

Round two of the AUSX championship takes place this Saturday at the Adelaide Showground, however, following Wayville there is a short break until the third round in Newcastle on 26 November.

“We can look at it right now and say there is a possibility that we are going to do the last two rounds,” Metcalfe added. “There is enough of a break in there – there are three weekends off between Wayville and the third round there – so it’s possible.”