Kawasaki Racing Team’s Mitch Evans will not compete in the upcoming MXGP of Italy, as the Australian is suffering from an irritation to an old wrist injury that’s been causing discomfort.

Evans revealed he rode through pain in the affected area last time out at the MXGP of Turkey, and back in Belgium, he visited a specialist and underwent dedicated treatment to recover as soon as possible, but he is still unable to train on the bike.

“We are working closely with Mitch to find the best way for him to recover to 100 percent,” said Kawasaki Racing Team manager Antti Pyrhonen. “For sure it’s a tough decision to withdraw Mitch from Italy but we’re convinced that it is the right one; then we will see when is the best time to be back racing.

“We thank Mitch for his professional attitude and for taking the right choice in terms of his fitness and ability to compete at the highest level.”

Evans has had to deal with a troublesome wrist throughout his MXGP career, and he missed all of the 2021 season recovering from a wrist fracture.

The future of Evans is not clear beyond the 2023 season, and the Kawasaki Racing Team recently announced that Jeremy Seewer would join Romain Febvre in its MXGP effort next year.

Evans – part of Team Australia’s third-placed effort last year at RedBud – will not represent at the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in October, and following the upcoming races at Maggiora, just one round remains in the 2023 MXGP World Championship – the MXGP of Great Britain on 23-24 September.