Image: Foremost Media.

A broken arm and immediate surgery spelt the end of MX2 rookie Byron Dennis’ weekend in Maitland, crashing in the early stages of moto one on Saturday after qualifying second.

Reigning MX3 national champion Dennis, 17, has impressed in his first season of professional competition, standing on the podium at Horsham and showcasing his capabilities on arrival at the GasGas Racing Team in 2024.

Unfortunately, a crash on lap one of the first race resulted in a broken ulna bone in his arm, which was swiftly attended to trackside before being hospitalised locally and undergoing a successful surgery on his injury over the weekend.

“Byron was involved in a crash yesterday where he felt like he got landed on in the rear, which pushed him into a rider in front,” explained KTM Group motorsport manager, Kyle Blunden. “It wasn’t a huge crash, but when he went to pick his bike up, he quickly recognised something was wrong with his arm. He came off the track and received treatment from the Racesafe team before being taken to John Hunter Hospital. Examinations there showed he had a fractured ulna – he’s now had successful surgery and is on the road to recovery.”

Dennis’ incident and subsequent non-finish of all three motos across the Maitland two-day round has in turn dropped him to 11th in the championship standings at the halfway point of the year. It’s unclear if he will attempt to return for Murray Bridge on June 23.