Image: Foremost Media.

Yamalube Yamaha Racing’s Kaleb Barham was a notable absentee from round five of the 2024 Penrite ProMX Championship in Murray Bridge last weekend, the MX2 contender now shifting his focus to the remaining Queensland rounds as he overcomes a hand injury.

The Queenslander revealed he sustained the injury while racing a local event at MX Farm – the venue that will host the penultimate round of ProMX on 11 August – in the lead-up to Murray Bridge, where it’s understood bone bruising forced him to the sidelines.

Barham, who was ranked eighth in the MX2 championship standings before missing round five, is adamant he’ll be 100 percent for his home race at Toowoomba next month, scheduled for 21 July.

“Unfortunately, I had to miss Murray Bridge, which I’m really disappointed about,” Barham told MotoOnline. “I really like that track and I’ve had a lot of success down there. I had to take a little bit of time off though, I had a crash racing at MX Farm, it was just a silly little tip-over, but I ended up busting up my hand a little bit.

“Thankfully, it’s nothing too serious and nothing that a little bit of time won’t fix. If [Murray Bridge] was a week later, we would’ve been able to race it, but for me, the goal is to get back to 100 percent for my home race in Toowoomba.

“So there’s no way I was jeopardising not being at 100 percent for that race, and then obviously the last two Queensland rounds. I’m looking forward to it though, we’re going to be back at 100 percent, so I’m excited.”

The factory-backed Yamaha rider had his best moto result of the season at Maitland’s previous round, where he was promoted to third after a series of post-race penalties. Despite being absent in South Australia, Barham has only dropped one spot in the points standings where he sits in ninth position.